Clara adjusted the collar of her pink maid uniform as she stepped into the grand living room.
The morning sunlight poured through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the hilltop mansion.
Every surface in the house gleamed with polished white marble and expensive glass furniture.
Clara had worked for the rich family for nearly five years without a single complaint.
She knew every quiet habit of the elderly matriarch who owned the vast estate.
Mrs. Vance was a gentle woman who always treated the household staff with genuine kindness.
However, the atmosphere inside the home had changed completely over the past few weeks.
A young woman named Elena had moved into the guest suite after dating Dante Vance.
Dante was the sole heir to his family's massive real estate empire and corporate fortune.
He spent long hours at the corporate headquarters managing major investment deals every single day.
That left Elena alone in the mansion with Mrs. Vance for long hours every afternoon.
Clara carried a silver tray with warm herbal tea toward the black grand piano.
She noticed Elena standing near the tea station holding a small glass medicine vial.
Elena quickly slid the vial into her designer handbag when she heard Clara approaching.
Clara paused for a quick second because her heart began to beat very fast.
She tried to pretend that she had not noticed the suspicious movement near the counter.
Elena turned around with a sharp smile that did not reach her cold eyes.
Elena: Clara, take that tea up to Mrs. Vance right away.
Clara: Yes, Miss Elena, I am carrying it to her now.
Clara walked toward the grand piano where Mrs. Vance usually sat to read her books.
She found the old woman sitting motionless in a large velvet armchair near the window.
Mrs. Vance did not respond when Clara gently called her name across the quiet room.
Clara set the heavy silver tray down on the small table beside the piano.
She reached out to touch the old woman's hand and felt cold skin immediately.
Clara gasped in sudden terror and knocked a crystal tumbler onto the floor.
The expensive glass shattered into hundreds of sharp pieces across the polished floor.
Mrs. Vance slumped sideways in her chair without making any sound at all.
Clara dropped to her knees beside the chair while tears started streaming down her cheeks.
She checked for a pulse while shouting loudly for someone to help them.
Elena walked into the room slowly with her arms crossed over her emerald green dress.
She did not look surprised or worried about the unconscious woman on the floor.
Elena: Stop screaming, Clara, you are causing an unnecessary scene.
Clara: Call an ambulance right now because she is not breathing properly!
Elena: She is just old and tired, so do not touch anything.
Clara looked up at Elena and saw a cold look of total satisfaction.
She realized then that the tea inside the cup had a strange dark residue.
The heavy front doors of the mansion suddenly slammed open across the main foyer.
Dante stepped into the bright hallway carrying his leather briefcase after returning early.
He heard the sound of weeping and rushed directly toward the main living room.
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his mother lying completely still.