Nadia hauled herself onto the slick marble coping, coughing up pool water while clutching the screaming baby to her chest[cite: 1].
Her dark uniform was soaked, cold water pooling around her bare knees on the stone[cite: 1].
Nadia: I've got you, Toby... You're safe, sweet boy... Nana has you[cite: 1]...
Victoria: Don't you dare touch him with your filthy hands[cite: 1]!
Victoria: You pushed that stroller with all your strength! I watched you do it[cite: 1]!
Nadia: You pushed him, Victoria! You stood there and gave the wheels a shove with your bare hands[cite: 1]!
Victoria: How dare an uneducated cleaning servant accuse the mistress of this estate[cite: 1]!
A tall man in a dark polo shirt and slacks came charging around the columned veranda, his face pale with horror[cite: 1].
It was Caleb Sterling, the billionaire founder of Sterling Logistics and Toby's father[cite: 1].
Caleb: Toby! What happened to my baby[cite: 1]?!
Victoria: Caleb! Thank God you ran out! That crazy maid tried to drown your son[cite: 1]!
Nadia: Mr. Sterling, no! That is an absolute lie! She shoved the stroller into the deep end[cite: 1]!
Caleb lunged forward, his face twisting in sudden, uncontrolled fury as he reached down[cite: 1].
Caleb: Get away from my daughter[cite: 1]!
He snatched the crying infant roughly from Nadia's soaked arms, cradling the shivering child against his chest[cite: 1].
Nadia: Sir, listen to me! I dove to the bottom of the pool to pull him out[cite: 1]!
Victoria: She dove in after she realized I saw her, Caleb! She was trying to cover up her crime[cite: 1]!
Caleb: Nadia, how could you do this?! My family gave you a home when your sister died[cite: 1]!
Nadia: My sister was your wife, Caleb! Sarah was your legal wife[cite: 1]!
Victoria: Shut your mouth, Nadia! Don't bring up dead women to excuse attempted murder[cite: 1]!
Two uniformed police officers sprinted through the patio archway, their hands on their holsters[cite: 1].
Officer Miller, the senior patrolman, surveyed the dripping wet maid and the screaming baby[cite: 1].
Officer Miller: Stand back, everyone! We received an emergency dispatch for an infant drowning attempt[cite: 1]!
Victoria: Officer, arrest that woman immediately! She tried to murder my husband's heir[cite: 1]!
Nadia: Officer Miller, check the security cameras mounted by the flag! Check the footage right now[cite: 1]!
Victoria: The cameras are being serviced today, Officer! The technician disconnected the feeds at dawn[cite: 1]!
Officer Miller stepped behind Nadia, pulling her wet wrists behind her back[cite: 1].
The metallic double-click of steel handcuffs snapped tightly around her wrists, echoing off the stone pillars[cite: 1].
Officer Miller: You're being detained for questioning, ma'am. Do not resist[cite: 1].
Nadia: Caleb, look at me! Look into my eyes! I raised Sarah from a little girl[cite: 1]!
Caleb: Don't speak to me, Nadia. You're dead to this family[cite: 1].
The second officer knelt down on the patio stone, wrapping little Toby in a warm thermal blanket while checking his breath sounds[cite: 1].
Officer Davis: Vitals are stable, Mr. Sterling. Water cleared from his airway. He was very lucky someone pulled him out quickly[cite: 1].
Victoria stood behind Caleb under the giant American flag, crossing her slender arms[cite: 1].
Her lips curved into a tiny, calculated smile, her cold eyes locking directly onto Nadia with complete triumph[cite: 1].
Nadia saw that sickening smirk, and her heart turned to ice[cite: 1].
She remembered the small two-way radio tucked into her wet apron pocket, still switched on to the estate's private channel[cite: 1].
She leaned her head down toward her chest, shouting through the tears streaming down her cheeks[cite: 1].
Nadia: Leo! Leo, answer me! Stop her[cite: 1]!