The entire grand room fell completely silent after the loud smack. Guests stopped talking mid-sentence, holding their breath as they watched the horrifying scene unfold in the middle of the party. Victoria held Leo by his shoulder, her knuckles turning white from holding him so tight. Leo wept louder, trying to pull his arm free from her grasp while staring at Hannah sitting on the floor. Hannah rubbed her swollen, red cheek, her body trembling slightly from the pain and shock of the blow. She did not say a word, keeping her eyes cast downward to avoid escalating the anger of her wealthy employer. She knew how cruel Victoria could be when her pride was hurt. Victoria looked down at Hannah with sneering disgust, adjusting her diamond necklace with her free hand as if nothing strange had happened at all.
Victoria: Know your place in this house! You are paid to clean floors, not to trick my stepson into calling you his mother!
Before Victoria could say another word, a heavy pair of footsteps moved quickly across the room. Richard Sterling pushed his way through the stunned crowd with a face red from sudden fury. He had seen the entire attack from across the room near the fireplace. Richard was a tall, powerful man who ran a major commercial real estate firm in the city, but right now, he was simply a protective father whose heart was breaking for his child. He stepped directly between Victoria and Hannah, his chest rising and falling heavily. Without saying a word to his wife first, Richard reached out and forcefully yanked Victoria's hand off Leo's arm. He picked up his crying son into his strong arms and immediately placed him safely back into Hannah's protective embrace on the floor.
Richard: Do not ever touch her or my son like that again!
Victoria: Richard! Are you out of your mind? She made a scene in front of everyone! She is just hired help!
Richard: She is the only person who has actually cared for this boy while you were busy spending my money!
Victoria gasped, stepping back as if she had been hit herself. The guests whispered among themselves, leaning in closer to capture every word of the bitter argument. Richard stood tall, blocking his wife from taking another step toward the maid and child. Leo wrapped his small arms tightly around Hannah's neck, hiding his face in her shoulder while she held him close, rocking him gently back and forth. Hannah looked up at Richard with quiet gratitude, tears still leaking down her flushed cheek. Richard looked down at his wife with cold, dead eyes, realizing in that single moment what kind of woman he had actually married six months ago. He realized that Victoria did not love his son at all. She only loved the money, the large mansion, and the elevated social status that came with the Sterling family name.
Richard: The party is over. Everyone please leave my house right now.
The guests did not need to be told twice. They quickly gathered their coats and handbags, hurrying toward the front exit while casting nervous glances back at the broken family. Within ten minutes, the grand foyer was empty, save for the bright overhead lights, the scattered champagne glasses, and the heavy tension filling the air. Victoria stood near the bottom of the curved staircase, her arms folded tightly across her chest while her heels tapped furiously against the floorboards. She looked at Richard with sharp eyes, expecting him to apologize for humiliating her in front of the city's highest society members. But Richard did not care about social standing anymore. He walked over to Hannah, reached out his hand, and gently helped her stand up from the hard floor while keeping a steadying hand on Leo's back.