Part 7
Sophia hesitated for a second, then extended her small arms, handing him the empty plastic container. Daniel took it reverently, holding it in his palms like it was the most valuable piece of property he owned.
"Are you hungry, Sophia?" he asked softly.
"The lady threw my macaroni in the trash," Sophia whispered, pointing a small finger toward the large metal waste bin at the end of the counter. "She said I don't belong here."
Hearing those words spoken aloud by a three-year-old child was the final breaking point. Across the room, Maria had just burst through the laundry room doors, her face pale with terror when she heard Daniel's voice. She stopped near the entrance, her hands clutching her apron, expecting the worst. She thought Daniel was home early to fire her, that Vanessa had finally convinced him they were a nuisance.
Daniel stood up slowly, holding the empty bowl. He turned back to face Vanessa, the gentleness completely vanishing from his face, replaced by a cold, calculating malice.
"She's lying, Daniel!" Vanessa hissed, her voice losing its polished veneer, revealing the ugly, elitist anger beneath. "The child is fabricating stories to get her mother out of trouble! I caught that woman stealing from the pantry weeks ago, and now they're trying to manipulate you! You're too soft on the help, and it’s ruinous for this estate!"
"Is that so?" Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He unlocked it, tapped the screen a few times, and turned the display around so Vanessa could see it clearly.
It was a high-definition video playback from the kitchen camera. The footage showed Vanessa clearly lifting Sophia's lunch container out of the refrigerator, smirking as she dumped it into the garbage chute, and then turning to mock the crying child.
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Vanessa’s breath hitched. She stepped back, her heels clicking sharply against the tile. "You... you have cameras in here?"
"I have cameras everywhere, Vanessa," Daniel said, his voice flat and terrifying. "I built the security systems for the Department of Defense. Did you honestly think I wouldn't secure my own home? I watched you do it. I watched you do it three times over the past two weeks. You starved a baby in my house."
