By late afternoon, dark rain clouds began to gather outside the tall framed glass windows of the grand white mansion house.
Elena sat in the nursery while softly rocking little Leo back and forth in a smooth wooden rocking chair frame.
The child hummed happily while holding onto a small plush teddy bear that Arthur had bought him last Christmas holiday.
Elena felt a knot of worry growing deeper inside her stomach with every passing minute of the rainy evening hour.
She knew that Victoria was dangerous and capable of doing anything to secure her hold on the family money stream.
Suddenly the heavy oak nursery door burst open, slamming against the plaster wall with a loud, terrifying bang that echoed.
Leo startled in Elena's arms and began to cry with loud, frightened whimpers that filled the cheerful pastel nursery room.
Victoria stood in the doorway holding a silver tray loaded with glass medicine bottles and a sharp metal spoon object.
Victoria: Give that child to me right now, Elena.
Elena: What are those bottles in your hand, Miss Victoria?
Victoria: It is time for his special evening medicine drink formula.
Elena: Leo does not have any doctor orders for evening medicine today.
Elena stood up from the rocking chair and pulled the crying baby tight against her chest to shield him completely.
Victoria: I am making the decisions in this mansion starting right this minute.
Elena: I will not let you touch this baby with unknown chemicals!
Victoria charged across the room and grabbed Elena by the shoulder of her uniform with surprising, harsh physical force.
She tried to wrench little Leo out of Elena's arms while the baby let out a terrified, heartbreaking shriek of pure panic.
Victoria: Let go of him, you stubborn, penniless little servant girl!
Elena: No! Get your hands off him right now!
Elena spun her body around to shield the baby, taking the blow against her own back as Victoria shoved her roughly.
The silver tray slipped from Victoria's hand and crashed onto the floor, sending glass bottles shattering in every direction wild.
Thick brown liquid splashed across the hardwood floor, releasing a sharp chemical odor that made Elena gag from the fumes.
Elena: You tried to poison Arthur's baby boy with sleeping liquid!
Victoria: Shut your mouth before I make sure you never work again!
Victoria snatched a delicate crystal vase off the changing table and slammed it hard onto the floor near Elena's feet.
The sharp glass exploded across the room, cutting Elena's lower ankle through her thin black uniform socks during the chaos.
Victoria: Cry all you want, because you will never belong in this family!
Elena dropped to her knees, sliding across the slick floor to protect the baby from the flying glass shards around them.
Elena: NO! PLEASE NO! DO NOT HURT HIM!
Leo wailed in pain as a small drop of blood from Elena's cut ankle dripped onto his clean white socks below.
Victoria leaned down close over the weeping nanny and child, her face twisted with a cold, terrifying, wicked smirk of victory.
Victoria: Who do you think he'll believe? His future wife... or a worthless nanny?