Victoria moved down the grand stairs with swift, impatient steps, the silk of her dress rustling with every sharp movement. Her eyes were fixed entirely on the young maid who was still kneeling beside the terrified child. For months, Victoria had disliked Elena's presence in the house. The housekeeper was quiet, hard-working, and immensely gentle with Billy, which only served to highlight Victoria's own severe lack of maternal warmth. Victoria felt her authority threatened every single time Billy ran to the maid for comfort instead of running to her.
Victoria: Let go of her apron right now, William! You are acting like a spoiled brat!
Billy: No! Leave me alone! I want Elena!
Elena: Please, Mrs. Vance, he’s just frightened right now. Give him a few minutes to catch his breath.
Victoria: How dare you tell me how to handle my own stepson in my own house!
Victoria reached the bottom step and grabbed Billy roughly by his shoulder, attempting to pull him away from the maid. Billy screamed and held on tighter to the cloth apron, his feet slipping against the slick hardwood floor as he resisted. The sudden tension caused Elena to lose her balance slightly on her knees, her hands rising instinctively to keep the young boy from falling sideways against the heavy wooden banister.
Elena: Careful, Mrs. Vance, he might hurt his arm if you pull him like that!
Victoria: Get your hands off my son!
Before Elena could process the warning in Victoria's voice, Victoria pulled her hand back and delivered a sharp, violent slap directly across Elena’s left cheek. The sound of the strike cracked through the wide entrance hall like a gunshot, echoing off the high plaster ceilings and the heavy glass chandelier hanging above them. Elena’s head snapped to the side, a bright red handprint instantly blooming across her fair skin as she stumbled backward onto the polished floorboards.
Billy: Stop it! Don't hurt Elena!
Victoria: Shut up, William! Go up to your room right now before I give you something to cry about!
Elena pressed her trembling fingers against her burning cheek, her eyes wide with shock as she stared up at the woman standing over her. She had endured harsh words and impossible demands since taking the job at the Vance residence, but she had never expected physical violence. She looked down at Billy, whose eyes were wide with terror as Victoria dragged him back toward the center of the hall by his wrist.
Elena: You had no right to hit me, Mrs. Vance. I was only trying to protect the child from being pulled.
Victoria: Protect him? You are a hired servant! You do not instruct me, you do not touch my child, and you do not speak back to me!
Elena: I am a human being, and I will not allow you to strike me or scare this little boy like this.
Victoria: Then pack your bags and get out of my house before I call the police and tell them you put your hands on my son!
Billy twisted his arm free from Victoria's grip and sprinted back up the stairs toward the second-floor landing, his boots thumping loudly against the wood as he ran away from his stepmother's rage. Victoria turned her glaring eyes toward the stairs and began chasing after him, her heels clicking fast against the steps. Elena stood up slowly, her knees shaking beneath her skirt, knowing she could not simply walk out the front door and leave the helpless child alone with such an unstable woman.
Elena: Mrs. Vance, please stop for a second and think about what you are doing to him!
Victoria: Stay down there, Elena! If you step foot up these stairs, I will make sure you never work in this town again!
Elena took a deep breath, ignoring the throbbing pain in her face, and stepped onto the bottom staircase, following the woman upward into the shadow of the second-floor balcony.