Victoria tossed the teddy bear toward the trash bin near the entryway with total coldness. She walked up the stairs with quick, aggressive steps, her high heels snapping against the hard marble steps. Leo backed away slowly until his back hit the cold wooden wall of the upper hallway. He kept his eyes cast downward, praying that his mother would just walk past him and go to her bedroom.
Victoria: Why are you wandering around like a stray animal when I told you to stay in your room?
Leo: I... I was just looking for Elena, Mommy. I wanted some water.
Victoria: You do not need Elena, and you certainly do not need to make noise while I am conducting important business. Look at me when I talk to you!
She grabbed the young boy's upper arm with a grip so tight that her long nails dug straight through his cotton shirt. Leo gasped out loud in pain, tears springing to his eyes immediately. He tried to pull his arm back, but that only made her tighten her hold even more. She leaned down close to his face, her voice dropping into a harsh, bitter whisper that made his skin crawl.
Victoria: If you say a single word about this to your father or anyone else, I will make sure you never see that stupid bear again. Do you understand me?
Leo nodded his head rapidly, a tear spilling over his cheek and falling onto his shirt. Victoria released his arm with a sharp push, causing the boy to stumble backward into the doorframe. She wiped her hands together with disgust and walked back down the stairs to resume her phone call. She spoke into the receiver with a fake, pleasant tone as if nothing had just happened.
Down in the hallway near the dining room, Elena had been standing completely still, listening to every single word. Her hands shook violently against the silver tray she was holding. She had seen Victoria's cruelty many times before, but every time it happened, it filled her with a mixture of terror and burning anger. Elena knew her job was on the line if she spoke up, but she could no longer bear to watch an innocent child suffer in silence.
Elena set the silver tray down on a side table and moved quickly toward the back staircase. She hurried up to the nursery hallway where Leo was sitting on the floor, his knees pulled tight against his chest. He was trembling from head to toe, sobbing silently so his mother would not hear him from downstairs. Elena dropped to her knees right beside the boy and pulled him into a warm, protective embrace.
Elena: It's okay, sweetheart. I'm here. You don't have to be afraid.
Leo: She hurt my arm again, Elena. It burns so bad.
Elena gently rolled up the sleeve of his blue shirt. Right above his elbow were four distinct red marks left by his mother's fingernails, already turning dark against his pale skin. Elena took a deep breath, trying to push down the overwhelming anger rising inside her chest. She pulled a small soft cloth from her apron pocket and gently pressed it against the fresh marks, comforting the small boy with soft words.
Elena: I am going to help you, Leo. I promise you that things are going to change. You are a good boy, and none of this is your fault.
Leo: Will Daddy come home soon? I want my Daddy.
Elena: He will be here soon. We just need to stay brave a little longer.
Elena knew that Julian Sterling was not a bad man, but he was completely blind to what was happening under his own roof. Victoria was an expert at playing the victim whenever Julian was home, complaining about how hard she worked to raise Leo while Julian was away managing his real estate firm. Furthermore, Victoria had hired a team of high-priced divorce attorneys to ensure that if Julian ever tried to leave her, he would lose half his fortune, the mansion, and full custody of his only son.
Elena made a quiet decision right then and there. She went back downstairs to her small break room, pulled out her simple smartphone, and carefully saved photos of the marks on Leo's arm. She knew that words alone would never stand up against Victoria's wealthy lawyers in a courtroom. She needed clear proof to save the boy from a life of misery and fear.