Chapter 1 of 6
The Maid Saved The Heir From His Cruel Stepmother
A Hidden Danger Inside The Mansion
Clara walked quietly down the polished marble hallway of the Sterling estate.
She carried a stack of fresh white towels tucked neatly under her arm.
The morning light poured through the tall glass windows, illuminating the vast home.
Yet despite all the wealth, the mansion always felt cold and empty to her.
Clara had worked as a live-in maid for the family for three full years.
She knew every secret hidden behind the closed doors of the house.
Her favorite part of the day was caring for baby Leo in the nursery.
Leo was only six months old and had lost his mother shortly after birth.
His father, Mr. Richard Sterling, was a wealthy businessman who traveled constantly for work.
Richard had married his new wife, Victoria, just four short months ago.
Victoria was young, ambitious, and obsessed with the family fortune and inheritance.
She never showed real affection toward little Leo when Richard was away on business.
Clara noticed the change in Victoria's attitude whenever the master of the house left.
Suddenly, a sharp cry echoed from the far end of the long corridor.
Clara froze in her tracks and set the towels down on a side table.
She recognized that frantic cry immediately because it belonged to little baby Leo.
Clara quickened her pace, heading straight toward the bright nursery at the end.
As she drew closer, she heard the harsh sound of rapid high heels clicking loudly.
Victoria was already marching toward the nursery door with a deeply furious expression on her face.
Clara felt a cold knot of dread form tightly inside her stomach right then.
She stepped into the shadows near the doorway to observe what was happening inside.
Victoria slammed the heavy oak nursery door open with a sharp, echoing bang.
The six-month-old baby boy was lying in his crib, tears streaming down his cheeks.
He was shaking softly, distressed by the loud noise and the dark mood entering the room.
Victoria: Stop that awful crying right now!
Victoria yelled at the crib, her voice filled with pure venom and impatience.
Victoria: I cannot stand listening to your pathetic noise for another second!
Clara watched in absolute horror as Victoria reached into the padded wooden crib.
Victoria grabbed the baby roughly by his blanket without any gentleness or care.
In a sudden fit of rage, Victoria pulled the infant out and shoved him away reckless toward the open space.
Clara did not hesitate for even a single fraction of a second.
She leaped across the room, diving over the smooth marble floor with arms outstretched.
Clara slid across the floor and caught little Leo safely against her chest just in time.
She pulled the crying baby close, cradling his small head gently against her shoulder.
Leo sobbed softly, resting his tiny hands against Clara's light cotton maid uniform.
Clara stayed on her knees, breathing heavily while shielding the child with her body.
Victoria stood over them, her hands clenched into tight fists and her face red with anger.
Victoria: How dare you touch him, you insolent servant!
Clara: He is just a baby, Mrs. Sterling!
Clara: You could have seriously harmed him just now!
Victoria: You do not tell me what to do in my own house!
Victoria: Put him down right now and get out of my sight!
Clara stood up slowly, holding baby Leo tightly in her protective arms.
She glared directly into Victoria's cold eyes, refusing to back down this time.