Richard took a slow step down the wooden stairs while holding his drink.
His polished leather shoes made a heavy thud on every single step.
Matteo flinched when he heard his father coming down toward the foyer.
The boy tightened his grip on Elena's uniform until his knuckles turned white.
Elena stood up slowly while keeping one hand on Matteo's shoulder.
Richard: You are spoiling him again, Elena.
Elena: He is terrified, sir.
Richard: He is a young boy who needs to learn strength.
Elena: Scaring a seven-year-old child is not teaching him strength.
Richard stopped on the third step from the bottom and looked down his nose.
His mouth was set in a tight straight line of pure anger.
Richard: You are an employee in this house, nothing more.
Elena: I am the only person who listens to him in this mansion.
The room felt colder than the winter air outside the heavy double doors.
Matteo stepped behind Elena's blue dress to hide his wet face.
Richard raised his glass and took a slow sip of his drink.
He looked at the nanny like she was a bug on his fine rug.
Richard: Pack your bags and leave by five o'clock today.
Elena: You cannot just fire me because I care about your son.
Richard: I can fire anyone I choose in my own home.
Matteo gasped loudly and pulled on Elena's skirt with both hands.
Matteo: No! Please do not make Elena go away, Dad!
Richard: Go to your room right now, Matteo.
Matteo: I want Elena to stay here with me!
Richard set his crystal glass down hard on a nearby side table.
The heavy glass cracked right down the middle with a sharp snap sound.
A few drops of liquid spilled onto the polished mahogany wood surface.
Elena did not back away even one inch from the angry man.
She had worked in this house for three years without complaining once.
She knew about the secret legal papers hidden in Richard's locked desk drawer.
She had found them while cleaning the study three weeks ago by accident.
The papers were about a massive trust fund left by Matteo's mother.
His mother had passed away when the boy was just a tiny baby.
The legal trust gave full custody and money rights to a named guardian.
That guardian was not supposed to be Richard if he remarried his new partner.
Richard was planning to move the boy to a boardingschool across the country.
He wanted to keep the giant inheritance money for his own private business.
Elena stood firm between the rich man and the small frightened child.
Elena: If I leave today, I am taking those papers straight to a lawyer.