Mark stood near the patio seating area dressed in a sharp navy blue suit.
He heard his son cry out and immediately rushed forward aggressively.
His eyes were locked on his crying boy kneeling on the floor.
Mark stepped briskly over the ruined cake scattered across the stone.
His chest heaved with deep tension as he reached his child.
He dropped to one knee to pull Leo close to his side.
Mark glared up with a dark expression of suppressed rage.
He knew how hard Leo had worked on that simple dessert.
The boy had saved his allowance money just to buy the berries.
Mark looked around at his wealthy relatives standing in a circle.
None of them had offered a warm word of comfort to the child.
Instead, Mark's sister-in-law Vanessa took a slow step forward.
She wore a shimmering gold dress that caught the bright sunlight.
Vanessa looked down at the ruined slice with a mocking expression.
She crossed her arms and let out a light judgmental chuckle.
Vanessa: Even a dog wouldn't eat that.
Her words were sharp and echoed loudly in the quiet garden.
Leo buried his face directly into Mark's navy suit jacket.
The small boy sobbed harder after hearing the cruel sentence.
Mark felt his heart tighten with intense emotional pain.
He had spent years trying to earn respect from this arrogant family.
He supported their businesses and attended every lavish dinner party.
Yet they treated his small boy with total coldness and disdain.
Mark looked into Vanessa's calm and sneering eyes.
He realized that their wealth had completely hardened their hearts.
They did not see a proud little boy trying his best.
They only saw a mess on their expensive grey stone patio.
Mark gently squeezed his son's shoulder to reassure him.
He stood up slowly to his full height in front of everyone.
The fury inside him could no longer be kept under control.