Elena tucked her white apron into place before stepping into the massive entry room of the estate.
The sunlight poured through high glass panels, lighting up the cold marble floor below.
She had worked for the Vance family for two years without making a single scene.
Her duty was simple and kept her moving from early morning until late evening.
She cleaned the tall mirrors and polished the heavy brass railings along the main stairs.
Julian Vance was a busy man who managed a massive real estate inheritance from his late father.
His broad shoulders and stern eyes kept most of the household staff silent during his shifts.
Victoria was his new wife, married only a year after Julian lost his first spouse.
She walked through the house in custom dresses, carrying herself like a queen among commoners.
Elena kept her head down whenever Victoria glided past her down the long corridors.
That morning felt different because a strange tension hung over the broad breakfast room.
Victoria stood near the lower step, holding the small newborn swaddled in soft blue cotton.
The baby was Julian's only child, born just four short weeks prior to this bright morning.
Elena wiped the wooden trim along the wall while keeping her eyes fixed on her work rag.
She heard footsteps above on the landing as Victoria moved closer to the open iron railing.
The infant began to cry with a tiny, raspy voice that bounced off the high ceiling.
Victoria did not bounce the child or speak soothing words as a mother usually would.
Instead, her hands looked stiff and uncomfortable against the thin blue fabric wrap.
Elena paused her dusting cloth for a fraction of a second to look up toward the ledge.
Victoria's eyes were fixed on the front door, waiting for Julian's heavy car to arrive outside.
The young maid took a quiet breath and moved her bucket further down the polished floor.
She noticed Victoria shifting her grip in an odd, unstable pattern near the top step.
The air felt heavy, like a summer storm was about to break inside the silent home.
Elena pulled her feather duster closer to her chest while watching the stairs from below.
She wondered why the stepmother carried the baby so close to the dangerous drop off.
The estate was always quiet at nine in the morning, right before the Mail courier arrived.
Elena stepped near the base of the staircase to begin sweeping the stray dust away.
She heard the low hum of Julian's sedan pulling up to the main iron gates outside.
Victoria looked down over the banister, her pale face tight with a strange, dark focus.
Elena felt her heart start to beat faster against her thin uniform cotton shirt.