The pristine marble floor of the Dallas mansion echoed with the cold, precise heels of Victoria Vance. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Maria, the young maid, carefully polish the mahogany railing along the grand second-floor balcony. Maria had worked for the Vance family for barely three months, earning a modest wage to support her sick younger brother while tending to the sprawling estate, the family’s lucrative real estate trust fund, and the newborn baby girl, Lily.

Victoria: You’re moving too slow today, Maria. The dust on these spindles is unacceptable.

Maria: I’m sorry, Mrs. Vance. I’m making sure everything is spotless for Mr. Vance’s return from the bank.

Victoria: Just finish up and get down to the kitchen. You don't belong up here near the master suite.

Maria wiped her brow, nodding quietly. She loved little baby Lily with all her heart, often sitting by her crib during her few quiet moments. But Victoria’s cold demeanor always sent a chill down Maria’s spine. Victoria stood near the balcony gap, holding a heavy, pale pink cashmere blanket bundled tightly in her arms. She looked down at the twenty-foot drop to the polished foyer below, her hand trembling slightly, though her face remained unreadable.

Maria: Mrs. Vance? Is the baby okay? Let me take her while you rest.

Victoria: Back off, Maria. I don't need your help with my daughter.

Victoria stepped right to the edge of the railing. Suddenly, with a sudden and terrifying shift of her arms, the pink fabric bundle slipped over the wooden edge and dropped into open air toward the hard marble below.

Victoria: Oh, no!

Maria: NO!

Without thinking, Maria lunged across the smooth wooden floor, diving headfirst down the marble stairs and throwing her body across the hard foyer floor, reaching out with every ounce of strength she possessed as the bundle hurtled toward the stone.