The echoes inside the grand hallway sounded like breaking glass.
Little Matteo ran across the polished marble floor as fast as his small legs could carry him.
His shoes made sharp clicking sounds against the cold white stone.
Above him, a massive crystal chandelier hung like a frozen waterfall of lights.
The mansion was worth millions of dollars, but it felt as cold as an icebox.
Matteo screamed out for his nanny with all the breath left in his lungs.
His voice bounced off the tall plaster walls and high ceilings.
Elena dropped her dusting cloth the moment she heard the terrified sound.
She was wearing her standard light blue uniform with clean white trim.
She dropped down to her knees right on the hard floor without hesitation.
Matteo slammed into her arms and held onto her fabric as tight as he could.
Tears were streaming down his red cheeks in hot wet lines.
His messy brown hair was sticking to his wet forehead.
He was shaking so hard that his small teeth were clicking together.
Elena wrapped her arms around his small shoulders to keep him steady.
She could feel his little heart beating fast like a trapped bird.
That hurt Matteo deeply because he had been carrying something far too heavy for a child.
For months, the boy had lived in this huge quiet house with almost no real comfort.
His father was a very rich businessman who spent all his time in private boardrooms.
The family estate had five empty bedrooms and a giant pool in the back.
Yet the home was completely silent most days of the week.
Elena stroked the back of the boy's head with gentle fingers.
She leaned close to his ear so he could hear her soft voice over his own sobs.
I am not going to run away from you, Matteo, she whispered softly.
And I am never going to yell at you for being scared, she added.
Matteo buried his face directly into the soft cloth of her blue shoulder.
His loud cries turned into quiet shivering sobs against her neck.
A single clear tear rolled down Elena's cheek as she held him close.
She looked up toward the top of the grand curved staircase.
A man was standing near the carved wooden railing above them.
Richard was wearing a tailored black suit that cost more than a car.
He held a crystal glass filled with ice and amber liquid in his hand.
The ice clinked softly against the glass in the heavy silence.
Richard stared down at the nanny and his son with cold gray eyes.
He did not make a single move to come down the stairs to help the boy.
Elena stared right back at her employer without looking away once.
She knew what had happened in the study just ten minutes ago.
She knew why the small boy was screaming like his heart was broken.