Mark gently placed his arm around Sarah's waist to offer physical support.
He could feel her entire body trembling under the intense pressure of the room.
Mark: How long have you been standing here, Sarah?
Sarah: Since three o'clock this afternoon, Mark.
Mark: Three o'clock?
Mark: You came here four hours before the party even started!
Sarah wiped a tear from her cheek using the back of her free hand.
Sarah: Your mother asked me to prepare all the appetizers by myself.
Sarah: Then she asked me to scrub every single dish before guests arrived.
Eleanor threw her hands up in dramatic frustration in front of the crowd.
Eleanor: I host high-class people in this house, Mark!
Eleanor: Someone had to make sure the kitchen looked presentable!
Mark: You hired a professional catering service for this party, didn't you?
Mark: Where are the workers you claimed you paid for?
Eleanor shifted her posture nervously and avoided looking into Mark's eyes.
Sarah looked up at her husband with quiet sadness written across her face.
Sarah: She sent the catering staff home hours ago to save money.
Sarah: She told them I would handle the rest of the cleanup alone.
A soft murmur went around the group of listening party guests.
Several older women in the back exchanged surprised looks with one another.
Guest One: Is that really true?
Guest Two: That sounds entirely unreasonable for a family member.
Eleanor's face flushed bright red as the whispers grew louder around her.
Eleanor: I pay for this family's trust fund and monthly mortgage support!
Eleanor: The least Sarah can do is contribute some actual work!
Mark: We never asked for your financial control, Mother!
Mark: You use your money to humiliate people and hold power over us!
Sarah gripped Mark's shirt tightly as the argument grew hotter.
Sarah: Mark, please, my head is spinning from all this noise.
Mark: We are not staying in this house another minute.
Eleanor: If you walk out that front door, Mark, you are cut off!
Mark looked at his mother with cold disgust in his eyes.