Clara shifted Leo in her arms, feeling the cool morning air rush past her as Marcus closed the massive oak doors behind her with a heavy, echoey thud. The sound reverberated through the grand hall, drawing the eyes of the formal guests standing near the framed American flag painting on the wall. Evelyn walked past her with a sharp click of her high heels, her eyes scanning the baby wrapped in the blue blanket with pure disdain.
Evelyn: You think you are clever coming here with a infant, hoping to earn sympathy from my guests.
Clara: I brought my son because I do not trust you near my home, Evelyn.
Marcus: Let us sign the lease agreement papers right now, Clara. We have a buyer waiting on the phone.
Clara: I am never signing those papers. That land stays in a trust fund for Leo until he turns twenty-one.
Evelyn: A baby does not need a multi-million dollar estate! I built this family name alongside your father!
Clara: You did not build anything! You spent his money while he worked himself into the ground!
Marcus took two aggressive steps forward, his body language turning dark as he dropped his friendly facade completely. He reached out to grab Clara's arm, but she instinctively stepped back toward the leather sofa near the center of the hall. The surrounding guests shifted uncomfortably, sensing that this meeting was turning into an aggressive confrontation rather than a peaceful business signing. Evelyn noticed the guests looking, but instead of backing down, her anger reached a boiling point.
Marcus: You are going to ruin a forty-million-dollar buyout because of your petty grudge, Clara!
Clara: It is not a grudge, Marcus! It is my baby's legal right, and you know the court will side with me!
Evelyn: The court will do whatever our lawyers tell them to do! Marcus, hold her down!
Clara: Don't you dare touch me or my baby!
Before Clara could turn toward the heavy double doors, Marcus lunged forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. The force sent Clara stumbling downward onto the hardwood oak floor. She immediately curled her body into a protective shape around little Leo, keeping her head low and shielding the infant with her arms and legs. Marcus leaned his heavy weight over her, pinning her shoulders down while attempting to pry her fingers away from her bag where the legal papers were kept.
The guests around the room gasped in utter shock, but no one moved to help her as Evelyn shouted orders at the top of her lungs. The grand hall filled with the terrifying sound of scuffling shoes and Evelyn's sharp voice echoing off the white crown moldings. Clara gasped for air, her heart pounding like a drum as she held her crying child closely against her chest, knowing she had to find a way to fight back before they took her son away.