Lily: Daddy! Daddy, please!
The little girl came running down the corridor, her face smeared with tears as her tiny patent-leather shoes clattered against the hard floor.
Julian: Lily! Baby, what’s wrong? Why are you crying like this?
Lily: Daddy, when do I have to leave?! Please don't send me away!
Julian scooped his weeping daughter into his arms, holding her tightly against his dark suit while his eyes darted up the hallway in total disbelief.
Julian: Leave? What are you talking about, sweetie? Nobody is sending you anywhere. This is your home.
Lily: She said it! She said as soon as you sign the marriage papers, I’m not allowed to live in my room anymore!
Selena: Oh, don't listen to her, Julian! The child is just dramatic and trying to seek attention on our special day!
Before Selena could smooth over her words, Julian’s mother, Eleanor, rounded the corner holding a small cardboard box filled with children's clothes and stuffed animals.
Eleanor: It’s not a lie, Julian! Look at this!
Julian: Mom? What is going on here? Why are Lily’s things in a box?
Eleanor: Selena already empty-handed your daughter's room! She packed up all of Lily's clothes, her toys, even the quilt her late mother made her!
Selena: It’s called reorganizing, Eleanor! That room is going to be my new walk-in closet for my designer bags after the ceremony!
Julian: You cleared out my daughter’s bedroom without telling me?
Selena: She needs to learn that things change when a new mistress takes over the estate! She can sleep in the guest house basement!
Eleanor: She told the child she was being sent to a state shelter the moment the vows were exchanged!
Julian looked at Selena, his vision blurring with pure, unadulterated rage. The woman standing before him in a multi-thousand-dollar wedding gown was a complete stranger.
Selena: Oh, stop making a scene! It’s my wedding day, and I won't have a ruined dress over a spoiled brat's tantrums!
Selena smugly grabbed another white storage box containing Lily's handmade drawings and tossed it recklessly into the air, letting it crash onto the floor.
Julian: Don't you dare touch her things!
Selena: I can do whatever I want! In thirty minutes, this house, your trust fund, and your real estate firm are half mine anyway!
Julian stepped forward, set Lily gently behind his mother, and confronted his bride-to-be.
Julian: You never cared about me or my daughter. You just wanted the family fortune and the estate!
Selena: So what if I did? You’re going to marry me anyway because all your high-society friends are sitting right outside in the garden!
Julian’s hand moved in a flash of blind fury, striking Selena sharply across her cheek with an echoing crack.
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