Victor: What in the hell is going on here?!
Serena: Victor! Thank God you're home!
Serena instantly shifted her posture, her unhinged fury melting into a performance of panicked distress as she spun around in her glittering gold dress, pointing a trembling finger at the kneeling maid.
Serena: Victor, she attacked Ethan! I was trying to protect him from her!
Victor: What did you just say?!
Serena: I walked into the hallway and found this girl dragging your son across the floor! When I tried to step in, she threw me aside!
Clara: That is a complete lie, Mr. Sterling! I swear to you, she was the one pulling Ethan!
Serena: Shut your mouth, Clara! Victor, look at her clothes! Look at how aggressive she's being right now!
Ethan: Daddy, no! Clara saved me! Miss Serena hurt my arm!
Serena: See how she's manipulated the poor boy, Victor? She's turned your own son against me because she knows I was going to replace her!
Victor took two heavy steps forward, his face dark with confusion and growing anger as he looked at his fiancée, then down at the maid clutching his son.
Victor: Clara, you've worked in this house for two years. I trusted you with my son's life while I managed the family trust fund.
Clara: And I have always protected him, sir! Look at Ethan's arm! Look at the red marks on his skin!
Serena: Those marks are from when she grabbed him, Victor! She's trying to frame me so she doesn't lose her job!
Victor: Serena, step back for a moment. Let me look at Ethan.
Serena: Why are you questioning me?! I am your fiancée! We are getting married next month, and you're taking the word of a servant over mine?!
Clara: Please, Mr. Sterling! Look at the floor right next to you!
Victor paused, his boots halting on the white marble tiles. He lowered his gaze to the pristine floor beneath his feet, his breath catching in his throat.
Victor: What is that...?
Serena: It's nothing, Victor! Don't look at that! The maid probably spilled something while cleaning!
Clara: It's blood, Mr. Sterling! When she shoved Ethan against the wall, his arm scraped the metal trim!
A small pool of bright red blood smeared against the polished marble floor tiles sent a cold shiver through Victor's veins. He knelt down, his hand trembling as his fingers brushed near the stain, his jaw tightening into a sharp, rigid line.
Victor: Blood... Ethan, are you bleeding?
Ethan: My elbow hurts really bad, Daddy... She pushed me hard because I wouldn't give her Mommy's locket!
Serena: He's lying! I never touched any locket! Victor, listen to me!
Clara: Please, don't let her touch him again! She told him she was going to send him away to a boarding school as soon as the wedding was over!
Serena: That is a bold-faced lie! You are a biological outsider in this family, Clara, and I want you out of this mansion right now!
Victor: Serena... quiet.
Serena: Victor, you cannot be serious! Are you actually listening to this girl?!
Victor: I said quiet, Serena!
Victor stood up slowly, his brown trench coat heavy on his shoulders as he looked toward the grand foyer wall where the American flag hung in its polished oak frame. His eyes then traveled upward, toward the crown molding high above the marble hallway.
Serena: Victor, darling... please. Look at me. I love you, and I love Ethan. I would never hurt our family's future.
Clara: Mr. Sterling, look at the ceiling camera above the doorway.
Serena: That camera has been broken for six months, you idiot! The estate manager told us the system went down during the storm last week!
Victor: The offline system... yes. That's what you thought, wasn't it, Serena?
Serena's confident smile faltered slightly as Victor reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his high-end smartphone with a calm, dangerous precision that made the entire hallway go dead silent.