The white marble banister felt cold under Victoria's manicured fingers as the Texas wind blew through the open terrace doors.
She tightened her hold on eight-month-old Maya, her green satin gown trailing across the limestone gallery floor.
Victoria: Cry all you want, you little beggar!
Victoria: You don't belong in this family!
Down on the ground floor, thirty feet below the mezzanine, Elena dropped her cleaning basket in raw terror.
Elena: No! Step away from that railing!
Victoria: Watch her fall, maid! Watch your precious little heiress disappear into nothing!
Victoria opened both hands wide, letting the infant plummet straight into empty airspace.
Elena screamed at the top of her lungs, sprinting across the polished tiles in her grey uniform.
She threw herself into a reckless dive, sliding hard across the slick floor as her arms shot forward.
The child hit her chest with a heavy thud, knocking the breath clean out of Elena's lungs.
Elena: I got you, baby! You're safe now...
The infant shrieked against Elena's collar, tiny tears soaking through the fabric of her uniform.
Victoria glided down the curved staircase, her green satin gown rustling with cold, arrogant poise.
Victoria: Hand her over right now, you pathetic maid!
Elena: You stay away from this baby, you evil monster!
The grand double doors banged wide open as heavy dress shoes slammed against the marble entrance floor.
Julian Sterling charged inside wearing a sharp blue suit, his briefcase hitting the floor with a hollow bang.
Julian: What is going on here?
He took four furious strides, his right palm cutting through the air and cracking hard across Victoria's face.
The impact knocked Victoria sideways, sending her crashing down onto the stone floor.
Victoria: She tried to kidnap our baby!
Elena: She threw her to kill her!
Julian stood over the fallen woman, pointing a rigid, trembling finger toward the exit.
Julian: Don't you dare touch my child! Get out!
Victoria glared up from the tiles, unaware that the registered envelope inside Julian's coat held a secret that would burn her world to the ground.