Chapter 5 of 5

A Cruel Stepmother Rips A Gold Necklace From An Orphan

Justice Served Cold

Julian stood tall next to his young niece, placing a protective arm over her small shoulder. He looked down at Victoria with a cold, unforgiving expression. The time for discussion was completely over. The truth was recorded, the lawyer was already being called on his cell phone, and the family name was finally protected from her wicked plans. He raised his long arm and pointed his finger directly toward the grand front exit doors of the mansion.

Julian: She owns this entire mansion! Get out of my sister's house!

Victoria: You cannot just throw me out into the cold night! I have my belongings here!

Julian: Your personal items will be packed into trash bags and left by the gate tomorrow morning. Right now, you are leaving before the sheriff arrives to take you into custody for fraud and theft.

Victoria: Lily, tell him! Tell him I took care of you!

Lily looked at the woman who had made her life a total nightmare for two long years. She looked down at the bruised skin on her own neck where the gold chain had been ripped away so violently. Then she looked up at her uncle Julian and held his hand tightly. She did not say a single word of forgiveness to the woman on the floor. Her silence was the final judgment that Victoria deserved.

Lily: Goodbye, Victoria. Don't ever come back here.

Two large security guards who worked for the mansion stepped forward from the back of the room. They did not wait for Victoria to stand up on her own. They grabbed her firmly by both arms and pulled her up from the wet marble floor. Victoria screamed and kicked her legs, trying to pull away from their strong grip, but the guards kept walking toward the front entrance without stopping for a single second.

Victoria: Let go of me! This is a mistake! You will all pay for this!

The guests stepped aside, making a wide path for the guards to drag the crying woman out of the building. The grand wooden front doors were thrown open, revealing the cold rain falling outside in the dark driveway. The guards pushed Victoria out onto the stone steps, slamming the heavy wooden doors shut right behind her. The loud sound of the doors closing echoed through the hallway, signaling the permanent end of her reign of terror inside the house.

Inside the bright ballroom, the guests began to clap their hands softly, congratulating young Lily and her uncle Julian. Julian knelt down so he was at eye level with his niece, offering her a warm, genuine smile. He pulled a new silk cord from his pocket and carefully attached the small heart pendant back onto it, placing it gently around her neck where it belonged.

Julian: Nobody will ever take this from you again, Lily. This home is yours now, and I will always be here to protect you.

Lily: Thank you, Uncle Julian. I knew my dad didn't forget about me.

The young girl hugged her uncle tightly as the piano music started playing again in the warm room. The dark cloud that had hung over the mansion for years was finally gone, replaced by the peace and justice that should have been there all along. Lily knew that her parents were looking down on her, proud that she had stayed strong through the darkest days of her life.