Julian Vance rushed through the master suite corridor after hearing the intense shouting echoing down the hall.
He was dressed in a tailored grey suit, having just returned early from an important downtown court hearing.
His face was pale with deep concern as he strode into the high-key luxury white bathroom area.
The moment Julian walked through the wide doorway, he froze at the dramatic scene before his eyes.
Elena was kneeling on the cold white marble floor, holding a sobbing Lily safely in her protective arms.
Victoria stood nearby, her face flushed with anger and her silk robe fluttering around her ankles rapidly.
"Julian! Thank goodness you are home!" Victoria lied instantly, shifting her voice into a fake panic.
"This maid just attacked me and pushed your daughter into the bathroom wall!" Victoria claimed dramatically.
Lily shook her head frantically against Elena's shoulder, crying even harder at the awful false claim.
"That is not what happened, Mr. Vance!" Elena stated clearly, pointing toward the vanity on the floor.
"She was threatening to burn Lily's late mother's doll with a lighter right in front of her!"
Julian knelt beside his daughter instantly, examining her face and hands with gentle, trembling hands.
"Are you hurt, sweetheart? Tell daddy the truth," Julian whispered softly, his voice full of fatherly love.
"Elena saved mommy's doll, daddy," Lily squeaked out between soft gasps of heavy air.
Julian looked down at the marble floor and spotted the red lighter sitting right beneath the vanity edge.
He reached out and picked up the small red lighter, holding it tightly in his closed fist.
The look on Julian's handsome face turned from deep concern into cold, unbridled rage toward his wife.