The grand hall inside the Sterling estate was always quiet during the early morning hours.
Elena adjusted her clean white apron as she polished the dark wood railing near the main foyer.
She had worked for the wealthy Sterling family for almost five whole years.
She cared deeply for seven-year-old Leo after his sweet mother passed away two years ago.
The boy was soft-spoken and spent most of his time reading books in the library.
Everything changed when Richard Sterling married a glamorous young woman named Victoria a few months back.
Victoria wore expensive silk gowns and always looked down on the house staff with cold disdain.
She especially disliked young Leo because he was the sole heir to the massive family fortune.
Elena kept a watchful eye on Victoria whenever Richard was away in business meetings in town.
That morning, Richard was scheduled to return home early from an important corporate trip.
Victoria stood at the top of the marble staircase wearing a sharp maroon designer dress.
Her face was twisted with sudden anger as she glared at the young boy standing near her.
Leo was dressed neatly in his small charcoal suit for his morning music lesson.
Elena noticed the sudden tension and stopped her work instantly to watch from a safe distance.
Victoria: Get out of my life!
Her sharp voice echoed loudly through the high ceilings of the empty foyer.
Leo: What did I do wrong?
The young boy backed away slowly toward the dangerous edge of the steep marble steps.
Victoria: You stand between me and everything this estate is worth!
She raised her hands and lunged forward aggressively to strike at his tiny shoulders.
Leo gasped in terror as his feet slipped right off the slick top step.
Elena dropped her polishing cloth onto the floor and sprinted across the polished tile floor.
The young boy stumbled backward and began to fall downward down the grand staircase.
Elena rushed forward to reach the bottom landing before the child hit the hard floor.