The afternoon heat beat down heavily on the stone terrace of the Vance estate, but Maya was shivering so hard her teeth clicked together.
Her black domestic uniform was drenched through, pool water forming dark puddles across the tiles as four-year-old Toby clung to her neck, coughing hard.
Victoria: Take your filthy hands off him right now! Step away from my boy, you monster!
Maya: Mrs. Vance, please, he was under the water! He couldn't keep his head up at the deep end!
Victoria: Shut your mouth! Don't you dare touch him! Someone call the police on this lunatic!
Maya kept both arms wrapped tightly around Toby, stroking his wet hair while he pressed his small face into her shoulder.
Tires screeched loudly across the pea gravel of the courtyard. A black luxury SUV pulled up abruptly and braked hard.
The driver's door flew open. Arthur Vance rushed out, leaving his leather briefcase on the seat as he sprinted toward the patio.
Arthur: Toby! What happened? Why is my son soaking wet?
Victoria darted forward immediately, her beige silk dress rustling as she yanked Toby away from Maya's arms.
Victoria: Arthur! Thank God you're home! She tried to drown him! She threw our little boy into the eight-foot marker!
Arthur froze, his face draining of color before flushing into pure, blind fury.
Arthur: You did what? You laid your hands on my son?
Maya: Mr. Vance, no! Please, sir, that isn't what happened at all!
Arthur: I pay you to clean my house, and you try to murder my only child?
Arthur stepped forward, raising his heavy fist into the air, his knuckles turning white with rage.
Toby: Daddy, no! Stop! Don't hit her!
The toddler shrieked at the top of his lungs, thrashing in Victoria's grip and reaching his small hands back out toward Maya.
Arthur: Toby, get back! She's dangerous!
Toby: Maya jumped in to pull me up, Daddy! She didn't push me!
Arthur's fist stopped inches from Maya's cheek, his chest heaving under his tailored shirt.
Arthur: Toby... what are you talking about?
Toby buried his face into Arthur's trouser leg, crying hard while raising a trembling finger straight toward Victoria.
Toby: Mommy kicked my toy truck into the pool... and then she walked away when I slipped!
A dead silence fell over the patio, leaving Victoria staring at the little boy with sudden, wide-eyed dread.