Mark: Stand behind me, Toby. Right now.
Toby: Daddy... please don't be mad at me...
Mark: I am not mad at you, son. You did nothing wrong. Stand right back there by the wall.
Toby scrambled back toward the brick wall near the American flag, wiping his nose with his grey sleeve. Mark stood up slowly, drawing himself to his full six-foot-two height. The quiet fury radiating from him was so intense that the nearby guests immediately took three paces backward, clearing a wide circle on the patio.
Evelyn: Don't look at me like that, Mark. Your son was being careless with liquid near my expensive dress.
Victoria: Honestly, Mark, it was an accident. The boy tripped over his own big feet.
Mark: Shut your mouth, Victoria!
Victoria: Excuse me?! How dare you speak to me like that in front of our board members!
Mark: I said shut your mouth!
Mark's voice echoed off the outdoor patio like a thunderclap. Victoria flinched, stepping behind Evelyn as her arrogant demeanor cracked for the very first time. Mark turned his gaze to the outdoor buffet table next to them, loaded with silver chafing dishes, glass bowls of iced shrimp, and a three-tiered celebration cake meant for the firm's merger announcement.
Without warning, Mark took a violent step forward and slammed his heavy leather shoe straight into the leg of the long wooden buffet table.
The table buckled violently with a deafening crash. Heavy silver platters slid off the linen cloth, crashing onto the stone tiles. Bowls of ice, salad, and champagne glasses shattered into thousands of pieces, scattering food and liquid across the patio right up to the hem of Evelyn's pristine white dress.
Evelyn: AAH! Are you insane?!
Victoria: Mark! That was a ten-thousand-dollar catering display!
Mark: I don't give a damn about the display!
Mark marched aggressively toward Evelyn, closing the distance until he towered directly over the older woman. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides, his chest heaving with furious intensity as he glared down into her pale face.
Mark: If you treat my family like trash, you have no place here!
Evelyn: I... I am the primary trustee of the Vance Heritage Fund! You need my capital for your corporate restructuring!
Mark: I don't need a single cent from a monster who kicks a drink out of a ten-year-old child's hands!
Evelyn's eyes widened in sheer terror and disbelief. Her mouth opened, but no words came out as she stumbled backward, her hand clutching at her lace collar in absolute shock. She had spent decades intimidating everyone in Dallas society, but she had never seen a man look at her with such pure, destructive hatred.
Victoria: Mark, think about your career! If Evelyn pulls her funding, your stock will crash by Monday morning!
Mark: Let it crash! I built this company from the dirt, and I will tear it down brick by brick before I let either of you humiliate my son in my own home!
Evelyn: You... you can't kick me out! This is a public corporate gala!
Mark: This is my private property, Evelyn! And you have exactly thirty seconds to get off my land before I have security throw you into the street!