The morning sun flooded the grand dining room of the Vance estate with brilliant light.
Marble floors reflected the chandelier shining brightly above the breakfast table.
Sarah adjusted the high chair where her nine-month-old daughter Lily sat giggling.
The estate had belonged to the Vance family for over three generations.
Mark had inherited the vast property along with a complex trust fund structure.
His mother Evelyn insisted on controlling every minor detail from afar.
Evelyn had hired Clara, a stern woman wearing a dull mauve sweater.
Clara claimed to be an elite governess sent to oversee the baby's care.
From the moment Clara arrived, tension filled every quiet room.
Sarah felt an immediate chill whenever Clara entered the dining hall.
Clara walked into the room with heavy steps and a cold expression.
She carried a stack of formal ledger books under her arm.
Lily reached out a small chubby hand toward the glass juice pitcher.
Clara slammed the ledger books down onto the table with sudden force.
The loud thud made the baby gasp and start to cry loudly.
Clara leaned down close to the baby's face with a harsh scowl.
She harshly commanded the young infant to stop making annoying noises instantly.
Sarah rushed in from the adjacent kitchen in a bright green sweater.
Her heart pounded violently as she heard her baby's frightened distress.
She snatched Lily out of the high chair and held her close.
Sarah glared at Clara with fierce maternal anger in her eyes.
She demanded to know why Clara was shouting at a helpless baby.
Clara merely straightened her cardigan and shrugged off the fierce confrontation.