Carter: What the hell are you doing?!
Carter Sterling, dressed in a dark velvet tuxedo with a gold watch gleaming on his wrist, spun around in absolute outrage. He stormed down the marble corridor, his face twisted in rage as plaster dust settled onto his expensive lapels.
Elena: I heard someone crying in the wall!
Carter: You've completely lost your mind! That painting is worth two hundred thousand dollars!
Elena: I don't care about your painting, Carter! There is a living person trapped behind this plaster!
Carter: Someone grab this lunatic! Security, get her out of my house before I have her arrested!
Elena didn't listen. She tightened her grip on the sledgehammer, raised it high over her head, and drove it violently into the cracked wall a second time. The drywall collapsed completely, dropping chunks of white plaster onto the polished marble floor with a heavy crash. Through the gaping hole behind the ruined portrait, a narrow, dark hidden chamber was revealed inside the framework of the estate.
A collective gasp rippled through the gathered crowd. Sitting on the cold concrete floor of the hidden space was a little girl, no older than six years old. She wore a simple blue shirt, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, her small face pale and covered in dust. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the sudden daylight blinded her eyes.
Little Girl: Please help me!
Elena: Oh my God... sweetie, it's okay!
Elena dropped the heavy sledgehammer onto the marble tile. She ignored the sharp edges of broken wood and reached her arm through the shattered opening, extending her hand toward the weeping child.
Elena: You're safe... I'm getting you out!
Little Girl: I can't reach! The door was locked from the outside!
Behind Elena, Carter stood frozen. The glass goblet he was holding slipped from his hand, crashing onto the light marble floor and shattering into a hundred pieces. His face turned as pale as the dust floating in the air.
Carter: No... no, this is a mistake. She wasn't supposed to be in there today.
Guest C: Is that a child inside the wall?!
Guest D: Lord in heaven, someone call the police!
Overcome with sudden panic, Carter lunged forward. He grabbed Elena by her shoulder, aggressively yanking her back away from the broken wall.
Carter: No, you can't! Get away from there!
Elena: There's a child in there! Get your hands off me!
Elena broke free from his grip with a sharp shove, spinning around to confront him under the shadow of the American flag. She looked between the terrified girl crying in the dark wall and the billionaire standing in his ruined velvet tuxedo.
Elena: Why is she so afraid of you, Carter?! What did you do to her?!
Little Girl: Elena...
The little girl's raspy whisper cut through the noisy hall. Elena froze, her eyes widening as she turned back to the hole in the wall.
Elena: How... how do you know my name, sweetie?