David carried Lily upstairs into her quiet bedroom and locked the door behind them.
He sat her down softly on her bed and dried her tears with a warm tissue.
David: Are you hurt anywhere, Lily?
Lily: My arm hurts a little, but I am mostly sad about Grandma's necklace.
David: We will collect every single pearl from that floor later today.
Lily: Why does Mommy hate me so much, Daddy?
David: She does not hate you, sweetheart, but she is blinded by money and power.
David stroked his daughter's hair until her tiny breathing slowed down to a peaceful rhythm.
Once Lily fell asleep, David quietly stepped back out into the bright hallway.
He walked down to his private home office and closed the solid wood door firmly.
David walked over to the mahogany desk situated near the large bay window.
He unlocked the lower drawer using a small brass key he kept on his key ring.
Inside the drawer sat a thick manila folder labeled with the family trust legal documents.
David opened the folder and pulled out the original copy of his mother's last will.
His mother had been a wealthy businesswoman who built a successful commercial real estate company.
When she passed away, she left seventy percent of her business estate directly to Lily.
She placed the remaining assets in a family trust fund managed strictly by David.
Evelyn had been completely excluded from the business operations and financial inheritance terms.
David remembered how furious Evelyn became when the family trust lawyers first read the draft.
Evelyn had demanded that David challenge his mother's legal mind in state probate court.
When David refused, Evelyn started acting hostile toward everyone living inside the mansion.
David turned the paper pages and noticed something strange near the bottom signature line.
A corner of the legal document appeared slightly torn and patched with clear adhesive tape.
David held the paper up into the bright sunlight coming through the wide office window.
He noticed fine eraser marks over the designated executor names written on the second page.
Someone had tried to alter the legal text of the primary family estate document.
David: She actually tried to change the executor names on this contract.
The office door creaked open slowly as Evelyn stepped into the sunlit room.
She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe with a dark smile.
Evelyn: Looking at old memories, David?
David: Did you tamper with these legal estate documents, Evelyn?
Evelyn: That old woman was senile when she signed those estate papers!
David: She was completely sharp until her final day, and you know that!
Evelyn: I devoted ten years of my life to this marriage and this property!
David: And that gives you the right to forge signatures and terrorize our daughter?
Evelyn: I am saving this family from ruin by taking control of the estate!
David: You are destroying this family out of pure greed and selfish pride!
Evelyn walked up to the desk and slammed her hand onto the polished wood.
Evelyn: If you hand those papers over to the estate lawyer, I will destroy you!
David: The estate lawyer is coming here tomorrow afternoon with the family legal team.
Evelyn: Then you better make sure you hide those papers where nobody can find them!
Evelyn turned around sharply and stormed out of the private home office room.
David sat down in his leather chair and placed his hands over his tired face.
He realized his marriage was completely over and he had to protect his daughter.
He took out his smartphone and dialed the private number of his trust attorney.
David: Robert, this is David. I need you at the house with the police tomorrow morning.