Mark escorted Sarah and the children through the sliding glass patio doors.
He locked the rear doors securely behind them in one quick motion.
He walked straight to his study and pulled out his mobile phone.
He dialed his long-time family attorney, Arthur Vance.
The line rang three times before a calm voice answered the call.
Arthur: Mark, I was just about to dial your personal cell.
Mark: Arthur, a process server just showed up at my private home.
Mark: Sarah is terrified, and my kids were scared half to death.
Arthur: I feared this might happen after the morning court session.
Mark: What court session? What is Richard doing?
Arthur: Your father’s original will contained a hidden conditional clause.
Mark rubbed his forehead as a sharp headache began to thud behind his eyes.
Mark: What kind of conditional clause, Arthur?
Arthur: If the primary heir does not claim the trust by age forty, it transfers.
Mark: I turned forty last week!
Arthur: Exactly, and Richard filed papers claiming you failed to sign the transfer.
Mark: Because nobody ever handed me those final papers to sign!
Arthur: Richard kept the documents hidden so the deadline would pass quiet.
Mark felt a cold rush of adrenaline sweep through his veins.
If the inheritance transferred to Richard, the mortgage on their house would default.
The family trust had served as the underlying security for their home loan.
Richard was trying to strip away their home, their savings, and their peace.
A heavy knock sounded against the thick oak front door down the hallway.
The sharp sound rattled through the wooden floorboards of the quiet house.
Lily squeaked with fear from the kitchen table where Sarah held her fast.
Mark looked out the hallway window toward the front driveway.
A tall man in a dark tailored suit stood on the porch step.
Beside him stood a process server holding a thick stack of white folders.
The man in the suit turned toward the window, showing a sharp, cold smile.
It was Richard, looking confident and entirely without remorse.
Mark: Arthur, he is standing on my front porch right now.
Arthur: Do not open that door under any circumstances, Mark.
Mark: He scared my wife into locking our children in the yard!
Arthur: If you open that door, he can serve you formal notice in person.
Arthur: Once served, he can trigger an immediate freeze on your bank accounts.
Mark held the phone tight against his ear as the knocking grew louder.
Richard: Open up, Mark! Let us talk about our father's legacy like men!