Victoria reached the top of the stairs before Elena could stop her movement.
She grabbed little Leo tightly by his shoulders near the wooden wall.
An American flag hung proudly on the hall wall right behind the startled boy.
Leo began to cry loudly as the cruel woman shook him very roughly.
"Tell your father to give me the legal deed!" Victoria screamed wildly.
She forcefully spun the young boy around in circles as he cried frantically.
The poor boy screamed in utter terror as his feet slipped on hardwood.
Elena sprinted up the stairs with every ounce of speed in her body.
She saw the terrifying sight of Victoria hurting the helpless small child.
Elena snatched the boy away from Victoria's sharp hands with sudden force.
She pulled Leo safely into her warm arms right on the hallway floor.
"Don't you dare touch him again!" Elena shouted at the top of her lungs.
Victoria stepped closer to grab the boy back from the floor surface.
Elena stood up quickly while keeping Leo tucked safely right behind her back.
She slapped Victoria forcefully across the face to stop her vicious attack.
Victoria gasped loudly in utter pain as her head snapped to the side.
Elena slapped her again to drive the cruel stepmother away from the child.
Victoria stumbled backward against the hallway wall near the hanging flag frame.
Heavy wooden double doors at the end of the long hallway burst open.
Mark rushed down the bright corridor in pure rage after hearing the screams.
"What is going on here?!" Mark shouted in a deep booming voice.
He saw his young son weeping on the floor behind the protective nanny.
Mark strode forward and pushed Victoria back onto the cold hardwood floor.
Victoria screamed out as she fell sprawling on the polished wood surface.
She lay holding her burning cheek in complete shock and deep bitter humiliation.
Mark stood over her with his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
"Touch my son again and you will regret it forever!" Mark warned loudly.
Victoria looked up from the floor with tear-stained eyes and trembling lips.
She realized instantly that her greedy plot had failed completely and totally.