Julian walked briskly down the long corridor toward his late father’s private study, gesturing for Clara to follow him as Mrs. Gable stood watching in horror.
Mrs. Gable: Mr. Julian, you cannot bring a hired maid into the master study! Your stepfather’s lawyer will be here in an hour to finalize the estate transfer!
Julian: Silence, Mrs. Gable! Open the inner door and bring us the original medical records from the steel cabinet!
Mrs. Gable: The keys are kept by Mr. Vance! He strictly forbade anyone from touching those files without his direct permission!
Julian: I am the sole surviving blood heir of Arthur Sterling, and I order you to open that vault right now!
Clara wiped her eyes with the corner of her apron, her chest heaving as she stepped past the threshold of the massive room.
The walls were lined with leather-bound books, heavy oak furniture, and dark oil paintings of wealthy ancestors who watched over the vast fortune.
Clara: Who is Mr. Vance?
Julian: My stepfather. He married my mother two years after my father’s sudden death, and he managed the entire family trust until she passed away last winter.
Clara: Did he... did he come to the mansion before I disappeared?
Julian: He was my father’s personal wealth manager. He handled the family life insurance policies, the offshore accounts, and the children's trust funds.
Julian moved quickly behind the large mahogany desk, picking up a silver key from a drawer and unlocking a wall-mounted brass safe behind a curtain.
He pulled out a thick leather binder stamped with the official seal of the Sterling Family Trust.
Julian: Look at this document, Clara. This is the trust agreement created when my sister and I were born.
Clara: I can't read legal papers... I never finished high school because I had to start working in kitchens at fifteen.
Julian: Let me read it to you. It states that if either child dies before turning twenty-five, their entire share of fifty million dollars forfeits directly to the surviving parent or designated trustee.
Clara: Designated trustee? You mean your stepfather?
Julian: Exactly. When 'Victoria' was declared dead, fifty million dollars was transferred directly into an offshore account managed exclusively by Richard Vance.
The heavy double doors of the study suddenly burst open, slamming hard against the wood paneling as a tall, grey-haired man in a tailored suit stepped into the room.
Richard Vance: What is the meaning of this intrusion, Julian? Why is the maid standing near my private financial files?
Julian: She isn't just a maid, Richard. Look at her face closely.
Richard Vance halted mid-stride, his eyes darting from Julian to Clara, his expression turning cold and guarded instantly.
Richard Vance: I don't have time for your childish games. The board meeting starts in two hours, and the lawsuit over the estate property needs your signature.
Julian: She recognized the portrait in the hallway, Richard. She knew about the scar from the garden fountain.
Richard Vance: Nonsense! She’s a street girl trying to pull a quick scam to get a settlement payout out of a wealthy family!
Clara: I don't want your money! I just want to know why I was thrown away like trash while you lived in this mansion!
Richard Vance: Get out of this house this instant before I call the police and have you arrested for trespassing and fraud!
Julian: She’s not going anywhere, Richard. Not until we call the family lawyer and order an official DNA test.
Richard’s jaw tightened, his hand gripping the silver handle of his walking cane until his knuckles turned ghostly white.
Richard Vance: If you demand a DNA test, Julian, you will freeze the entire hundred-million-dollar estate in court for months, and the bank will foreclose on the mansion's mortgage!