The Signed Power of Attorney

Daniel kept his eyes locked on Victoria as he reached down, resting a firm hand on his father's shoulder.

Daniel: "Leo, stay right here with your grandfather. Keep that wool blanket around him."

Leo: "I will, Dad. I won't let her near him."

Daniel walked briskly into the main foyer, snatching Victoria's black designer leather handbag from the glass console table.

Victoria: "Put that down! Daniel, please, let us talk about this like two civilized adults in private!"

Daniel unzipped the bag and dumped its contents directly onto the polished floor: makeup, car keys, a gold compact, and a thick manila folder.

Daniel knelt down, flipping open the folder, his eyes scanning the bold legal letterhead.

Daniel: "Irrevocable Durable Power of Attorney. Medical proxy assignment. Immediate liquidation authorization for the Henderson Family Trust."

Daniel turned the page, his knuckles turning dead white as he stared at the signature line.

Daniel: "There is a shaky signature here with my father’s name on it. And a notary stamp dated this morning."

Arthur called out from the hallway, his voice raspy but gaining strength.

Arthur: "She brought an unlicensed notary into this house at ten this morning while you were at the corporate board meeting."

Daniel: "Did you sign this, Dad?"

Arthur: "I refused. I threw the pen across the library desk. She forged it right in front of me, Daniel."

Victoria stepped into the foyer, her back pressed against the wall, her eyes darting toward the heavy mahogany front doors.

Victoria: "Your father is an old man who doesn't understand high finance! That trust fund has twenty million dollars sitting idle!"

Daniel: "Idle? That trust fund pays for Leo's education, our healthcare, and thirty employees on our family foundations!"

Victoria: "And what about me, Daniel? What about my security? If something happens to you, your father's trust leaves me with pocket change!"

Daniel: "You signed a prenup with a five-million-dollar cash settlement! You called that pocket change?"

Victoria: "Five million dollars doesn't maintain this lifestyle! Your father was going to cut me out completely! I heard him on the phone with the estate lawyer last week!"

Arthur: "Because I found the offshore accounts, Victoria."

Arthur slowly walked into the foyer, leaning heavily on young Leo's shoulder for balance.

Arthur: "I saw the three hundred thousand dollars you siphoned from the foundation's charity account over the last six months."

Victoria's eyes widened, a look of sheer venom replacing her panic.

Victoria: "You senile old meddler! You have been spying on my bank accounts?"

Arthur: "I am the chairman of the foundation board, young lady. Every wire transfer requires my secondary authorization."

Daniel: "You stole charity funds? Money meant for children's hospitals?"

Victoria: "It was an investment loan! I was going to pay it back after the real estate closing next month!"

Daniel: "You lied to me every single day. You smiled in my face while planning to rob my family blind."

Victoria let out a bitter, mocking laugh, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Victoria: "So what if I did? You can't prove a single thing. It is your word against mine, Daniel."