The second-floor landing was a wide gallery framed by an intricate wrought-iron railing that looked out over the massive foyer below. High above hung a heavy USA flag painting inside a gilded frame, watching over the cold luxury of the estate. Billy had scrambled into the corner of the upper balcony, pressing his back flat against the wall near his bedroom door, sobbing silently as he watched his stepmother close the distance between them. Elena reached the top of the stairs, her breath coming in short, uneven gasps as she stepped between Victoria and the small boy.
Elena: Mrs. Vance, please, look at how terrified he is right now. Just step back and let him breathe.
Victoria: I told you to leave this house! You are fired! You have no right to stand on this floor!
Elena: I will leave, but I won't watch you abuse a helpless six-year-old child who lost his mother!
Victoria’s eyes narrowed into dark slits at the mention of Billy's biological mother. That had always been the sore point for Victoria; no matter how hard she tried to assert her dominance in the household, Mark’s late wife’s presence was felt everywhere, especially in the boy's trust fund which Victoria could not touch without Mark's explicit consent. Hearing the maid bring up the dead mother pushed Victoria over the edge of her sanity.
Victoria: You arrogant little parasite! You think you can talk to me about his mother?
Elena: I think this boy deserves love, not fear! He is a human child, not a trophy for you to control!
Victoria: Get out of my face!
Victoria lunged forward with both hands flat, shoving Elena with all her strength against her chest. Elena was standing dangerously close to the low decorative break in the wooden railing where the upper balcony met the grand staircase opening. The sudden force of the heavy push caught Elena entirely off guard. Her heels caught the edge of the hardwood trim, and her body tipped violently backward into empty space.
Elena: No! Help me!
A sharp gasp escaped Elena’s throat as her arms reached out frantically, trying to grab onto anything to stop her fall. Her fingers brushed against the smooth metal of the railing, but she could not secure a grip. Victoria stood at the edge, her arms still extended from the force of the shove, a look of wild, unhinged shock freezing her features as she realized what she had just done. Billy let out a blood-curdling scream from his corner near the wall.
Billy: Elena! Dad, help!
The air rushed past Elena's ears as she plunged backward over the high balcony railing, falling toward the hard, unyielding oak floor below. The drop was nearly fifteen feet, high enough to break bones or inflict fatal injuries upon landing on the uncarpeted floor. The world seemed to move in slow motion as the grand chandelier spun above her, and the ceiling receded from her view in a terrifying flash of light and shadow.
Elena: Someone help!
Down below, the heavy wooden front door of the mansion burst open with a loud thud, revealing the tall, broad frame of Mark Vance entering the house early from his morning meetings. He carried a heavy leather briefcase in his right hand, his eyes instantly locking onto the falling body of the young housekeeper descending through the central opening of the grand staircase.