Clara: Never! He's safe with me, and I'm not letting you touch him ever again!
Victoria: You think you can defy me in my own home? You are nothing more than hired help!
Clara: Hired help or not, I have eyes! I saw what you tried to do to an innocent child!
Victoria crossed her arms, her expression hardening into a mask of cold arrogance as she looked down at Clara sitting on the floor.
Victoria: Accidents happen in a large estate like this. Children slip from hands all the time.
Clara: That was no accident! You threw him upward with full intent!
Victoria: Prove it. There are no cameras in this exact corner of the foyer. It is your word against mine.
Clara's breath hitched in her throat as she realized the terrifying reality of Victoria's words. In a mansion this size, blind spots were intentional, designed to protect the privacy of the elite. But Clara refused to back down, her fingers gently stroking the baby's back to quiet his panicked sobs. The tension in the room grew so thick that even the air felt heavy, pressing down on them both under the gaze of the American flag.
Clara: God sees what you did, even if the security cameras don't.
Victoria: Spare me the sermon. Hand the child over before I call security and have you thrown out into the street.
Clara: Try it. Just try calling them, and I will tell every single person on this estate what you just attempted.
Victoria stepped forward, her heels clicking sharply against the light marble floor as she loomed over Clara.
Victoria: You are playing a very dangerous game with people who own half this city.
Clara: I might not be a billionaire, but I have a soul. Something money clearly couldn't buy for you.
Victoria’s face flushed a deep, mottled red at the insult. Her lips parted as she prepared to unleash another torrent of abuse, her hands twitching with suppressed rage. The confrontation was reaching a boiling point, and neither woman was willing to concede an inch of ground. Clara held the infant tighter against her chest, bracing herself for whatever physical blow Victoria might throw next.
Victoria: You are going to regret every single word you just uttered today.
Clara: I already regret stepping foot in this cursed mansion, but I will not abandon this baby.
Victoria: Then suffer the consequences of your own stubborn stupidity!
Victoria raised her hand, her fingers curling into a tight fist as she prepared to strike Clara where she sat on the floor. Clara instinctively flinched, closing her eyes tightly and tucking the baby deeper into the curve of her body to protect him from the impending violence. But before Victoria's hand could descend, a sudden shift in the energy of the room stopped them both dead in their tracks.