Clara adjusted her black apron as she folded the laundry inside the grand foyer.
The sunlight poured through the high arch windows onto the polished marble floor.
A massive American flag hung proudly beside the winding wooden staircase near the main entrance.
Clara worked hard every day to support her aging mother in their small apartment.
She loved caring for baby Emma, the eight-month-old daughter of the wealthy Sterling family.
Suddenly, a loud metallic rattle echoed from the top of the dark oak stairs.
Clara looked up and gasped in sheer horror as the grey baby stroller tumbled downward.
It bounced violently off the carved wooden steps with frightening speed.
Clara: No!
Clara dropped the folded towels and sprinted across the shiny marble floor.
The baby pitched forward into the open air above the steep drop.
Clara threw her body down, sliding on her knees with her arms stretched wide.
The heavy stroller crashed against the marble wall with a deafening bang.
Clara caught the tiny infant securely against her chest just inches from the hard stone.
Clara: I got her. I have you, sweetheart.
She held the crying infant tightly against her pounding heart as tears filled her eyes.
Her knees throbbed with intense pain from the rough slide across the grand room.
The front double doors burst open with a loud slam that echoed everywhere.
Victoria Sterling rushed inside wearing a expensive red dress and sharp black heels.
Her husband Richard followed close behind with a heavy briefcase in his hand.
Victoria took one look at the overturned stroller and let out a dramatic scream.
Victoria: What did you do to my precious baby, you careless girl?
Clara: Ma'am, the stroller slipped from the upper hallway and I caught her!
Victoria marched across the room and pointed a red-nailed finger at Clara's face.
Victoria: She pushed the stroller! Richard, look at this horrible monster sitting on our floor!