Chapter 1 - The Crash in the Library
The crash came from the library, followed by my six-year-old daughter screaming, “Daddy!”
I was halfway down the hall before my brain caught up with my feet.
When I shoved the doors open, Lily was backed against the bookcase with both hands over her mouth. On the Persian rug lay the silver music box her mother had left her, split open at the hinge. The tiny porcelain ballerina had snapped clean off.
Victoria stood above it, breathing hard.
“What did you just do to my daughter’s heirloom?” I asked.
Her head whipped toward me. “Mark, she does not belong in this mansion acting like she owns everything.”
The words landed harder than the broken music box.
“This estate belongs to Lily,” I said. “Not you.”
Lily ran to me and grabbed my jacket. “Daddy, she said you were going to send me away.”
I looked down at her. “What?”
“She said after the papers were signed, I’d live somewhere else.”
Victoria’s face changed. “She misunderstood.”
“Nobody is sending you anywhere, sweetheart.” I pulled Lily behind me. “Victoria, what papers?”
Her eyes flashed. “You promised me full control of the trust fund.”
“I promised you nothing of the kind.”
“You said I would be protected.”
“That does not mean Lily loses what her mother left her.”
Victoria stepped closer. “You can’t throw me out without a settlement.”
“Watch me.” I took out my phone. “Security is coming up, and the police are on their way. That camera above the fireplace captured every word.”
For the first time, Victoria stopped arguing.
She looked at the camera.
Then she looked at the broken music box.
And instead of fear, I saw calculation.
Lily tugged on my sleeve. “Daddy?”
“Yes?”
May you like
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“She broke it because she thought something was inside.”
