The pristine white marble floor of the Sterling estate gleamed under the massive crystal chandelier, but the air inside the grand foyer was freezing cold. Victoria stood near the grand staircase in an opulent black and gold gown, her face filled with cruel satisfaction. A framed American flag hung on the wall behind her, casting a quiet shadow across the room. In her right hand, she gripped a cold metal chain attached to the neck of a weeping seven-year-old boy kneeling on his hands and knees. The child's small suit was wrinkled, and his tears dripped onto the stone floor as he cried in distress.
Victoria: Be quiet, you little street brat! You will stay on your knees until I say otherwise!
Leo: Please, ma'am... my neck hurts... I want to go home!
Victoria: You don't have a home! You belong in a cage, not in a Dallas luxury mansion!
Down the hallway, the heavy footsteps of a maid echoed across the floor. Maria, wearing her black-and-white uniform, stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth dropping in complete horror as she saw the chain.
Maria: Stop, please! 🇺🇸
Victoria: Mind your own business, Maria! Go back to the kitchen before I fire you!
Maria: Mrs. Sterling, he's just a child! You can't treat him like an animal!
Victoria: He is an illegitimate leech trying to steal my family's trust fund, and I will treat him however I please!
Maria took a quick step forward, her eyes wide with panicked desperation as she confronted the elegant woman. But before Victoria could yank the chain again, the heavy double doors of the mansion swung wide open with a loud bang. Julian Sterling, a wealthy man in a sharp black suit, stepped into the entryway. His dark eyes scanned the room, locking onto the horrific scene near the staircase.
Julian: How dare you! 🇺🇸
Victoria: Julian... you weren't supposed to be home until tomorrow!
Julian: Get your hands off him right now!
Julian rushed across the foyer, his face twisted into absolute, unbridled fury. He dropped to his knees beside the crying boy, his steady hands quickly unfastening the metal chain from around the child's neck. Victoria gasped, pressing her hand to her face in wide-eyed terror as Julian pulled the sobbing boy into his arms, cradling him tightly against his chest while looking up with eyes full of deadly intent.