Victor heard the terrifying scream from his quiet corner office near the back of the mansion.
He threw his heavy fountain pen onto the wooden desk and stood up with sudden panic.
His heart pounded wildly against his ribs as he recognized his young wife's frantic voice.
He rushed across the room and shoved the heavy mahogany double doors open with great force.
The bright lights of the main foyer revealed a sight that made his blood run cold.
Celia lay motionless near the base of the grand curved marble staircase in the center.
Scores of white pearls were slowly rolling across the gleaming floor tiles around her still body.
Victor: Celia, wake up right now please!
Victor sprinted across the polished floor in his tailored suit and dropped heavily to his knees.
He gently took her pale cold hand into his trembling fingers while tears filled his eyes.
He checked her neck carefully for a steady pulse while praying for her survival and recovery.
Her breathing was shallow and weak, but her heart was still beating inside her chest.
Victor: Somebody call an ambulance to this house immediately!
Evelyn stood at the top of the grand staircase while looking down with fake concern.
She wiped away imaginary tears from her cheeks to fool the panicked young billionaire husband below.
She put her hands over her mouth and began to sob loudly like a grieving mother.
Evelyn: Victor, it was such a tragic and horrible accident!
Victor: What happened up there on the balcony?
Evelyn: She was just adjusting her pearls and lost her balance near the edge!
Victor: She knows better than to lean over that dangerous railing!
Evelyn: I tried to grab her dress, but she slipped right out of my hands!
Victor looked up toward the high balcony while holding his unconscious wife's cold limp hand.
He noticed that Evelyn was trembling slightly as she held onto the polished wooden handrail.
Something about her sudden emotional reaction felt deeply wrong and artificial to his trained mind.
Evelyn had never shown a single shred of genuine affection toward Celia in the past.
Why would she suddenly weep so dramatically over an accidental fall inside the family home?
Victor adjusted his position on the cold floor and carefully rested Celia's head on his jacket.
He pulled out his smartphone to dial emergency services directly without waiting for the staff.
The dispatcher answered the urgent call on the very first ring with professional calm efficiency.
Victor: Send an emergency medical team to the Vance estate right now!
Dispatcher: Paramedics are already on their way to your address sir.
Victor hung up the phone and looked closely at the scattered pearls resting nearby.
He saw a thin piece of cut thread sticking out from beneath a marble step.
His sharp eyes spotted something shiny glinting under the shadow of the lower stair step.
It was a pair of heavy metal wire cutters with fresh scratches on the metal blades.