The bright chandelier in the grand foyer of the Vance mansion cast a warm light over the polished wooden staircase. Out on the front terrace, music from the family party drifted softly through the heavy oak doors, but inside the hallway, the air was cold and tense.
Jessica: You think because you're pregnant with Julian's baby, you get to sit in the family boardroom now?
Clara: Julian is my husband, Jessica. My baby is the rightful heir to this entire estate.
Jessica: You're nothing but a gold-digger who tricked him!
Clara: I didn't trick anyone. Julian loves me, and we built our life together long before your mother wed his father.
Clara stepped back toward the edge of the top landing, resting her hand over her seven-month baby bump. Her dark hair was pulled back, her simple tan dress contrasting sharply with Jessica's sleek black designer dress. Jessica stepped forward, her heels clicking sharply on the hardwood.
Jessica: You don't belong in this mansion, Clara. And you certainly don't belong in my family's trust fund.
Clara: Jessica, please... stand back. I don't want to argue with you on the stairs.
Jessica: Then get out of my sight!
Before Clara could turn, Jessica raised both hands and shoved Clara hard against the chest. Clara lost her footing on the slick wooden step, letting out a sharp, terrified gasp as her balance slipped away completely.
Clara: No! Jessica, stop!
Clara tumbled backward down the steep wooden staircase. Her body hit the steps hard, bouncing violently down the steep flight before crashing onto the cold hardwood floor of the main foyer. A horrific silence settled over the hall, broken only by Clara's agonizing groans as she clutched her stomach on the floor.
At the top of the landing, Jessica's mother, Evelyn, rushed out from the hallway, looking down at Clara's motionless body in absolute shock. But as Evelyn hurried down the stairs, she didn't call for help. Instead, she knelt beside Clara and leaned in close, while Jessica stood watching cold-hearted from above. Neither of them noticed Clara's trembling fingers reaching across the floor toward her smartphone, resting right beside a smear of red droplets.