Little Toby walked down the grand hallway of the massive white mansion.
He wore his nice off-white formal suit because it was a special family dinner.
The white marble floors polished under his soft shoes were shiny and cold.
Above his head hung huge crystal chandeliers that filled the room with bright light.
A giant American flag framed in thick gold wood was mounted on the main wall.
Toby held a heavy white porcelain plate carefully in both of his little hands.
On top of the plate sat a beautiful slice of sweet chocolate cake.
He smiled proudly because he wanted to share the cake with his sweet mother.
At the end of the long dining table sat two women in fancy dresses.
Evelyn wore a bright golden dress studded with glittering synthetic diamonds across the front.
Her daughter Victoria sat beside her wearing a dark red diamond gown that sparkled bright.
Evelyn was Toby's step-grandmother, but she never showed the little boy any real love.
She always looked at Toby like he did not belong in the wealthy mansion.
Toby took small careful steps across the wide dining room toward the table.
Toby: Mommy, look what I brought for us to eat!
Evelyn turned her head slowly and stared at the boy with cold sneering eyes.
She did not smile back at the sweet little boy holding the plate.
Instead her face twisted into a look of pure hatred and deep disgust.
She placed her gold purse down on the dark mahogany dining table hard.
Victoria leaned back in her high chair and smirked at her mother's dark face.
Neither woman offered to help the child carry the heavy porcelain plate.
Toby stopped right beside Evelyn's chair with his hopeful innocent smile fading slow.
He reached the plate toward the table so his mother could see it.
Evelyn: Get lost right now, you useless little beggar!
Evelyn reached out her sharp hand and deliberately knocked the heavy plate away.
The porcelain plate flew out of Toby's hands and crashed hard against marble.
It shattered into sharp white pieces across the cold clean floor.
The slice of chocolate cake slid across the marble and smashed into dirt.
Toby gasped in shock as the loud crash echoed through the large quiet hall.
He dropped down onto his knees on the hard floor right beside broken glass.
Tears started welling up in his big round brown eyes very fast.
He looked at the dirt smeared across the sweet chocolate cake on the floor.
He felt so hungry because he had not eaten anything since early morning.
Toby: I am so hungry, please do not be mad at me.
Toby picked up a small piece of the dirty cake with shaking fingers.
He tried putting it on a broken piece of plate to eat it.
Choked sobs shook his tiny shoulders as he cried soft tears onto his suit.
Evelyn just laughed a dark cold laugh while watching the boy weep below.
Victoria shook her head and took a slow sip from her crystal glass.
Neither woman felt any pity for the crying five-year-old child on the floor.
They thought no one else was around to witness their terrible cruel action.
They believed they owned the big house and held all the power there.
Toby kept crying quiet tears as he tried to clean up the mess.
His little suit got dirty from the dusty floor under the heavy flag.
He did not understand why his family hated him so very much inside.