Elena smoothed down the front of her clean white apron.
She looked around the massive sunlit hallway of the coastal mansion.
The bright daylight reflected off the polished white marble floors.
An American flag hung neatly on the tall grand wall near the entrance.
It was Elena's second week working as a housemaid for the wealthy Vance family.
Arthur Vance was a famous real estate investor who built a massive empire.
He spent most of his long days working inside high-rise office buildings down town.
His young wife, Victoria, spent her afternoons buying expensive silk dresses and gold jewelry.
Arthur believed that his new wife was a gentle and loving mother to his baby son.
Little Toby was only eleven months old and had bright blue eyes.
The poor baby was still learning how to walk on his own two feet.
Elena loved the little boy from the very first day she held him in her arms.
She always made sure his baby bottles were warm and his nursery was clean.
Victoria, however, treated the innocent child like an annoying chore that ruined her busy schedule.
She never held the baby unless guests were visiting the mansion for a party.
Whenever Arthur was away on business, Victoria complained constantly about the child's small cries.
Elena kept her head down and performed her regular daily dusting duties around the house.
She did not want to lose her job because she needed the monthly paycheck for rent.
Her younger brother needed medical care back in their hometown across the state line.
So Elena stayed silent even when Victoria treated the hardworking household staff with harsh disdain.
But deep down in her heart, Elena felt that something very bad was happening here.
She noticed how the baby always cried whenever Victoria walked into the quiet room.
The atmosphere inside the giant home felt colder every single day.
Elena walked carefully down the grand hallway carrying a bundle of fresh cotton towels.
Suddenly, she heard a sharp metallic sound echoing from the living room doorway.
It sounded like a heavy harness strap scraping hard across the cold stone floor.