The slap was so hard that Victoria gasped in sheer disbelief, her hand flying up to cover her reddening cheek. Before she could regain her balance, Elena stepped forward and delivered a second, even stronger slap across Victoria's opposite cheek. The sound echoed like a gunshot off the tall marble walls, leaving Victoria staggering backward in complete shock.
Elena: That is for hurting an innocent child who never did anything to you!
Victoria: You crazy bitch! I will make sure you spend the rest of your life in prison!
Elena: I don't care what happens to me, but you will never lay a finger on him again!
Elena did not give Victoria a chance to recover or lash out. She stepped in close, raised her palm, and delivered a third thunderous slap that knocked Victoria completely off balance. Following through with all the strength in her body, Elena shoved Victoria hard in the chest with her free hand while keeping her other arm wrapped tightly around the weeping child. Victoria let out a sharp scream as she flew backward, falling hard onto the cold marble floor with a loud thud.
Victoria lay sprawled on the ground, her fancy beige gown messy and her hair falling wildly over her face. She looked up at Elena with absolute hatred, clutching her swollen cheeks in agony. But Elena stood over her like an unyielding shield, holding little Leo close to her warm heart while the child buried his face in her uniform collar.
Elena: Don't you dare touch him ever again! If you come near him, I will finish you!
Victoria: You are finished! Mark will have you thrown into the street within five minutes!
Suddenly, the heavy double wooden doors at the front entrance were kicked wide open with a violent crash. Mark Sterling stood in the doorway, out of breath and holding a folder of forgotten legal documents. He had turned his car around halfway to his meeting because he left his briefcase behind on the study desk. The moment he stepped inside, he heard the screaming and saw the chaotic scene in the grand hall.
Mark's eyes widened in total shock as he took in the sight of his fiancée groveling on the floor and his maid standing over her with his weeping son. His face turned pale, then flushed deep red with rising anger as he marched into the center of the hall. Victoria saw Mark enter and immediately switched into her fake, helpless persona, bursting into loud crocodile tears.
Victoria: Oh, Mark! Thank God you came back! This crazy maid just attacked me for no reason!
She crawled toward Mark on her hands and knees, whimpering loudly to make herself look like the victim. She pointed a trembling finger at Elena, trying to fool Mark into firing the maid on the spot.
Victoria: Look at what she did to my face! She knocked me down and threatened to kill me!
Mark paid no attention to Victoria's pathetic pleas. He had heard the tail end of the commotion from the driveway and had seen the horrifying footage from the security app on his smartphone while walking up the steps. His security system had sent a motion alert directly to his phone moments earlier, capturing the exact second Victoria was spinning his son in dangerous circles. Mark's heart was pounding with a mixture of terror, guilt, and unimaginable fury as he looked down at the woman he almost married.