Mark sat frozen on the floor as the news washed over him.
Joy and fierce protectiveness mixed together with explosive anger inside his chest.
Mark: You are carrying our child, and she has you scrubbing floors?
Clara nodded slowly as tears continued to fall down her cheeks.
Clara: She threatened to kick me out if I did not complete every chore.
Mark pulled out his smartphone from his coat pocket with shaking hands.
He opened the security application connected to the mansion's internal cameras.
He had installed the hidden system months ago for personal home safety.
His thumb tapped the screen quickly to review the recorded video feed.
The small screen immediately showed crisp video footage from earlier that morning.
Mark watched the video clip with growing fury and shock on his face.
On the screen, his mother stood arrogantly over Clara near the glass stairs.
Victoria held a luxury glass of expensive wine in her right hand.
She deliberately tipped the glass over, spilling red wine onto the clean floor.
The video picked up Victoria's cold, sharp voice clearly through the speakers.
Victoria: Clean that up immediately, or pack your bags and leave my sight.
In the video, Clara collapsed to her knees without saying a word back.
She began wiping the dark red liquid off the floor with her small sponge.
Victoria laughed quietly on the recording before walking up the stairs.
Mark stared at his phone as a low dramatic rumble built inside him.
His jaw clenched tightly, and his face turned red with intense rage.
Mark: She knew you were pregnant, didn't she?
Clara: I told her last month when I started feeling sick in the mornings.
Clara: She said a child from a poor town would never inherit this family home.
Mark stood up slowly from the marble floor, helping Clara stand with him.
He wrapped his heavy black coat around her shivering shoulders to warm her.
Mark: This stops today. Right now.
High above them, the sound of clicking high heels echoed down the staircase.
Victoria stepped into view on the modern glass landing above the foyer.
She wore an elegant gold dress and held another full glass of wine.
She looked down at Mark with a cool, unbothered smile on her face.
Victoria: Oh, Mark dear! You arrived home much earlier than we expected.