The two women locked eyes in the center of the foyer. Chloe's heavily painted face contorted with shock and bitter rage. She was unused to anyone questioning her authority, especially a young woman employed as a domestic worker inside the estate. Maya did not blink or step back, holding her ground with total composure.
Chloe: Do you have any idea who I am? I am going to be the mistress of this entire house next week!
Maya: You are acting like a bully, Miss Montgomery. Mrs. Gable has a medical condition, and you have no right to touch her personal belongings.
Chloe: You're a pathetic servant! Know your place!
Maya: My place is protecting Mrs. Gable from your cruelty!
Chloe: I pay your salary! I will have you thrown out on the street without a single penny!
Maya: You don't pay me, Chloe. And you don't own this estate!
Chloe let out a high-pitched screech that echoed off the white marble walls and vaulted ceilings of the foyer. She tugged hard on the cane, trying to twist it out of Maya's hands, but Maya held on with an iron grip. Mrs. Gable reached out with a trembling hand, tears forming in her pale eyes as she watched the young maid fight for her dignity.
Evelyn: Maya, please be careful... she will make Julian fire you...
Maya: Don't worry, Mrs. Gable. I am not letting her hurt you today.
Chloe: How dare you talk back to me! I will destroy you! I will ruin your entire life!
Chloe lifted her left hand, her long fingernails aimed directly at Maya's face in a sudden, violent strike. But before her hand could hit the young worker, the heavy oak doors at the top of the grand staircase opened wide. Firm, heavy footsteps echoed across the upper landing, sounding like quiet thunder in the middle of the screaming match.
Julian Vance stood at the top of the marble stairs. He was thirty-two years old, built with broad shoulders, and dressed in a perfectly tailored black Italian suit. As the CEO of Vance Global, his presence always commanded total silence in any boardroom, but right now, his handsome face was frozen in pure, deadly anger. His cold blue eyes swept down the staircase, taking in every single detail of the violent scene below.
He walked down the marble steps slowly, his expensive shoes making a sharp click with every single stride. The air inside the large foyer felt suddenly cold, as if the room had lost all its warmth in an instant. Chloe froze in place, her hand stopping mid-air as she looked up at her fiancé.
Chloe: Julian! Oh, thank goodness! Look at what this wild maid is doing to me!
Julian: Lower your voice immediately. Consider your contract terminated!
Chloe: Darling, listen to me! This crazy maid just assaulted me in the middle of the hallway!
Maya: That is a complete lie, Mr. Vance!
Chloe: Keep quiet, servant! Julian, look at what she did! She grabbed me and tried to steal your grandmother's antique cane!
Julian reached the bottom of the staircase and walked directly into the center of the foyer. His large frame towered over Chloe, completely cutting her off from Maya and Mrs. Gable. The silence in the massive house was suffocating, as even the other staff members held their breath near the side hallways.