Upstairs in the child's bedroom, Victoria was carefully bandage-wrapping Leo's knee.
The little boy sat on his soft bed while holding his mother's picture frame.
The glass in the silver frame was slightly cracked from the fall.
Leo: Victoria, why is stepmother Clara so mean to us?
Victoria: Some people care more about power and gold than loving people.
Leo: She took my mom's jewelry box from the master closet yesterday.
Victoria stopped her hands and looked up at Leo with sudden surprise.
Her heart sank as she realized the potential scale of Clara's theft.
The late Mrs. Vance had owned priceless heirlooms and rare antique diamonds.
Victoria: Did you actually see her take the jewelry box, Leo?
Leo: Yes, she hid it inside her big black leather bag.
Victoria: You are a very brave boy for telling me this truth.
Victoria finished taping the white bandage neatly around the boy's small leg.
She knew she needed solid proof before accusing Clara of major crimes.
She remembered that the hallway security cameras had been updated last month.
Arthur had installed tiny modern cameras throughout the primary mansion hallways.
Victoria excused herself softly and walked toward the security control room downstairs.
The small room was located behind the kitchen near the servants' quarters.
She opened the heavy door quietly and sat in front of the monitors.
Her fingers typed the security code into the main system control panel.
She pulled up the footage from the grand foyer from earlier that morning.
The video clearly showed Clara grabbing the frame from Leo's little hands.
It showed Clara giving the child a firm, deliberate push downward.
Victoria gasped softly as she replayed the clear video footage twice.
Victoria: She did it deliberately to hurt the poor boy.
She quickly inserted a small flash drive into the system server port.
She downloaded the entire high-definition video file onto the drive safe.
Suddenly, the security room door burst open with a sharp bang.
Clara stood in the open doorway with an extremely dark, hateful expression.
Clara: What do you think you are doing in here, maid?
Victoria: I am gathering the truth about what happened on the stairs.
Clara: Hand over that memory stick to me right this instant!
Clara lunged forward inside the small room to snatch the drive.
Victoria stood her ground firmly and slipped the flash drive into her pocket.
Victoria: This evidence belongs to Mr. Vance and the law officers!
Clara: Nobody will believe a lowly maid over a wealthy lady!
Clara reached out and grabbed Victoria's arm with sharp, long nails.
Victoria pushed Clara's hands away firmly without using unnecessary violence.
She stepped past the angry woman and walked rapidly into the hallway.
Clara: Give that to me or I will destroy your life!
Victoria kept walking briskly toward Arthur's private study room door.
She knew she held the key to protecting the entire Vance family.