Mark walked over to the grand foyer sofa and sat down.
He placed his son gently onto the soft cushions beside him.
The child reached for a small soft toy on the table.
Mark: Nobody is leaving this room until I know what happened.
Victoria: This is an absolute absurdity, Mark.
Victoria: I am your mother and I deserve your respect.
Mark: Respect is earned through honesty, Mom.
Elena walked toward the wall near the archway leading to the kitchen.
She pointed upward toward a discreet corner high near the ceiling.
Elena: You installed the new smart security system last week, sir.
Elena: The wide lens covers the entire upper balcony and stairs.
Victoria's eyes widened slightly as she looked up at the wall.
Her posture became noticeably stiff and defensive.
Victoria: That small device cannot possibly see everything clearly.
Elena: It records in high definition directly to the cloud server.
Mark pulled his smartphone out from his jacket pocket.
He unlocked the screen and opened the home security application.
Mark: Let us check the footage from five minutes ago.
Victoria stepped forward and reached toward his arm.
Victoria: Mark, there is no need to waste your time.
Victoria: We should focus on cleaning up this messy hallway.
Mark: Do not touch my hand right now, Mom.
The room became completely quiet except for the baby's soft breathing.
Mark tapped the screen to load the high-definition video playback.
The video feed loaded quickly on the bright display.
It showed the top balcony clearly from a high angle.
Mark: Look at the time stamp on the screen.
Elena stepped closer so she could view the screen too.
Elena: There I am, coming out of the nursery with the baby.
The video showed Elena holding the child safely in her arms.
She walked down the side hall toward the rear elevator.
Then Victoria appeared on the upper balcony near the stroller.
Mark: You were standing alone right beside it, Mom.
Victoria: I told you I was checking the railings for dust.
Mark pressed play to let the full video clip run.
The footage showed Victoria looking around the empty hall.
She placed both hands firmly on the handle of the stroller.
With a clear and deliberate motion, she shoved it down the steps.