The Sharma mansion stood tall and imposing against the starlit sky, its windows glowing warmly in the summer evening. Inside, the air was thick with tension as eight-year-old Amaira's pleading voice echoed through the marble halls.

"Please, please, please!" Amaira cried, her big brown eyes brimming with tears, her small fists clenched at her sides. "I want ice cream!" Her favorite teddy bear lay forgotten on the floor, a casualty of her tantrum.