Clara: Marcus, is she... is she alright up there?
I called out softly from the ground level, still cradling our crying baby in the beige maid outfit.
Marcus: She'll live, Clara. But she's about to face a lot worse than a slap.
Marcus stood tall over her crumpled form, his chest heaving with lingering adrenaline and righteous fury.
Eleanor: My tooth... look at my tooth...
Eleanor whispered in absolute shock, staring down at a small, bloodied pearl lying right beside her hand on the marble.
Eleanor: You knocked my tooth out... you ruined my face...
A low dramatic drone filled the heavy silence as she continued to gaze in horror at the small fragment of bone.
Marcus: You tried to shatter my son's skull on this very floor, and you're crying over a veneer[cite: 1]?
Eleanor: The board will never let you put me in prison! I own half the shares in this conglomerate!
Marcus: The board already received the federal embezzlement files and the security footage ten minutes ago[cite: 1].
Eleanor: No... you wouldn't hand your own mother over to federal prosecutors!
Marcus: Try me, Mother. Your trial for attempted infanticide and grand corporate fraud starts next month[cite: 1].
Clara: Thank God for those cameras, Marcus. We finally have our lives back[cite: 1]!
I looked up from the foyer floor, a profound sense of relief washing over my tear-stained face.
Marcus: Nobody ever touches my family again. Come here, both of you!
Marcus rushed down the stairs to our side, dropping to his knees to pull Leo and me into a protective, unbreakable embrace.
Clara: We're safe now, my sweet boy. Daddy caught us all.
As the wail of approaching police sirens echoed through the grand double doors, our nightmare officially came to an end.