Victoria hurried down the white marble steps past the American flag, her heels clicking rapidly against the stone as her ruby red gown rustled around her legs. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were wide with manufactured panic as she pointed a manicured finger toward the floor.
Victoria: "Arthur! Thank God you're home! Call an ambulance right now!"
Arthur: "Victoria! What happened to my daughter?!"
Victoria: "She tried to hurt our daughter! I walked into the hallway and caught Sarah leaning over the railing with Lily!"
Arthur: "What?!"
Victoria: "The maid lost her grip and dropped her! She deliberately let go of Lily!"
Down on the floor, Sarah held the shaking toddler close to her chest, sobbing hysterically. Her knees were bruised from the rough slide across the marble, but she refused to let go of the little girl.
Sarah: "Sir! She threw her off the balcony intentionally! I saw her hands push Lily over the edge!"
Victoria: "You lying little peasant! How dare you accuse me in my own house!"
Arthur: "Victoria, back away from her right now!"
Victoria: "Arthur, are you really going to listen to a hired servant over your own wife?! Look at Lily! She's traumatized because of this incompetent woman!"
Arthur: "Lily, baby, tell Daddy... what happened up there?"
Lily: "Mommy Vic... pushed me... She said I don't belong in the mansion..."
Arthur's entire body went rigid. The color drained from his face before turning into an intense, explosive rage. He looked up at Victoria, whose confident expression suddenly shattered into pure panic.
Arthur: "You pushed my three-year-old child off a balcony?!"
Victoria: "Arthur, no! She's three years old! She's confused and repeating what the maid fed her!"
Arthur: "My daughter does not lie!"
Victoria: "Listen to me! I am the mistress of this estate! You cannot take the word of a toddler and a maid over mine!"
Arthur stormed across the marble floor in front of the American flag. Driven by absolute fury, he confronted Victoria and slapped her face hard three times in rapid succession, the sharp impacts echoing through the open foyer.
Victoria: "Ah! Stop!"
The force of the blows sent Victoria tumbling sideways onto the marble floor. She lay near the American flag, clutching her bruised cheek in sheer shock and pain as tears ruined her heavy makeup.
Victoria: "Please, listen to me! Arthur, you're hurting me!"
Arthur: "How dare you touch my daughter!"
Victoria: "I am your wife! You can't hit me in front of the staff!"
Arthur: "Get out of my house right now! Call the police!"
Victoria: "You can't throw me out! I have rights in this estate! I am legal co-owner of this property!"
Arthur: "You have no rights here anymore, Victoria! You are a monster!"
Arthur stepped past her and knelt beside Sarah, gently placing his hand on his daughter's back while Sarah wiped her own tears with the edge of her white apron.
Arthur: "Sarah, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Sarah: "I'm fine, Mr. Vance... My knees are scraped, but Lily didn't hit the stone. I caught her in time."
Arthur: "You saved her life. God bless you, Sarah. You saved my little girl."
Victoria: "This is absurd! You're comforting the maid while I'm bleeding on the floor!"
Arthur: "Shut your mouth, Victoria! If you take another step toward my child, I won't just slap you!"
Victoria pushed herself up from the cold floor, her red gown covered in dust, her eyes burning with hatred as she backed away toward the front doors.
Victoria: "You'll regret this, Arthur! I will take everything you own in court!"
Arthur: "You won't get a single penny. You're leaving this mansion in handcuffs!"