Julian led the way up the broad staircase toward Henry's old study room.
Victoria hurried right behind him, her maroon dress rustling on the carpet.
Clara carried her young baby carefully, keeping a short distance behind them.
They entered the large, oak-paneled room where Henry used to work daily.
A tall iron safe sat in the dark corner behind the desk.
Julian knelt down on the wooden floorboards right in front of it.
He tried three different keys before the heavy iron latch finally clicked open.
Victoria: Stop going through those private records before I call the police!
Julian: Call whoever you want, Victoria, because we are not leaving.
Clara: What is inside the top drawer, Julian? Do you see papers?
Julian pulled out a thick blue folder tied with a thin black ribbon.
He carefully untied the ribbon and spread several white documents across desk.
Victoria stepped forward quickly, reaching out her hand to grab the sheets.
Victoria: Give those back to me right now, Julian! They are mine!
Julian blocked her arm firmly, keeping the papers safe on the desk.
Julian: Do not touch these until I read every single written page.
Clara stood close beside her brother, looking down at the neat typing.
She spotted her father's familiar, bold handwriting near the bottom line signature.
Clara: Look at the date on this property document, Julian! Read it!
Julian: This was signed just three days before father entered the hospital.
Victoria stumbled backward slightly, her face suddenly losing all its pink color.
She touched her cheek with trembling fingers as sheer panic filled her.
Victoria: That paper is completely invalid! Henry was not thinking clearly!
Julian: He was perfectly sharp, and his personal lawyer signed as witness!
Clara: You knew about this paper all along, did you not, Victoria?
Victoria turned her face away, refusing to meet Clara's steady, angry gaze.
Victoria: He had no right to alter our agreement without my knowledge!
Julian: This was his property long before he ever met you, Victoria.
Clara pulled one official white document out from the neat legal stack.
The paper bore an official gold state seal right beside the signatures.
Clara: Let us see whose name is actually written on this paper.
Julian shone his phone flashlight onto the dark blue ink lines below.
The full name of Henry Reinner appeared clearly in bold, black letters.
Directly beneath his name was a second full name written very clearly.
Victoria gasped loudly, gasping for air as if she had been hit.
The secret she tried to hide was now out in plain view.