By four in the afternoon the heat outside reached nearly ninety degrees in Dallas.
Elena was setting the dining table with fine silverware and spotless folded napkins.
Victoria walked along the second-floor balcony looking down into the grand foyer area.
Lily was playing quietly near the wooden railing with her small plush stuffed animal.
Victoria: Give me that toy right now, Lily.
Lily: No, my mother gave this bear to me!
Victoria snatched the toy forcefully from the little girl's trembling hand.
She held the bear directly over the edge of the tall second-story balcony rail.
Elena looked up from the dining room table in sudden cold terror.
Elena: Mrs. Harrison, please step away from the edge with her!
Victoria: Mind your own business and get back to your cleaning tasks!
Lily reached over the railing frantically trying to grab her precious bear back.
Victoria shifted her stance slightly near the polished wooden posts above the stairs.
Victoria: Say goodbye to your precious little girl!
Victoria tossed the toy down while giving Lily a sudden firm push forward.
Lily lost her footing on the smooth floorboards near the top step instantly.
The child slipped directly over the edge toward the white marble floor below.
Elena gasped sharply and dropped her cloth onto the cold floor in panic.
She Sprinted across the vast living space with absolute maximum speed and focus.
Her sneakers slid across the slick marble tile as she threw herself forward.
Elena: I have got you, Lily!
Elena slid on her knees and caught the falling child into her arms safely.
The hard impact echoed through the huge quiet room like a loud thunderclap.
Lily sobbed hysterically while wrapping her tiny arms around Elena's neck tightly.
Lily: Please help me, she pushed me over!
Elena: You are safe now sweetie, I have you secure.
At that exact moment the heavy front double doors swung open with massive force.
Mark stepped into the grand entryway carrying his leather briefcase in hand.
He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the scene before his eyes.
Elena was lying on the floor holding a crying child near the staircase.
Mark: What on earth is going on here right now?!
Elena: Sir, she tried to drop your daughter from the balcony!
Mark's face turned completely red with immediate overwhelming rage and anger.
He looked at Elena holding his sobbing daughter on the cold marble floor.
He misread the terrible situation completely in that first chaotic second of shock.
Mark: How dare you touch my daughter like that?!
Victoria: Mark, thank goodness you came home just in time to see!
Victoria stood at the top railing put on a fake look of horror.
Victoria: She grabbed Lily and pulled her toward the stairs, Mark!
Mark glared down at Elena with eyes filled with burning fury and disbelief.
Mark: Get out of my house right now, you are fired!