Before the heavy wooden handle could strike Sarah again, Elena threw her own body over her mother. She covered Sarah's head and neck with her arms, taking the hard blow across her own back. The impact made Elena gasp for air, but she refused to move away from her mother. She locked her arms around Sarah's fragile shoulders, holding her close against the cold marble floor. Tears ran down Elena's cheeks as she felt her mother shaking uncontrollably in her arms. The pain in her back was sharp, but the fear in her heart was so much worse.
Elena: Please stop! She is hurt! Can't you see she is bleeding?!
Victoria: Move out of the way, Elena! She needs to learn her lesson today!
Sarah: My chest hurts... Elena, please run away... do not let her hurt you...
Elena: I am not leaving you, Mom! I will never leave you alone with her!
Victoria held the mop handle high again, completely unbothered by the young girl's tears. She felt powerful standing over them in her expensive clothes, enjoying the control she held over their lives. She had cut their pay last month, threatened to throw them out without a reference, and kept them working sixteen hours a day. She believed no one could ever stop her because she owned the house and controlled the family bank accounts after her husband passed away. She did not know that a heavy black luxury car had just pulled up to the main front gates outside.
Victoria: Both of you are fired after you finish cleaning this mess! Pack your rags and leave!
Elena: You are a monster! How can you treat human beings like this?
Victoria: I am the owner of this estate! I can do whatever I want to trash like you!
Sarah groaned in pain, her breathing heavy and shallow as she clutched her side. Elena wiped the sweat and tears from her mother's forehead, looking around the giant room for any way to escape. The heavy front doors were locked from the inside, and Victoria was blocking the path toward the kitchen entrance. Victoria smiled cruelly and stepped closer, raising the heavy wood once more to strike Elena's shoulders.
Victoria: You want to talk back to me? Let us see how smart you sound after this!
Elena: Someone help us! Please, somebody help!
Elena closed her eyes tight and pulled her mother closer to her chest, bracing herself for another painful hit. She prayed for a miracle, knowing they had no money, no powerful friends, and nowhere else to go if they were thrown out onto the streets today. But just as the shadow of the wooden handle fell over them, the sound of heavy tires screeching on the driveway outside echoed through the tall front windows.