Mark: What pouch, Maria? What are you holding?
Vanessa: Don't touch that! She’s lying, Mark! She’s trying to shift the blame because she was careless with the patio doors!
Maria: I am not lying, Mr. Mark. This pouch slipped right out of her coat pocket when she leaned over the pool edge!
Mark: Give that to me right now, Maria.
Vanessa: Mark, no! That’s my private personal mail!
Mark: Personal mail? You almost let my two-month-old daughter drown, Vanessa! Step away from me right now!
Maria: Look at the official emblem stamped on the top of those papers, sir. That isn't ordinary mail.
Mark unzipped the heavy plastic pouch with trembling fingers. Water dripped onto the stone floor as he pulled out three folded sheets of thick paper. His eyes widened as he read the bold print across the top header.
Mark: This is a life insurance policy... in Lily’s name?
Vanessa: It’s just financial planning! I was setting up her security for the future!
Mark: Security? A two-million-dollar payout in the event of accidental death? Signed three days ago?
Maria: She had that document sent to a private mailbox, sir. I saw the carrier delivery slip on her dresser yesterday morning.
Vanessa: Shut your mouth, Maria! You're a maid! You don't speak in this house!
Mark: She speaks as much as she wants in this house! Get inside, both of you. Right now.
Mark grabbed the wet blanket wrapping baby Lily and ushered Maria through the double doors, keeping a strict distance from Vanessa. The grand living room felt heavy and silent, save for the quiet sniffling of the infant resting in Mark's arms.
Vanessa: Mark, darling, please listen to me. I was only trying to protect our family’s wealth. You know how volatile the market is right now.
Mark: Protect our wealth by taking out a death policy on a newborn baby? Are you out of your mind?
Vanessa: It was recommended by my wealth advisor! I didn't know the exact terms!
Maria: That’s not all that was in the pouch, Mr. Mark. Look under the second document.
Mark pulled out the lower page, which was stamped with a red legal seal from his late wife’s family estate.
Mark: This is Clara’s trust fund document. How did you get access to Clara’s estate papers?
Vanessa: I found them in your study desk weeks ago! I was just filing them!
Mark: My study desk is locked with a key I keep on my key ring. How did you get in there, Vanessa?
Vanessa: Why are you questioning me like I’m a criminal? I am your wife!
Mark: And Clara was my wife before she passed away! She left this trust fund specifically for Lily! Why is your signature listed here as the secondary trustee?
Maria: Because if something happened to Lily before her first birthday, the entire estate would transfer directly to the surviving stepmother under the amended clause on page three.
Mark froze, his blood running cold as he stared at the bottom line of the document.
Mark: How do you know what’s on page three, Maria?
Maria: Because I spent the last three months reading those exact legal files every night after you went to sleep, Mr. Mark.
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