Julian stood in the center of his massive luxury mansion and looked around at the pristine marble floors.
He was a hardworking CEO who built his empire from nothing through years of dedication and sacrifice.
After his first wife passed away, Julian thought he would never find love or happiness ever again.
Then he met Victoria, a charming woman who promised to love him and his young baby son, Leo.
They married in a grand ceremony and moved into this sweeping estate nestled in the quiet hills.
Julian gave Victoria full access to his fortune, including a credit card with no spending limit.
He believed she was a loving stepmother who spent her days caring for little Leo with gentle kindness.
However, dark clouds were gathering over the bright hallway of the family mansion without Julian knowing it.
Every morning, Julian put on his sharp charcoal grey suit and drove to his downtown corporate office.
The moment his luxury sports car pulled out of the driveway, Victoria transformed into a completely different person.
She did not care about the baby or the hard work it took to manage such a huge estate.
Instead, she spent thousands of dollars online and ignored the crying child sitting alone on the living room floor.
The only person who truly cared for baby Leo was Elena, the dedicated housemaid working at the mansion.
Elena washed the clothes, prepared the healthy meals, and held the baby whenever he felt lonely or sad.
Victoria resented Elena because the humble housemaid noticed every single mistake Victoria made throughout the day.
Whenever Elena tried to speak up about Leo's needs, Victoria raised her voice and threatened to fire her immediately.
Elena needed this job desperately to pay for her elderly mother's medical bills and monthly apartment rent.
So she kept her head down and tried her best to shield the poor baby from Victoria's terrible temper.
On a bright Tuesday morning, Julian kissed his son goodbye and left the mansion for an important board meeting.
He had no idea that this particular morning would change the fate of his entire family forever.
As soon as the heavy oak front doors closed, Victoria put on a long maroon dress and grabbed her phone.
She started arguing loudly with someone on the line about a secret bank account in another country.
Little Leo began to cry in his playpen because he was hungry and wanted his morning bottle of milk.
Victoria marched over to the playpen with a angry expression on her carefully painted face.
She snatched the toddler by his small hand and pulled him forcefully across the smooth white floor.
Elena ran into the grand foyer after hearing the baby scream in fear from the other room.
She saw Victoria shouting at the helpless child and grabbing his arms without any care or gentleness.
Elena dropped her cleaning towel and rushed forward to protect the frightened little boy right away.