The sound of closet doors slamming and suitcases being thrown onto the floor echoed down from the master wing upstairs.
Richard turned to Claire, taking off his glasses and wiping them with a cloth.
Richard: Claire... I knew David was making changes to his estate, but I didn't realize he went this far.
Claire: He had to, Richard. You saw how she acted at the funeral. She was already asking about the liquidation value of the house before David was even in the ground.
Richard: She was always a difficult woman. David spent his whole life trying to keep the peace between her and the rest of the world.
Claire: Well, the peace is over. I won't let Toby grow up in a house where he's made to feel second-class.
Richard: What will you do with the estate now?
Claire: I'm going to raise my son here. We're going to turn this place into a real home, not a museum for Evelyn's vanity.
Upstairs, a loud crash sounded as a glass lamp shattered on the floor.
Evelyn: Useless! Everything in this house is useless!
Toby peeked his head out from his bedroom doorway at the top of the hall, looking down at his mother.
Toby: Mommy, is she breaking things?
Claire: Don't worry, Toby. Go back inside and play with your cars. Mommy will handle it.
Claire walked up the stairs, stopping outside the open door of Evelyn's bedroom suite. Silk dresses were scattered across the four-poster bed, and two large designer suitcases sat open on the rug.
Claire: If you break anything else in this room, Evelyn, I will deduct the cost from the small personal allowance David left you in his secondary trust.
Evelyn froze, holding a crystal picture frame in her hands.
Evelyn: Secondary trust? What secondary trust?
Claire: David wasn't completely heartless. He set aside a small, monthly stipend for you—just enough to rent a modest apartment in town and buy groceries. But it's contingent on one condition.
Evelyn's eyes narrowed as she set the frame down on the nightstand.
Evelyn: What condition?
Claire: That you sign a non-disparagement agreement and never step foot on this property again. If you contact me, Toby, or try to contest this deed, the stipend vanishes instantly.
Evelyn: You're blackmailing me!
Claire: I'm giving you a choice. You can leave here with a roof over your head, or you can leave with nothing at all. You have forty-five minutes to decide.