Ethan Sterling: What on earth are you doing with that painting, maid?
Elena's face was pale, sweat dripping down her temples as her arms shook uncontrollably.
Elena: Sir! Please... don't stand there! Help me hold it!
Ethan Sterling: Are you out of your mind? Put that back on the brass hooks right now!
Elena: I can't put it back! If I drop it, it will fall on him!
Clara: Fall on who? What are you talking about, Elena?
Elena: Leo is trapped! He’s behind the frame!
Ethan’s brows furrowed into an intense, venomous scowl.
Ethan Sterling: You insolent girl... you're making up excuses because you broke the wall anchor!
Elena: No! Look at his feet! Please, sir, I was just trying to help!
Ethan Sterling: Shut your mouth!
Ethan charged forward, his right hand swinging in a wide, vicious arc.
The sound of his hand striking Elena’s cheek was sharp and devastating.
Elena gasped, her grip slipping from the heavy wooden frame as she was knocked completely off balance.
She crashed onto the marble tile, her phone falling out of her apron pocket and sliding under the sideboard.
Clara: Ethan! Was that really necessary?!
Ethan Sterling: She’s damaging my father's estate! I won't have staff disrespecting this house!
Elena clutched her red, swollen cheek, her eyes wide with shock and pure terror.
Elena: Sir... I swear on my life... I heard him crying inside the hollow wall...
Ethan Sterling: Silence! Get away from him! How dare you touch this wall!
Elena: Sir, the contractor left an open service hatch behind the paneling during the renovation!
Ethan Sterling: I said get out of my sight this instant!
Elena swallowed hard, her chest heaving as she sobbed silently against the floor.
Elena: You... you didn't even check before you hit me...
Ethan Sterling: Do you want me to call the police for property damage? Move!
Clara stepped back, her hand over her mouth, looking between her furious husband and the sobbing young woman on the floor.
Clara: Ethan... look at her cheek. You hit her so hard she's bleeding near her jaw.
Ethan Sterling: She nearly ruined a two-million-dollar painting, Clara! She's lucky I don't fire her entire agency!
Elena picked herself up from the floor, wiping her bloody lip with the edge of her white apron.
Elena: I hope you look behind that canvas before you regret everything you just did.
She turned around and walked away down the long gallery, her quiet footsteps fading toward the service stairs.
Ethan straightened his tuxedo jacket, snorting in disdain as he turned back to the wall.
Ethan Sterling: Unbelievable. The nerve of these low-class workers.
Clara: Ethan... look.
Ethan stopped, his eyes following Clara's pointing finger toward the bottom edge of the massive oil painting.
Two tiny blue sneakers were dangling out from a narrow, dark gap cut into the drywall.