Maria: Yes, Mr. Vance! Calling right now!
Maria's hands trembled as she pulled her phone out, dialing the emergency number with shaking thumbs.
Margarethe: Richard, are you insane?! You slapped me over the babblings of a one-year-old child and a maid who wants to cover her own negligence!
Richard: Keep your voice away from her, Margarethe. Don't come down these stairs.
Margarethe: I am your wife! I am the lady of this house! You are going to take the word of domestic help over mine?
Richard: Clara doesn't lie. She pointed directly at you.
Margarethe: She's fourteen months old! She barely speaks! She repeats whatever words sound familiar!
Maria: Operator? Please send an ambulance and police to the Vance estate on Oakridge Drive. A stroller was pushed down the stairs.
Margarethe: Cancel that call! Maria, hang up that phone this instant or you are fired without a reference!
Richard: She doesn't answer to you anymore, Margarethe. Maria, stay on the line.
Richard cradled Clara gently, checking her tiny arms and legs for any bruises or cuts. The baby was crying loudly, her chest heaving as she hid her face in her father's suit jacket.
Richard: Shh, daddy's here, sweetie. You're safe. Did anything hurt?
Clara: Mommy mean. Mommy pushed heavy.
Margarethe: This is absurd! I came out of the nursery and saw the stroller rolling! I screamed for help! Why would I push my own stepdaughter down marble stairs?!
Richard: Because of the trust fund papers my lawyer brought over yesterday morning.
Margarethe froze on the top stair, her hand slowly slipping away from her face.
Margarethe: What are you talking about?
Richard: You saw the modified inheritance clauses, didn't you? The ones that name Clara as the sole beneficiary of the family estate if anything happens to me.
Margarethe: That is an absolute insult! I care about this family! I accepted this marriage to support you after Sarah passed away!
Maria: Mr. Vance, the police dispatcher says an officer is two minutes away.
Richard: Good. Tell them to hurry.
Margarethe: You're actually going to let police into our home over an accident? Think about the media coverage, Richard! Think about your company's stock value!
Richard: My daughter's life is worth more than my company, Margarethe. And if you touched her, you're never stepping foot in this house again.
Margarethe: I didn't do it! Maria was wiping down the entryway mirror and left the wheel lock off!
Maria: That is not true! I was in the kitchen preparing Clara's lunch formula!
Margarethe: You're a liar!
Richard: Enough! Both of you stop!
The distant sound of police sirens echoed down the neighborhood street, growing louder with every passing second.
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