The foyer fell completely silent except for Lily's quiet, shuddering breaths.
Richard: An accident? You were standing over a child with your fist raised.
Margarethe: She smashed the antique vase my grandmother left me!
Lily: That's not why she hit me, Daddy.
Richard turned slightly, glancing down at his trembling daughter.
Richard: What happened, sweetheart? Tell me right now.
Margarethe: She is lying, Richard! You know she has hated me since the day we got married!
Richard: Quiet, Margarethe. Let her speak.
Lily: I was cleaning under the study desk like she told me to.
Margarethe: She was snooping through private paperwork!
Lily: No! The box fell over, and this was taped under the drawer.
Lily held out her small, trembling hand.
A heavy silver flash drive with scratched metal edges rested in her palm.
Margarethe's face lost all its color, turning completely ash white.
Margarethe: Give that to me. That is personal company property!
Richard: Back up, Margarethe. Right now.
Margarethe: Richard, you are embarrassing me in front of the house security!
Richard: Jackson, stand by the front door. Nobody leaves this house.
The tall security officer nodded firmly and moved directly in front of the heavy exit.
Officer Jackson: Yes, Mr. Sterling.
Margarethe: Have you lost your mind? You're treating me like a criminal in my own home!
Richard: This is my family estate, Margarethe. Not yours.
Richard took the drive from Lily's hand, feeling the cold weight of the metal.
Lily: When she saw me holding it, she grabbed the vase and threw it on the floor.
Richard: She threw it herself?
Lily: Yes! She screamed that I ruined everything, and then she slapped me across the face.
Margarethe: She is making up stories to tear us apart!
Richard: Look at her cheek, Margarethe. Your ring left a red mark right under her eye.
Margarethe clenched her hands behind her satin dress, her voice trembling slightly.
Margarethe: I tripped! I lost my balance when the glass shattered!
Richard: Don't insult my intelligence.
Margarethe: What do you think is on that drive, huh? Boring corporate tax files!
Richard: Then you won't mind if we look at it right here on the hall monitor.
Margarethe: That is an invasion of my privacy! Our prenup protects my personal records!
Richard: Our prenup protects honest business, not secrets hidden inside my house.
Richard stepped toward the security console beside the curved staircase.
Margarethe: Richard, stop! Please, just listen to me for one second!
Richard: I have listened to you for two years while you pushed my daughter out of my life.
He plugged the drive into the USB port beside the main control screen.
Margarethe rushed forward, her heels clicking loudly against the marble floor.
Officer Jackson: Ma'am, step back please.
Jackson placed an arm across the walkway, stopping her in her tracks.
Margarethe: Take your hands off me! Do you know who my family is?
Richard: Your family doesn't own this estate.
The screen flashed bright blue, opening three password-protected folders.
Above them was a title that made Richard's blood run completely cold: "Sterling Trust Liquidation."
Richard: What is this?
Margarethe: It's nothing! It's an old financial proposal from my accountant!
Richard: This has Lily's trust fund account number stamped across the header.
Lily stepped closer, gripping her father's robe tightly.
Lily: Daddy, she said if I told you, she would send me to boarding school in Switzerland.
Richard looked down at his daughter, then back at his wife, his jaw set in stone.
Richard: You threatened to ship my child across the ocean?
Margarethe: It was a threat to keep her disciplined!
Richard: You are about to see what real discipline looks like.
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