David set Lily down gently on the plush leather sofa in the main living room, wrapping a warm woolen throw blanket around her narrow shoulders. Emily sat down beside her, offering her half of a sandwich from the white plate.
Emily: Here, you can have the turkey one. It's the best.
Lily: Thank you, Emily.
David: Lily, sweetheart, did Sarah leave any papers with you? Anything from your grandfather?
Lily: Mommy gave me a yellow envelope before the ambulance came... I hid it under the blanket inside the cabinet...
Victoria: Don't touch that cabinet, David! That envelope contains private legal documents!
David: Get out of my way, Victoria!
David pushed past Victoria and walked back to the open cabinet door under the stairs. He reached into the dark space and pulled out a thick yellow envelope stamped with the seal of the Dallas Probate Court. He tore open the top flap, pulling out three crisp pages.
David: "Last Will and Codicil of Arthur Sterling... to my true granddaughter, Lily Sterling..."
Victoria: It's invalid! Your father wasn't in his right mind when he signed that paper!
David: It's signed by two independent doctors and notarized by the state, Victoria! My father left fifty percent of his entire estate, including this mansion, in a private trust for Lily!
Victoria: She was raised by a common waitress! She doesn't know how to handle wealth!
David: She is ten years old, Victoria! She doesn't need to handle wealth, she needs a father who loves her!
Victoria: What about me? What about my share of the estate?
David: You don't have a share, Victoria. Section four explicitly states that if any family member attempts to conceal or harm the primary heir, their entire inheritance is completely forfeited.
Victoria's face turned completely white. She stumbled backward, clutching the edge of the marble fireplace mantle for support.
Victoria: Forfeited? No... no, that's impossible! Your father loved me!
David: My father saw right through you, Victoria. That's why he added that clause before he died!
Lily: Daddy... is the mean lady going to put me back in the box?
David: Never again, Lily. Nobody will ever hurt you in this house as long as I am alive.
David pulled his smartphone out of his suit pocket and opened his contacts, dialing a number he knew by heart.
Victoria: Who are you calling? David, put that phone down right now!
David: I'm calling Arthur Vance, my father's estate attorney. And then I'm calling the Dallas Police Department.
Victoria: You can't call the police on your own wife! Think about Emily! Think about what this will do to her!
David: I am thinking about Emily! I am making sure she doesn't grow up under the roof of a woman who locks children in cabinets!