Downstairs in the kitchen, Victoria heard the strange muffled thud and crying.
She dropped her fountain pen immediately, her maternal instincts flaring into high alert.
Victoria rushed out of the study, wearing her sharp navy business blazer.
Her heart pounded against her ribs as she ran up the grand marble staircase.
The sound of her daughter's distressed weeping grew louder with every fast step.
When Victoria reached the top floor, the sight made her blood run cold.
A cloud of white powder hung in the bright hallway air like fog.
Her sweet daughter was curled on the floor, covered in powdery residue.
Elena was standing over the girl with a harsh, menacing expression on her face.
Victoria: Get away from my daughter right now!
Victoria stormed down the hallway like a wave of pure lightning.
She pulled Lily behind her legs, shielding the trembling child from danger.
Elena took a hurried step back, her stern posture dissolving into total panic.
Elena: Ma'am, please, it was just an accidental spill!
Victoria looked down at her child's tear-streaked face and felt furious anger rise.
She turned back to the maid, her eyes burning with fierce protective rage.
Victoria: Do not lie to me in my own house!
Before Elena could speak another word, Victoria stepped forward and confronted her.
The sharp sound of the confrontation echoed down the long, quiet corridor.
Elena stumbled backward slightly, clutching her cheek in total shock and disbelief.
The atmosphere in the grand hallway had turned completely cold and sharp.