Richard adjusted his silk tie as he drove up the winding driveway toward his grand estate.
The white mansion stood proudly against the afternoon light.
He expected a quiet evening with his young daughter Maya.
Instead, a heavy feeling settled in his chest as he stepped out of his car.
The heavy front doors of the house were standing slightly open.
He walked inside and felt a strange silence hanging in the air.
The white marble floor shone under the bright lights of the grand foyer.
Usually his wife Evelyn would be sitting in the living room reading a magazine.
Today there was no sound of soft music or pleasant conversation.
Richard took off his coat and set it on the polished wooden side table.
He looked up toward the sweeping staircase that led to the upper floor.
A sudden crying sound echoed down the high ceiling of the mansion entrance.
It was the terrified sob of little Maya calling out for help.
Richard froze as his heart dropped straight into his stomach.
He looked up at the second-floor balcony railing.
Evelyn was standing right beside the edge in her light purple dress.
Little Maya was dangling near the railing and crying hysterically.
Richard did not hesitate for a single second.
He ran across the marble floor with desperate speed.
His shoes gripped the slick stone as he rushed to position himself right below.
"I've got you, Maya!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
He slid onto his knees as the small child slipped past the railing.
His arms reached out just in time to break her fall safely.
He pulled Maya close to his chest and held her tightly.
The little girl buried her face into his gray suit jacket.
Richard breathed a massive sigh of relief as his hands trembled.
Maya sobbed softly against his neck as she whispered for her dad.
He patted her back gentle words of comfort.
Then he raised his eyes to look back up at the balcony.
Evelyn was already running down the grand staircase toward them.
Her face looked pale and frantic under the foyer lights.
Richard saw fresh marks on her cheek as she approached.
"Richard, it was an accident!" Evelyn cried out frantically.
"She slipped when I was reaching for her!" she pleaded.
Richard stood up slowly while keeping Maya safe in his left arm.
His eyes narrowed as a cold anger filled his body.
He pointed a stern finger directly at Evelyn's trembling face.
"You did this on purpose!" Richard yelled with absolute authority.
"Never come near my daughter again!" he warned her loudly.
Evelyn stumbled back in shock and fell onto the cold floor.
She clutched her bruised face while looking up with tears in her eyes.
"Please listen to me!" Evelyn begged from the ground.
"Get out of my house right now!" Richard commanded pointing to the door.
Evelyn pushed herself up and ran out into the bright driveway.
Richard turned his attention back to Maya to make sure she was unhurt.
He carried her to the sofa and checked her arms and legs carefully.
Maya was shivering but showed no signs of physical injury.
Richard knew that something deeper was going on in his home.
He needed to find out why Evelyn was acting so strangely lately.
He walked toward the home office near the back of the estate.
Inside the office sat a desk filled with family documents and business papers.
Richard pulled open the top drawer to check the safe key.
The key was missing from its usual velvet container.
He noticed a small piece of paper lying under the desk lamp.
It contained a handwritten phone number with a local area code.
Richard picked up his phone and dialed the digits immediately.
A deep voice answered the call after three slow rings.
"Did you get the money from the safe yet?" the voice asked.
Richard kept quiet as his mind raced to connect the clues.
The person on the other end hung up the call quickly.
Richard realized that Evelyn was being forced or blackmailed by someone outside.
He needed to protect both his family business and his child.
He called his head of security to inspect the mansion cameras.
The truth behind Evelyn's strange behavior was about to be revealed.