The high ceiling of the Sterling mansion echoed with soft footsteps as Maya walked down the grand marble staircase. Her pink dress swayed around her knees, her hand resting protectively over her six-month pregnant stomach. Behind her, Victoria walked in silence, wearing a sharp purple designer suit.
Victoria: You should have stayed in the guest room, Maya.
Maya: I am not hiding from you anymore, Victoria.
Victoria: This estate does not belong to you or your unborn baby.
Maya: Ethan is the legal heir to his father's trust fund, and you know it.
Victoria: Wills can be contested, my dear. Accidents happen every single day.
Maya turned her head, but before she could react, Victoria lunged forward and shoved her hard between the shoulder blades. Maya's foot slipped on the polished marble step. She tripped forward, suspended mid-air for a heart-stopping second over the steep, unforgiving staircase.
Loose legal paper sheets scattered into the air like white confetti as a sudden scream tore from Maya's throat.
From the second-floor balcony above, a shadow moved at lightning speed. Ethan sprinted across the upper landing, saw his pregnant wife falling, and leaped directly over the high wooden railing without a second thought.
He dived through the air, catching Maya mid-fall before her body could hit the hard marble edges. Holding her tightly against his chest, Ethan shielded her body as they crashed onto the staircase together and slid violently down to the bottom floor.
They landed in the main foyer with a heavy thud, legal documents fluttering down around them like fallen leaves.
Maya: Please protect my baby... please...[cite: 1]
Maya sobbed hysterically in his arms, tears streaming down her pale face as her hands clutched his dark jacket[cite: 1].
Ethan looked down at her trembling body, his heart hammering against his ribs. His intense eyes shifted slowly toward the top of the stairs, turning ice-cold with dangerous fury.
At the top of the marble landing, Victoria stood frozen, covering her mouth with trembling hands in fake shock and terror[cite: 1].
Ethan glared up at her with fierce, burning anger, his jaw clenching tight.
Ethan: You just chose the wrong family[cite: 1].