The bright morning sun shone through the tall windows of the grand mansion.
Mark adjusted his silk tie as he prepared for an important business meeting.
He looked at his little daughter Lily sitting quietly near the window.
Lily was only five years old and always wore a soft pink ribbon.
She seemed unusually quiet for the past few weeks.
Mark knelt down on the soft rug to kiss her warm forehead.
Mark: Are you ready for school today, sweetie?
Lily nodded slowly without looking directly into her father's loving eyes.
She held her small teddy bear tightly against her chest.
Lily: I want to stay with you today, Daddy.
Mark smiled gently and stroked her shiny brown hair.
Mark: Daddy has to sign important paper contracts at the office.
Mark: But your stepmother Victoria will take good care of you.
Lily stiffened the moment her stepmother's name was spoken out loud.
She pulled her tiny hands closer to her body.
Victoria walked into the high ceiling room wearing an expensive silk dress.
Her high heels clicked loudly against the polished marble floor tiles.
Victoria: Of course I will take care of our precious little angel.
Victoria reached down to pat Lily on her head.
Lily flinched and pulled away toward her father's dark suit jacket.
Mark noticed the sudden movement and frowned with quiet confusion.
Mark: Is everything alright between you two ladies this morning?
Victoria: She is just throwing a small morning tantrum, darling.
Victoria: Children her age get very moody when they miss sleep.
Mark stood up and looked closely at his beautiful new wife.
He had married Victoria six months after his first wife passed away.
Victoria was always charming and polite whenever Mark was present in the house.
She managed the large estate and supervised the household workers with pride.
Yet Mark felt a strange coldness in the room this morning.
He glanced back toward the kitchen where the new maid was working.
Elena was scrubbing the white counters with quiet diligence.
Elena had joined the house staff only three weeks ago.
She was a kind woman with a gentle voice and warm eyes.
Mark checked his gold wristwatch and grabbed his leather briefcase.
Mark: I must leave now or I will be late for the board.
Victoria: Have a wonderful day at work, my handsome husband.
Victoria kissed his cheek with soft red lips.
Mark walked out the heavy front doors into the morning sunlight.
He did not know that a dark storm was gathering inside his home.