Richard sat in front of the security monitors in his private study.
The security chief pulled up the high-definition footage from earlier that day.
The footage showed a dark sedan pulling up near the back entrance.
A man wearing a dark jacket had stepped out of the vehicle.
Evelyn had met him by the garden gate looking nervous and scared.
The man had pointed aggressively toward the house before handing her a folder.
Richard watched closely as the stranger grabbed Evelyn's arm roughly.
That explained the red marks and bruises on her face.
She had not been trying to harm Maya out of malice.
She was terrified of the man who had threatened her family.
Richard felt a wave of guilt wash over his chest.
He had judged her too quickly during that intense moment in the foyer.
He replayed the balcony camera angle with the security chief.
The footage showed Maya leaning too far over the high wooden railing.
Evelyn had lunged forward to grab the girl's dress to catch her.
She had actually saved Maya from falling before Richard even entered the house.
Richard closed his eyes as he absorbed the terrible mistake he made.
He stood up from his chair and grabbed his coat off the rack.
"Find out who owns that dark sedan immediately," Richard ordered his chief.
"I am going to locate my wife right now," he added.
He drove out of the estate gates into the cool evening air.
He called Evelyn's personal cell phone multiple times in a row.
Each call went straight to her automated voicemail box.
He decided to check her sister's house located a few miles away.
When he arrived at the suburban home, the front lights were on.
Richard knocked firmly on the wooden door until it opened.
Evelyn's sister Sarah stood in the doorway with a protective frown.
"She is inside, Richard," Sarah said in a stern tone.
"She is terrified and hurt because of what happened today," Sarah added.
Richard stepped into the warm living room with humility in his eyes.
Evelyn was sitting on the couch wrapped in a wool blanket.
She looked up with swollen eyes as Richard walked into the room.
"I saw the camera footage, Evelyn," Richard said softly.
"I know you were trying to protect Maya from falling," he admitted.
Evelyn wiped a tear from her cheek and stayed quiet for a moment.
"I was so scared you would think the worst of me," she whispered.
"Who was that man in the garden today?" Richard asked gently.
Evelyn reached into her handbag and pulled out the white folder.
"It is my former business partner from years ago," she explained.
"He claims I owe him money from our old real estate firm."
"He threatened to hurt Maya if I did not clear the vault."
Richard took a seat next to her on the comfortable sofa.
"You should have told me the truth right away," Richard insisted.
"We are a team and we face problems together," he reminded her.
Evelyn nodded slowly as she placed her hand over his hand.
"I thought I could solve it without putting you in danger," she said.
Richard picked up his phone as it began to ring loudly.
His security chief was calling back with new information about the man.
"We identified the driver of the sedan," the chief reported.
"He is currently heading back toward your estate address," the chief warned.
Richard stood up quickly with a sharp focus in his eyes.
"Stay here with Sarah where it is safe," Richard instructed Evelyn.
"I am going to handle this person once and for all."
He drove back to his mansion with the police on standby line.
The legal team was already preparing documents to report the extortion scheme.
Richard arrived back home just as the dark sedan pulled into his driveway.
The confrontation was about to happen on his own front lawn.