Eleanor: Mark, sweetheart, take a deep breath. Lily is upstairs in her room with her ice cream. She's safe.
Mark: I can't believe I almost married her, Mom. How did I let that monster into our home?
Eleanor: Desperation makes smart men blind, son. You were lonely after Sarah passed away, and Selena knew exactly what buttons to push.
Mark: It wasn't just loneliness. Selena knew things about Sarah's estate, things about our family trust fund that nobody else knew.
Eleanor: What do you mean? You think she planned this from the very beginning?
Mark: I don't just think it, Mom. I think she had help.
Mark walked over to the grand fireplace, staring at the framed portrait of his late wife, Sarah, hanging above the mantle.
Eleanor: Help from who? Your corporate partners? The bank executors?
Mark: Yesterday, while I was moving boxes out of the attic to clear space for the caterers, I found an old duffel bag hidden behind the drywall.
Eleanor: A duffel bag? What was inside it?
Mark: Cassette tapes, legal documents, and private bank statements belonging to Sarah’s old law firm.
Eleanor: Sarah was a corporate attorney for twenty years, Mark. She kept records of everything. Why would those be hidden in our attic?
Mark: Because someone put them there right before Sarah died in that car crash two years ago.
Eleanor: Lord have mercy... Mark, what are you saying?
Mark: I listened to one of those tapes late last night. Selena’s voice was on it, Mom. Dated three years ago.
Eleanor gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she stared at her son in absolute horror.
Eleanor: Three years ago?! You only met Selena eight months ago at the charity gala!
Mark: Exactly. She didn't meet me by accident. She hunted me down.
Eleanor: What was on the tape, Mark? Tell me!
Mark: Selena was talking to Sarah’s former law partner, Richard Vance. They were negotiating a payout.
Eleanor: A payout for what?
Mark: For stealing the private life insurance policy documents and Sarah's real last will and testament.
Eleanor: Oh my God... Sarah didn't die in an ordinary accident, did she?
Mark: I'm going to find out. But right now, Selena is still standing on our driveway refusing to leave the property.
Eleanor: Should I call the local sheriff's department?
Mark: No. Let her stay outside for a few minutes. I want her to think she still has a chance to negotiate.
Eleanor: What are you going to do with those tapes?
Mark: I'm going to call our family lawyer, Arthur. And then I'm going to make sure Selena loses every single cent she ever tried to steal from my family.
Eleanor: Be careful, son. A woman driven by greed is dangerous when backed into a corner.
Mark: She thinks she was dealing with a grieving widower. She’s about to find out what happens when you touch my daughter.
Mark pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and dialed a number he hadn't called in two years.
Arthur: Mark? Is everything okay? I thought you were supposed to be saying 'I do' right about now.
Mark: The wedding is canceled, Arthur. I need you at the estate immediately, and bring the state prosecutor with you.
Leave a Comment