Richard stepped closer to the marble staircase while looking up at Victoria.
His eyes burned with deep anger and confusion as he demanded answers.
Victoria rushed down the grand curved stairs with her beige satin dress fluttering.
She pointed her long manicured finger directly at Elena's pale face.
Victoria: Firing this maid immediately is the only safe choice for our family!
Elena: Sir, I would give my life to keep little Leo safe!
Victoria: Shut up! Don't you dare say another word to my husband!
Richard: Enough shouting from both of you in this hallway!
Richard pointed his hand firmly toward Victoria to stop her sudden advance.
He walked over to Elena and looked at the empty car seat carefully.
He saw that the straps were neatly buckled over a folded weighted blanket.
It was clear the carrier had been prepared deliberately to simulate weight.
Richard: Why was a weighted carrier sitting near the high balcony edge?
Victoria: The maid was carrying it upstairs to store in the nursery closet!
Elena: I was down in the laundry room when I heard her call out!
Elena: I ran into the foyer and saw her push it over!
Victoria: She is making up insane lies because she fears losing her job!
Richard held up his hand to cut Victoria off mid-sentence.
He turned his gaze toward the ceiling camera mounted near the doorway chandelier.
The security system recorded every inch of the main foyer around the clock.
Victoria's face suddenly lost all of its dramatic color as she noticed his look.
She swallowed hard and took a step back toward the wooden staircase railing.
Richard: We have high definition cameras installed in every main hall.
Richard: Let us go to the security room and review the footage together.
Victoria: Darling, there is absolutely no need to waste your precious time!
Victoria: She is just an unstable worker who made a foolish mistake!
Elena: Please check the video feeds, Mr. Vance! I have nothing to hide!
Richard did not say another word as he turned toward his private office.
Victoria reached out and grabbed his dark suit sleeve with trembling fingers.
Victoria: Richard, please listen to me before you look at anything!
Richard: Remove your hand from my arm immediately, Victoria.
His voice was quiet, but it carried an overwhelming command of authority.
Victoria pulled her hand back as if she had been burned by fire.
Elena stood her ground while holding the empty blue carrier tight.
She knew that her entire livelihood and reputation were hanging in the balance.
If Richard believed Victoria, Elena could be arrested or ruined forever.
If the truth came out, Victoria's fake mask would crumble into pieces.
Richard unlocked his private office door and stepped inside the dark room.
The large security monitor sat glowing softly on his heavy oak desk.
Victoria stood in the doorway with her teeth pressed tightly against her lip.
Elena stayed right behind Richard, ready to face whatever the video showed.
Richard typed his master security code into the glowing computer keyboard.
The screen refreshed and displayed four separate live video angles of the foyer.
He rewound the footage by ten minutes and pressed the play button.
The room became completely silent as the video feed began to run.