Mark set Ella down gently on one of the cushioned kitchen chairs, pulling a warm woolen sweater from the back of a barstool and wrapping it over her thin shoulders. Lily brought over a glass of orange juice, handing it to her new sister with a bright, earnest smile.
Lily: Drink this, Ella. It makes you feel better.
Ella: Thank you, Lily.
Victoria walked into the kitchen slowly, her arms crossed tightly over her white blouse. She kept her distance near the granite island, her eyes darting toward the front entrance of the house.
Victoria: Mark, we need to be rational about this. The executor of your father's estate, Mr. Harrison, is coming over tomorrow morning to review the final trust documents.
Mark: Good. He can see Ella with his own eyes.
Victoria: Are you out of your mind? If Harrison sees her here, he will immediately report us to Child Protective Services! Do you know what that means for you? You could go to prison as an accessory!
Mark: I didn't know she was in that closet, Victoria! You hid her from me!
Victoria: Do you really think a judge in Dallas County is going to believe that you lived in this house for three weeks and had no idea a child was locked under your main staircase?
Mark paused, his hand resting on the back of Ella's chair. The cold reality of the situation hit him like a physical blow. Victoria was right about one thing: the legal fallout would be catastrophic.
Mark: How did you even get her here without anyone noticing?
Victoria: Her guardian in Austin passed away last month. The state social worker called our house because your father was listed as her primary contact. I went to Austin myself, picked her up, and told the social worker I was taking her to live in a private estate while the adoption paperwork was processed.
Mark: You brought her here under false pretenses?
Victoria: I