The morning sun cut bright beams through the high glass arched windows of the Dallas mansion, illuminating the sparkling white marble foyer. High on the central wall, a framed American flag artwork hung above a grand piano and the sweeping curved staircase. Victoria stood near the bottom step, her emerald green velvet gown pooling around her designer heels. She laughed softly, holding her three-month-old stepson, Leo. Her eyes glittered with a dark, erratic light that made the room feel ice-cold despite the summer heat.
Victoria: "Look how high you can go, little heir!"
Without warning, Victoria launched the baby straight up toward the vaulted ceiling. The infant let out a sharp, terrified cry as his tiny body reached the peak of the toss and began falling fast toward the hard marble floor below.
Elena: "NO!"
Across the foyer, twenty-two-year-old maid Elena dropped her cleaning cloth and lunged across the slick marble floor on her knees. Her knees slammed hard against the stone, but she stretched her arms out with everything she had, catching little Leo just inches before his head hit the floor. She skidded to a stop, pulling the screaming infant tightly against her chest, her whole body shaking violently.
Victoria: "Well, look at that. You actually caught him."
Elena: "Are you out of your mind?! You could have killed an innocent child!"
Victoria: "Watch your tone, servant. He's fine, isn't he? It was just a little game."
Elena: "A game?! He's a baby! He isn't a toy for your sick entertainment!"
Victoria sneered, stepping down from the final staircase riser, her emerald gown whispering against the marble floor. But before she could open her mouth to fire Elena, the heavy front double doors swung open with a resounding bang. Julian Sterling, the powerful owner of Sterling Energy, stepped into the sunlit foyer wearing a sharp maroon velvet tuxedo jacket. His face was pale, his dark eyes burning with sudden, lethal anger as he took in the scene of his crying son in the maid's arms.
Julian: "Explain to me right now what just happened!"
Elena: "Sir, she deliberately threw your baby down toward the hard marble floor!"
Victoria: "Julian, don't listen to her! She's lying! I tripped on my gown!"
Julian didn't hesitate. He marched across the marble floor, grabbed Victoria violently by her velvet collar, and shoved her down. She fell hard against the stone floor with a sharp cry of pain. But as Julian turned to take his son from Elena's hands, Elena looked up into her employer's face and saw a terrifying truth that no one in the mansion was ever supposed to know.