Richard dropped his leather briefcase onto the polished floor with a loud thud.
His dark eyes locked onto Victoria's outstretched hand and Elena's defensive posture.
Victoria turned around instantly and forced tears into her blue eyes.
Victoria: Richard! Thank goodness you came back early!
She pointed a shaking finger at Elena while trying to look frightened.
Victoria: The maid almost dropped our little girl off the top balcony!
Elena looked up from the ground with total disbelief written across her face.
Elena: That is a complete lie, Mr. Sterling!
Victoria: She grabbed Lily while I was dressing her upstairs and ran off!
Richard walked toward the two women with heavy, deliberate footsteps.
His broad shoulders were tense as he evaluated the situation carefully.
Richard: Elena, tell me what happened right now.
Elena: I watched her hold Lily over the balcony rail with my own eyes.
Elena: She dropped her intentionally, sir, and I slid across the floor to catch her.
Victoria let out a loud dramatic sob and covered her mouth.
Victoria: Why would you listen to a maid over your own devoted wife?
Victoria: She is trying to blackmail our family for money, Richard!
Richard looked down at his crying daughter who was clinging tightly to Elena.
The toddler was burying her small face into the maid's slate-gray apron.
Lily refused to look at Victoria and whimpered whenever the stepmother moved closer.
Richard had seen his daughter act distant around Victoria for several long weeks.
He stepped right between Victoria and the maid on the marble floor.
Richard: My daughter never cries like this unless she is deeply terrified.
Victoria: She is just confused because the maid scared her during the fall!
Richard: I installed hidden security cameras in the foyer light fixtures yesterday morning.
Victoria's face instantly lost all of its natural color upon hearing those words.
She took a step backward toward the main entrance doors in silence.
Victoria: You... you put cameras in the house without telling me?
Richard: My security team routes the live video feed straight to my mobile phone.
He pulled a high-end smartphone out of his vest pocket and unlocked the screen.
He tapped the screen twice to bring up the high-definition video playback.