Her Rich Stepmother Tried To Take Her Son Away

Her father had protected her even long after he was gone from this world.

She promised herself that Eleanor and Arthur would answer for every single lie told.

The next morning brought a clear sky as Victoria walked into the downtown corporate building.

She wore a fresh dark charcoal suit and carried a crisp leather document folder.

Lawyer Marcus walked beside her with a calm and confident expression on his face.

They rode the high speed elevator straight up to the top floor boardroom suite.

Inside the spacious room sat Grandfather Arthur along with three senior corporate lawyers.

Eleanor sat at the head of the table holding a hot cup of expensive tea.

Eleanor: You have no business attending this board meeting, Victoria.

Victoria: I own fifty-one percent of this company as of nine this morning.

Arthur stood up slowly from his leather chair, leaning heavily upon his polished cane.

Grandfather Arthur: That is impossible under the terms of your father’s will!

Lawyer Marcus: Here are the certified public records filed with the state court today.

Marcus placed the thick folder right in the center of the polished mahogany table.

The corporate lawyers leaned forward immediately to inspect the official court seals attached.

Eleanor’s face lost all its normal color as she watched the lawyers read the pages.

Corporate Lawyer: These documents are completely valid and override the previous filings.

Grandfather Arthur: What nonsense is this, Eleanor assured me we owned the stock!

Victoria: Eleanor lied to you just like she lied to everyone else for years.

Victoria pulled out a second set of bank transfer records from her legal briefcase.

She slid the papers directly in front of Arthur’s trembling hands on the table.

Victoria: She shifted two million dollars from your personal fund to offshore accounts.

Arthur looked at the numbers and then turned his head slowly toward Eleanor.

Grandfather Arthur: Is this true, Eleanor?

Eleanor: Arthur, she is using forged papers to divide our family apart!

Victoria: The fraud investigators are standing outside in the main hallway right now.

Eleanor gasped loudly and dropped her porcelain teacup onto the glass tabletop surface.

The tea spilled everywhere across her clean white suit jacket in a messy stain.

Victoria: You tried to take my child away using money you stole from us.

Eleanor: You cannot do this to me after everything I did for this family!

Victoria: You did nothing but betray every person who ever trusted your words.

Two uniformed police officers walked into the boardroom through the open double doors.

Marcus pointed directly toward Eleanor as she backed away toward the floor to ceiling window.

Lawyer Marcus: That is the person named in the embezzlement warrant, officers.

The officers stepped forward and escorted Eleanor out of the high rise boardroom quietly.

She kept her head down, avoiding the stern gaze of the company board members present.

Arthur sank heavily into his leather chair, looking old and defeated for the first time.

Grandfather Arthur: I was blind to what she was doing behind my back, Victoria.

Victoria: You chose power over your own family, Arthur.

Grandfather Arthur: Can you ever forgive an old man for his foolish pride?

Victoria: My son and I need time and distance away from your control.

She turned away from her grandfather and walked out of the boardroom with head high.

Lawyer Marcus followed her down the quiet carpeted hallway toward the main glass elevator.

Lawyer Marcus: The estate papers will be completely finalized by the end of this week.

Victoria: Thank you for standing by my side through all of this, Marcus.

Lawyer Marcus: Your father would be very proud of your strength today, Victoria.

They stepped into the elevator and rode it down to the sunny ground floor lobby.

Victoria walked out into the warm afternoon sunshine feeling lighter than ever before in life.

She drove straight to Leo’s elementary school to pick him up after his afternoon class.

Leo ran out through the double doors holding a colorful drawing of a small house.

Leo: Look what I drew in art class today, Mom!

Victoria: That is the most beautiful picture I have ever seen, Leo.

She took his small hand in hers as they walked together toward their car parked nearby.

Leo: Are we safe now, Mom?

Victoria: We are completely safe, and no one will ever bother us again.

They drove home to their bright house with the windows rolled down to the breeze.

Victoria set up a small garden table in the backyard under the shade tree.

She knew that money and power could never replace the true love of a parent.

Her son laughed happily as he played with his toy car on the green lawn.

Victoria smiled warmly, knowing she had won the fight to protect her child’s future.