The bright Texas sun cut through the tall arched glass of the second-floor gallery, gleaming across the polished white marble floors.
Six-year-old Lily backed away from the marble balustrade, clutching the lace hem of her pastel pink dress.
Standing over her was Victoria, her burgundy velvet gown brushing against the baseboards as a silk American flag hung beside the pillars.
Victoria: Stop crying, you little nuisance.
Lily: Please, Victoria! I want to wait downstairs for Daddy!
Victoria: Your daddy isn't here to save you today, and he never will be again.
Lily: Daddy promised he was coming home early from the airport!
Victoria: Your father cares about our corporate merger, not a messy orphan from his past.
Victoria grabbed the little girl by both wrists, hoisted her over the ledge, and let go.
Lily fell through the open atrium air, screaming right past the massive crystal chandelier.
Lily: DADDY HELP ME!
Down on the ground floor, the grand front doors slammed open as Marcus Vance strode inside in his charcoal gray suit.
He dropped his leather briefcase, looked up into the open foyer, and saw his child plummeting toward the marble floor pattern.
Marcus sprinted across the stone, throwing his body forward in a desperate slide.
His knees hit the floor hard, skidding across the polished tiles as he caught Lily securely in his arms and hugged her tight.
Lily: Daddy... she threw me over the balcony!
Marcus: You ruthless monster... you tried to kill my child!
Carrying his weeping daughter, Marcus stormed up the grand white marble staircase toward the upper balcony.
Standing beneath the prominent American flag, Marcus delivered a vicious, explosive slap across Victoria's face.
Marcus: GET OUT OF MY HOUSE BEFORE I DESTROY YOU!
Victoria: Marcus, how dare you strike me!
Marcus: LEAVE NOW!
Victoria trembled on the floor under the American flag, unaware that Marcus held a secret file that would destroy her life before nightfall.