Victoria held her glass of wine higher and gave Mark a cold disdainful look.
She did not seem worried about the fierce anger glowing inside her husband's eyes.
Victoria: You spoil that child far too much every single day of her life.
Mark: You made my daughter scrub marble floors on her knees while I was gone.
Victoria: She lives in a luxury mansion without understanding the value of hard work.
Mark: And what did you tell her about her birth mother and her inheritance?
Victoria shifted her weight on her high heels and glanced away toward the grand staircase.
Victoria: I simply told her the cold economic facts about this family estate.
Mark: You told an eight-year-old girl that she was not my legitimate daughter!
Victoria: She is a strain on our marital finances and your estate planning.
Mark raised his voice so loudly that the sound bounced off the high painted ceiling.
Mark: Get out of my face right now before I lose my temper entirely!
He stepped forward with so much fury that Victoria instinctively jumped backward in surprise.
Her hand jerked violently and the delicate crystal wine glass slipped out of her fingers.
The expensive glass shattered loudly against the hard white marble floor near her feet.
Cold white wine and sharp crystal shards splashed everywhere across the pristine tiles.
Victoria gasped in utter shock and pulled her hands up toward her chest.
Victoria: Look at what you made me do to my favorite glass!
Mark: I do not care about a stupid glass in my house!
Victoria: You cannot speak to me like this in my own home, Mark.
Mark: This is my home and my family trust fund that pays for everything you wear!
He turned his body slightly to ensure Lily was still standing safely behind his back.
A large American flag hung gracefully on the wall frame in the background behind them.
Mark stood like a solid shield between the cruel woman and his frightened little girl.
Mark: You will never speak another cruel word to my daughter ever again.
Victoria: You are making a massive financial mistake if you choose her over me.
Mark: I will choose my daughter over anyone else every single day of my life.
Victoria stared at him with venomous eyes as she backed away from the broken glass.
She realized in that moment that her comfortable position in the house was crumbling rapidly.