Victoria frowned in confusion at Clara's calm, triumphant posture despite the bleeding mark on her left cheek. She turned on her high heels and walked toward the archway leading into the main ballroom, expecting to see her guests enjoying their evening. Instead, she was met with an icy wall of complete silence as hundreds of eyes glared at her with disgust. Nobody was smiling, nobody was drinking champagne, and several prominent board members were shaking their heads in shame.
Victoria: What is wrong with everyone tonight? Why is it so quiet in here?
Guest One: We all saw what you just did in the hallway, Victoria.
Victoria: What are you talking about? It was just a minor family disagreement.
Guest Two: You hit your late husband's child across the face with your ring!
Victoria: That screen was not supposed to be showing that footage to you!
Victoria looked up at the projection screen hanging over the framed American flag artwork and felt her stomach drop into a bottomless pit. Her face on the screen was magnified ten times larger than life, capturing every detail of her angry expression and the violent strike. The video was playing on a continuous loop, showing her gold dress, her raised arm, and the violent slap over and over again for everyone to see.
Victoria: Turn that projector off right now! Who did this to my system?
Clara: The truth has a funny way of coming out, Victoria.
Victoria: You hacked my home network! This is illegal wiretapping!
Clara: Security cameras in common hallways are perfectly legal evidence in Texas court.
Victoria gasped in sheer terror and panic as her eyes widened in fear, her breath coming in quick, shallow hitches. Her perfectly crafted image as a generous philanthropist and loving stepmother crumbled away in a matter of seconds before the most influential people in the state. She reached out her hands as if she could physically block the screen from the guests' sight, but it was far too late to stop the damage.
Victoria: Please, everyone listen to me, she provoked me into doing it!
Guest Three: Nothing excuses striking a defenseless young woman in your own home.
Guest Four: I am pulling my company's million-dollar donation from your foundation tonight.
Victoria: No, wait! You cannot pull your support over a small mistake!
Clara stepped through the archway and stood right beside Victoria under the glow of the projector screen. She wiped a single stray tear from her chin with her thumb and let out a soft, relieved breath. She was no longer the scared girl who had been kicked out of her father's house without a dollar to her name. She was standing tall, ready to claim justice for everything that had been stolen from her.