The heavy iron knocker on the front door echoed through the double-staircase foyer.
Clara quickly wiped her eyes and stepped forward to open the entrance.
An elderly American gentleman in a charcoal grey suit stepped inside, holding a thick leather briefcase.
Mr. Vance: Good evening, everyone. I received an urgent telephone call from Mrs. Sterling twenty minutes ago.
Julian: Mr. Vance? What are you doing here at nine o'clock at night?
Mr. Vance: I am the primary family attorney and executor of the late Charles Sterling's estate, Julian.
Richard: Did Mother call you to change the family trust fund again?
Mr. Vance: She called me to execute an emergency protocol regarding the mansion management, Richard.
Mrs. Sterling walked over to the attorney, taking a seat at the dining room table in the main hall.
Mrs. Sterling: Arthur, please open the sealed envelope my husband left in your office five years ago.
Julian: Mother, wait! We can handle this internally! There's no need to involve legal counsel!
Mrs. Sterling: Open the envelope, Arthur.
Mr. Vance unbuckled his briefcase, pulled out a thick parchment paper with a red wax seal, and broke it open with his pocket knife.
Mr. Vance: Clause Twelve of the Sterling Living Trust states the following...
Mr. Vance: If either heir displays acts of physical violence, moral turpitude, or criminal theft against the primary beneficiary, their management authority over the mansion and estate properties shall be revoked immediately.
Richard dropped into a chair, staring at the floor in complete horror.
Richard: Revoked? Does that mean my monthly allowance is canceled?
Mr. Vance: Not just your allowance, Richard. Your trust distribution is frozen pending a full forensic audit of your gambling debts.
Julian: What about me, Arthur?! I run the corporate accounts! I haven't stolen a single dime!
Mr. Vance: Clause Twelve explicitly mentions physical violence, Julian. Striking your mother violates the trust mandate directly.
Julian: It was a mistake! I lost my temper in the heat of an argument!
Mr. Vance: The trust does not make exceptions for temper tantrums, Julian.
Lily sat beside Clara on the hallway bench, holding Clara's trembling hands gently.
Lily: See, Clara? They aren't going to let them hurt us anymore.
Clara: Miss Lily, I'm just worried about where I will go if they close the mansion...
Mrs. Sterling: Nobody is closing this mansion, Clara. And you are never leaving this house unless you choose to.