Clara fell onto her side, her hand flying up to cover her stinging cheek as tears stung her eyes. The pain was sharp and blinding, but the absolute shock of the strike was far worse than the burning sensation on her face. She looked up from the floor, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Victoria: Get away from him! How dare you lay your dirty hands on my child!
Grandmother: Victoria! Have you completely lost your mind?
Victoria ignored her mother-in-law entirely, keeping her tight grip on Leo’s upper arm as the young boy sobbed uncontrollably, trying desperately to pull back toward the maid on the floor. Victoria raised her hand a second time, her eyes burning with pure hatred as she stepped toward Clara again.
Victoria: You need to learn your place in this house, girl! Pack your bags and get out!
Clara: Mrs. Sterling, please... I was just trying to comfort him...
Before Victoria could swing her hand down again, a strong hand gripped her wrist in mid-air with crushing force. Richard Sterling, her tall husband dressed in a sharp black tuxedo, stepped directly between his furious wife and the trembling maid on the floor. His jaw was set tight, and his dark eyes flashed with an intense anger that made even Victoria freeze in her tracks.
Husband: That is enough! Give him to her!
Victoria: Richard? What are you doing? Release my wrist this instant!
Richard did not let go of her wrist right away. Instead, he used his other hand to carefully unlock Victoria’s tight fingers from their son's small arm. He pulled the crying boy completely away from his mother's reach and gently handed him back into Clara’s open, protective arms as she slowly sat up from the floor.
Husband: Go on, Leo. Go stay with Clara. She will keep you safe right now.
Leo held onto Clara tightly, wrapping his arms around her neck while burying his face in her shoulder. Clara stroked the boy's dark hair with her trembling hand, keeping her eyes fixed on the powerful businessman who had just saved her from further harm. The room grew completely silent as tension filled the air like heavy smoke.
Victoria’s face turned from pure rage into total shock. She stared at her husband in absolute disbelief, her mouth slightly open as she watched him stand so close to the maid. Deep suspicion began to creep into her eyes as she looked back and forth between Richard, Clara, and the young boy who refused to let go of the servant.
Victoria: Why are you defending her, Richard? She is just a hired maid!
Husband: She is a human being, Victoria. And you just assaulted her in front of our family.
Victoria: You are taking her side over your own wife? What is going on here?
Richard turned his back on his wife, kneeling down on one knee right next to Clara on the floor. He gently reached out and touched Clara’s shoulder, his voice dropping to a warm, gentle whisper that sent a cold wave of suspicion straight through Victoria’s chest.