Chapter 3 - The Flames of CrueltyThe fire hissed and roared as the dry wrapping paper and soft fabrics caught flame instantly. Thick black smoke billowed upward into the cool afternoon air, carrying with it the burning smell of scorched cotton and melting plastic.
Vivien stood beside the pit, her hands crossed over her chest, watching with a look of supreme satisfaction. "That's much better," she murmured coldly. "Now there's nothing left to ruin my aesthetic."
Just then, three-year-old Lily came skipping around the corner of the brick wall, chasing a stray bubble from her bubble wand. She stopped dead in her tracks when she smelled the smoke.
Lily’s wide brown eyes drifted toward the fire, and suddenly, her little heart shattered. Sticking out from the center of the roaring coals was the half-charred face of her favorite homemade teddy bear, its cotton filling turning to black ash. Beside it, the shiny wrapping paper of her other presents was rapidly curling into cinders.
"My teddy!" Lily shrieked, her tiny voice cracking with pure terror and sorrow. She rushed forward toward the open flame, her small hands outstretched. "Mr. Bear! Mommy's presents!"
"Lily! No!"
Grace’s voice echoed across the courtyard as she burst out of the back doors of the mansion, carrying a tray of glassware. Seeing her daughter running directly toward a blazing pit, Grace dropped the tray. Glasses shattered across the stone floor with a deafening crash, but Grace didn't care. She sprinted faster than she ever had in her life, diving forward and grabbing Lily by the waist just inches before the toddler reached the scorching metal rim of the barbecue pit.
Grace pulled Lily tightly into her arms, rolling onto the grass. Lily burst into hysterical tears, burying her face in Grace’s neck, her small shoulders shaking violently. "Mommy! She put Mr. Bear in the fire! All my presents are burning!"
Grace scrambled to her feet, holding her sobbing child tightly. She looked at the pit. The flames had engulfed everything. The hand-knitted sweater was a pile of gray ash. The books were black embers. And inside the metallic fire, the delicate gears of the silver elephant music box were twisting and warping under the intense heat.
Grace turned her head, her heart burning with a mixture of shock, terror, and unadulterated rage.
Vivien was standing just three feet away, calmly smoothing down her designer dress, looking at Grace with an expression of complete indifference.
"Why would you do this?!" Grace shouted, her voice trembling with emotion as tears spilled down her cheeks. "She is a three-year-old child! These were her birthday gifts! How could you be so utterly cruel?!"
Vivien stepped forward, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. She looked down at Grace with icy contempt. "Watch your tone, maid," Vivien hissed softly, so the distant staff couldn't hear. "I did this house a favor. This clutter was an eyesore. You should be thanking me for cleaning up your trash before our high-society guests arrive."
"It wasn't trash! It was all she had!" Grace sobbed, holding the crying toddler closer. "You are a monster!"
SMACK!
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The force of the slap rattled through the quiet courtyard. Vivien had struck Grace hard across the cheek. Grace gasped, stumbling back a step, her cheek immediately turning bright red. Lily shrieked louder, wrapping her tiny arms frantically around her mother's neck.
"You speak to me like that again, and I won't just burn your kid's toys," Vivien spat, her face twisted in rage. "I will throw you out onto the street without a single penny, and I’ll make sure no agency in this city ever hires you again. Do you understand me? You are nothing in this house. Now get this screaming brat out of my sight before I have security throw you both into the alley!"
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