Mark: Maria, thank God you were out in the yard when it happened.
Maria: I heard the heavy links clanking on the stone pavers, sir. My heart stopped.
Mark: I knew Brenda was cold, but I never imagined she was capable of actual cruelty toward Lily.
Maria: Sir... there is something else you need to know about your stepmother.
Mark: What do you mean?
Maria: Last night, while cleaning the study, I overheard her talking to her divorce lawyer.
Mark: Her lawyer? My father died two years ago. Why is she talking to a legal team?
Maria: She was talking about changing the title deeds to the Dallas estate and transferring the life insurance payouts.
Mark: She can't touch the real estate! The trust clearly states the property passes to me when I turn thirty-five!
Maria: She said something about a revised last will and testament, sir.
Mark: A revised will? My father never made a second will!
Maria: She mentioned a safe in the basement cellar. The old one behind the wine rack.
Mark: Dad never used that safe... unless he was hiding something from her.
Maria: She sounded desperate, Mr. Mark. She said if you found out before the weekend, everything would be lost.
Mark: Stay with Lily, Maria. I'm going down to the basement right now.
Maria: Please be careful, sir. The basement lighting has been flicking all day.
Mark: I need to see what my father left behind.
Mark: Where is the key... Dad always kept a spare behind the grandfather clock.
Mark: Found it. Now let's see what Brenda was so eager to hide.
Mark: The steel door is rusty... come on, open up!
Mark: What is this? A leather binder with my father's personal seal?
Mark: 'Original Will & Testament of Arthur Vance'... wait, this date is right before he passed!
Mark: 'I leave eighty percent of all liquid assets and full ownership of the family mansion to my son, Mark...'
Mark: 'In the event of my death, Brenda Vance is to receive a fixed monthly allowance, contingent upon her peaceful departure from the estate...'
Mark: My God... the will she probated in court was a total forgery!
Mark: She stole millions from my father's estate and tried to push me out of my own home!
Mark: I need to call our family attorney, Mr. Sterling, immediately.
Mr. Sterling: Mark? What's going on? I received a notification about Brenda's arrest.
Mark: Mr. Sterling, I found Dad's real will in the basement safe!
Mr. Sterling: What? The document Brenda presented in court was certified by a notary!
Mark: It was a fake! The real document explicitly limits her share and leaves the entire mansion and business stock to me!
Mr. Sterling: If this is true, Mark, Brenda hasn't just committed child endangerment... she's guilty of massive probate fraud!
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