The morning sun shone brightly through the tall windows of the massive mansion in Dallas Texas.
Sarah straightened her gray maid uniform as she carried a heavy basket of fresh white towels up the stairs.
She had worked for the rich Miller family for nearly three years and loved taking care of little Lily.
Lily was a sweet four year old girl with bright blue eyes who always wore a pretty white dress.
Ever since Lily's mother passed away two years ago, Sarah had done her best to protect the quiet child.
The mansion was usually peaceful, but everything changed six months ago when Mark Miller married his new wife Victoria.
Victoria was a beautiful woman who always wore expensive designer clothes and high heels that clicked on the marble.
She spoke with a cold voice whenever Mark was not standing directly beside her in the room.
Sarah noticed that Victoria never smiled at little Lily when they were alone in the huge house.
Mark was a very wealthy businessman who managed a massive real estate empire across the state of Texas.
He spent long hours at his downtown office building and often had to travel for important business meetings.
Whenever Mark left the house, Victoria completely changed her attitude toward the young child and the staff.
She would lock herself in the primary bedroom suite and complain constantly about the noisy child playing downstairs.
Sarah placed the folded towels carefully inside the hallway linen closet near the grand balcony overlooking the foyer.
She heard the faint sound of small footsteps running down the long hallway toward the open balcony space.
Little Lily was hugging her favorite stuffed teddy bear tightly against her chest as she walked along the wall.
Victoria suddenly stepped out of her bedroom dressing room, holding a glass of iced juice in her hand.
She glared down at the little girl with dark eyes full of annoyance and deep anger.
Victoria: Stop making so much noise with your shoes.
Lily paused near the railing and looked up at her stepmother with wide, timid eyes.
Lily: I was just looking for my dad.
Victoria: Your father is busy working hard to support this whole entire house.
Sarah: Excuse me, Mrs. Miller, I can take Lily down to the kitchen for breakfast now.
Victoria turned her head sharply toward Sarah with a cold expression on her pale face.
Victoria: Did I ask for your opinion on this matter, Sarah?
Sarah: No, ma'am, I just wanted to help get Lily fed before her morning nap.
Victoria: Mind your own business and get back to cleaning the guest bedrooms right now.
Sarah lowered her head respectfully and picked up her cleaning supplies from the shiny floor.
She felt a deep knot of worry twisting inside her stomach as she watched Victoria approach the child.
Victoria walked closer to the railing where Lily was standing near a marble decorative column.
A large framed picture of the American flag hung on the white wall just behind them.
Sarah turned around slowly to walk down the quiet hallway, but kept her ears open for any trouble.
She heard Victoria speak in a low whisper that sounded harsh and very unkind to the girl.
Victoria: You always get in my way whenever I try to talk to Mark.
Lily: I want my daddy to come home now.
Victoria: He is never going to prefer you over me, you silly little girl.
Sarah stopped walking and felt her heart beating faster inside her chest with mounting fear.
She decided to wait near the corner of the hallway behind a large indoor palm plant.
She wanted to make sure that little Lily was completely safe before returning downstairs to work.
Victoria grabbed Lily's small arm roughly and pulled her back from the balcony edge for a moment.
Lily let out a tiny cry of confusion as her stuffed bear dropped onto the hard floor.
Victoria: Pick up that filthy toy before someone trips over it right now.
Lily bent down low on her knees to reach for the bear near the white railing bars.
Victoria stepped closer behind the child with a strange look in her sharp eyes.
Sarah held her breath as she watched the tense scene unfold from behind the green leaves.