Mark pressed the dial button and held the smartphone to his ear, walking back out into the grand foyer while the line rang. Victoria rushed after him, her shoes clicking loudly on the hard floor.
Victoria: You are ruining our lives! We had twenty million dollars in real estate assets guaranteed to us!
Mark: Hello, Arthur? It's Mark Sterling.
Arthur: Mark? It's almost nine o'clock at night. Is everything alright with the estate files?
Mark: Arthur, I need you to come over to the mansion right now. Bring the original copy of my father's will and the contact details for the family court judge.
Arthur: Mark, what happened? Is there a problem with Victoria?
Mark: My father's secret daughter is here, Arthur. Ella is at the house.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. When Arthur spoke again, his voice was tight with emotion.
Arthur: You found her? Mark... your father begged me on his deathbed to make sure Ella was taken care of. But when I called the shelter in Austin three weeks ago, they told me a family member had already picked her up.
Mark: Victoria picked her up, Arthur. And she's been hiding her in a closet under the stairs to stop the trust from being divided.
Arthur: Good Lord... Mark, keep the girl safe. I am getting in my car right now. I will be at your front door in fifteen minutes.
Mark: Thank you, Arthur. Hurry.
Mark ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket. Victoria stood near the base of the grand staircase, her hands trembling as she stared at the front double doors.
Victoria: You really did it. You just ruined our family name.
Mark: You ruined this family the moment you chose money over a child's life, Victoria.
Victoria: I gave you ten years of my life! I built your social standing in Dallas! I made sure everyone respected the Sterling name!
Mark: The Sterling name means nothing if it is built on a crime.
Victoria: What am I supposed to do now? Wait here for the police to come and arrest me in front of the neighbors?
Mark: You should go upstairs, pack your bags, and leave before Arthur gets here. Because when the police arrive, I am telling them everything.
Victoria: You would throw your own wife to the police?
Mark: You locked my little sister in a dark closet for three weeks, Victoria! You're lucky I'm letting you walk up those stairs to pack your clothes instead of holding you down myself!
Victoria stood frozen for a moment, her face twisting in rage and panic. Realizing that Mark was completely unwavering, she turned around, grabbed the railing of the staircase, and ran up the steps toward the master bedroom.
Mark: Lily! Ella! Come out here into the foyer with me.
The two young girls walked out of the kitchen hand in hand. Mark knelt down on the wooden floor beside them, right in front of the framed American flag hanging on the wall.
Mark: Ella, my father's lawyer is coming over. He was a very good friend of your dad, and he's going to help us make sure you are officially part of our family now.
Ella: Am I going to get to go to school like Lily?
Mark: Yes, Ella. You're going to go to school, you're going to have your own bedroom upstairs, and you're never going to be hidden away again.