Richard: Chloe! Oh my god, Chloe!
Richard dropped his leather briefcase onto the floor and rushed rapidly across the foyer, his grey suit coat flapping behind him as he dropped to his knees beside the young woman lying on the white marble.
Chloe: Mr. Sterling... it hurts...
Richard: Don't try to move! Just keep still, sweetheart, I'm right here!
Richard's hands trembled as he checked her pulse, his face pale with deep distress. He looked up toward the top of the grand staircase, where Clara stood frozen against the banister near the framed flag. His expression shifted from horror to absolute, unbridled fury as he pointed a trembling finger upward.
Richard: You absolute criminal! Look what you caused! 🇺🇸
Clara: I didn't mean for this to happen, it was a total accident!
Richard: Stop lying! I saw the whole thing with my own eyes! 🇺🇸
Clara: Richard, please listen to me! She tripped on her dress!
Richard: I stood in that doorway and watched you reach out and shove her!
Richard stood up from the floor, his eyes locked onto his wife as he climbed the grand staircase two steps at a time. Clara backed away in panic, her heels clicking frantically against the marble treads until her back pressed against the wood-paneled wall. Before she could utter another word, Richard reached the landing and delivered a swift, powerful slap across her face, sending her stumbling backward onto the steps beneath the chandelier.
Clara: You hit me? You actually hit me over a servant girl?
Richard: She isn't a servant girl, Clara! She's my daughter!
Clara's jaw dropped as she sat on the cold stairs, her hand clutching her reddened cheek while the true weight of Richard's words crashed down upon the mansion.