Lily skipped along the upper hallway, clutching her paper drawing tightly in her small right hand.
The second-floor balcony overlooked the grand lower foyer with its shiny white marble floor far below.
Victoria stood near the decorative white railing, looking down at the empty space on the ground floor.
She heard the quiet footsteps of the child coming closer along the long carpeted hallway path.
Lily: Victoria, look at the picture I drew for you and Daddy!
Victoria: Put that away, child, I am busy thinking right now.
Lily: But I worked very hard on it this morning!
Victoria turned around quickly with a cold expression that made the young girl step backward slowly.
She resented how much Mark loved his daughter and how the family trust favored the child.
If Lily was not in the picture, Victoria would gain control over the whole estate immediately.
Victoria: You always ruin everything between your father and me.
Lily: I didn't do anything wrong, Victoria!
Victoria: You exist, and that is enough of a problem for me.
Lily felt scared by the dark look in Victoria's eyes and backed up against the railing.
The metal bars reached up to the child's chest, giving a direct view of the foyer below.
Down in his office, Mark heard the faint sound of voices carrying through the quiet open house.
He set his paperwork down on the wooden desk and stepped out into the hallway corridor.
He looked up toward the bright upper balcony and saw Victoria standing very close to Lily.
Mark: Is everything okay up there, Victoria?
Victoria: Everything is fine, Mark, just stay down there!
Mark saw Victoria reach out her hands quickly toward the small girl in the red dress.
His heart stopped instantly as he realized what Victoria was about to do to his child.
Mark: Victoria, stop! Don't you dare!
Victoria grabbed Lily's small shoulders and pushed her over the edge of the balcony railing.
A loud, sharp scream filled the air as the young girl lost her balance entirely.