The cast ran from Lily's ankle to her knee, and it weighed more than she did.

"She won't survive under your care," Daniel said, his voice dropping to a low, steady pitch that made Vanessa's eyes flicker with brief hesitation.

"She won't have to," Vanessa replied, regaining her posture. "Boarding school in Switzerland takes children as young as eight. A year away from her violent father will do wonders for her public image."

She reached across the desk to gather the papers, but Daniel put his hand flat over the stack.

"You forgot one thing, Vanessa," he said.

"And what's that?"

"Bennett Hall isn't a hotel. It's a historic residence." He leaned back, letting his hand rest on the desk phone. "And three years ago, when we renovated the grand staircase, I had security cameras installed behind the oak sconces to satisfy the estate insurance policy."

Vanessa’s hand froze mid-air.

"The footage doesn't show you trying to catch her," Daniel continued, watching her face closely. "It shows both of your hands pressing firmly into her shoulder blades. It shows her turning her head. It shows you stepping back before she even hit the third step."

Vanessa’s breath caught, but she quickly smoothed her trench coat. "You're bluffing. Those cameras were disabled during the party."

"The main house cameras were disabled by your father’s staff," Daniel said. "The staircase feeds are on a private server routed directly to my personal cloud. I backed up the recording forty-five minutes ago while I was sitting at Lily’s hospital bed."

He picked up his phone, tapped the screen twice, and turned it toward her.

On the high-definition display, the scene played out in agonizing clarity: Vanessa standing behind the little girl, the deliberate push, the cold stillness as Lily tumbled down the marble.

Vanessa’s composure finally fractured. Her jaw tightened, and her eyes flashed with genuine panic. "If you release that, it will destroy the hotel's stock price. Arthur will bankrupt you with legal fees before the trial even begins!"

"Let him try," Daniel said. "I don't care about the stock price, Vanessa. I care about my daughter."

He stood up, pulling a heavy coat over his shoulders.