Arthur brought Toby and little Lily into his private, heated office behind the bakery, wrapping them both in warm handmade blankets and setting out a huge spread of warm food, fresh fruit, and cold milk. For the first time in weeks, Lily ate until her tiny tummy was completely full, leaning back against the soft leather couch with a sweet, happy smile. Toby sat beside her, still feeling like he was dreaming as he watched his grandfather pace back and forth behind a massive mahogany desk.
Within fifteen minutes, Arthur's primary family lawyer, a sharp man named Mr. Harrison dressed in a gray suit, walked into the office holding a heavy leather briefcase. Arthur stood beside his grandchildren, his eyes burning with determination as he laid out the entire situation for his legal team.
Arthur: Harrison, my daughter Sarah passed away last month, and her evil husband threw my grandchildren onto the street!
Harrison: That is illegal eviction and child abandonment, Mr. Vance. We can file criminal charges immediately.
Toby: Our stepfather Richard told us mom left everything to him in a will, and that we had to get out!
Arthur: Richard is a lying thief who stole my daughter's life savings and her estate!
Toby explained how Richard had forced them out of their family home in the middle of the night, taking Sarah's jewelry, the family house, and her life insurance settlement while leaving the young kids with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Harrison took fast notes on a legal pad, nodding his head as he pulled up court records on his tablet computer.
Harrison: Mr. Vance, I just checked the county deed records. The house was strictly held under a trust fund created by your daughter, naming Toby and Lily as sole beneficiaries upon her passing.
Arthur: So Richard committed outright fraud and stolen identity!
Harrison: Exactly. He forged her signature on the deed transfer three days after she died in the hospital.
Arthur's hand slammed onto his desk with explosive anger as he heard the truth about how his daughter's memory had been violated by her greedy husband. He turned to his lawyer with a cold, sharp instruction that left no room for hesitation or mercy.
Arthur: I want Richard arrested before the sun sets today. Seize every single asset, foreclose on the stolen property, and put all money into a secure trust fund for Toby and Lily!
Harrison: I will have the police and sheriff at his front door within the hour, Mr. Vance.
Meanwhile, Arthur also addressed the issue regarding Marcus, his arrogant shopkeeper who was still waiting nervously outside the office. Arthur opened the office door and motioned for the police officers who had just arrived to step forward. Marcus gasped as the officers placed him in hand restraints right in front of all the bakery customers.
Arthur: Marcus, you are fired immediately for gross misconduct, and I am pressing full charges for embezzling cash from my registers over the past six months!
Marcus lowered his head in utter shame as the officers led him away into the back of a police cruiser, leaving the bakery staff in total silence.