The grand white living room smelled of expensive lilies and frozen air, but inside, tension burned like fire[cite: 1].
Alyssa stood beside the white Italian couch in her glittering sequined gown, clutching a silver crystal salad bowl[cite: 1].
On the cushions below, three-month-old Toby kicked his tiny legs, shivering as ice cubes rattled across his blanket[cite: 1].
Alyssa: Cry all you want! You don't belong in this house[cite: 1]!
Alyssa: Your mother was a gutter rat, and you won't take my husband's estate[cite: 1]!
The sharp rattle of ice striking the sofa cushions bounced off the marble walls as the baby let out an agonized scream[cite: 1].
Elena burst through the arched hallway in her black-and-white maid uniform, dropping her polishing cloths on the floor[cite: 1].
Elena: Ah[cite: 1]!
She charged forward like a lioness protecting her cub, lowering her shoulder and slamming straight into Alyssa's sequined waist[cite: 1].
The force threw the blonde heiress backward onto the hard tiles with a loud thud, the empty silver bowl clattering across the floor[cite: 1].
Elena dropped instantly to her knees, brushing freezing ice away from the baby's pale face and scooping him into her apron[cite: 1].
Elena: Don't you dare touch this innocent child[cite: 1]!
Alyssa: You miserable maid! You attacked me! I'll have you thrown into a federal prison[cite: 1]!
The grand double doors at the front entrance swung open with a resounding bang[cite: 1].
Ethan Sterling marched into the room in a tailored black tuxedo, two towering armed bodyguards trailing closely behind him[cite: 1].
Elena: Sir! She poured freezing ice over your baby to freeze him[cite: 1]!
Alyssa: Ethan, she's lying! She attacked me[cite: 1]!
Alyssa: She tackled me to the ground because I caught her stealing your family silver[cite: 1]!
Ethan’s eyes turned pitch black as he stepped into the living room, his jaw clenching so hard a vein pulsed on his temple[cite: 1].
He reached down, grabbed Elena’s uniform arm with brutal force, and swung his open right hand across her cheek with a deafening crack[cite: 1].
Elena fell to the floor, wrapping her arms tightly around little Toby as tears burst from her swollen eyes[cite: 1].
Ethan: You touched my baby! You're leaving this house in chains forever[cite: 1]!
Elena wiped blood from her lip, her heart breaking as she realized the man who just struck her had no idea who she actually was[cite: 1].