The entire ballroom went dead quiet, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop on marble. Victoria felt her stomach drop into a dark pit as blood rushed to her burning cheeks. Her mind scrambled to process the unbelievable fact that had just been revealed right before her. The simple girl in the silver dress was Clara Vance, sole heiress to the Vance empire. She was the daughter of the man who owned the hotel, the land, and the entire city development. Chloe and the other girls in Victoria's circle took two steps back, completely abandoning Victoria where she stood. Victoria stood alone in her burgundy dress, her hands shaking uncontrollably at her sides in terror.
Arthur: I will ask one more time. Who questioned my daughter's presence here?
Arthur's booming voice filled every inch of the grand ballroom, striking fear into the crowd. He stepped forward aggressively, his chest out and his hands resting near his suit jacket button. His bodyguards stood close behind him like giant stone statues, waiting for a single command. Arthur glared around the room until his gaze landed squarely on Victoria's pale, trembling face.
Arthur: IS THERE A PROBLEM HERE?
Victoria: I... I... Mr. Vance, I had no idea... I swear I didn't know!
Arthur: You did not know that you were speaking to the owner's daughter?
Victoria: She was not wearing any designer tags or jewelry, so I thought—
Arthur: You thought you could humiliate someone based on what they were wearing?
Clara: She told me I snuck in through the kitchen and called me a nobody, Dad.
Arthur's face turned red with deep anger as he looked down at Victoria with utter contempt. He reached into his inner breast pocket and pulled out a sleek silver pen and a notepad. He wrote down a quick note while his chief head security officer stepped up to his side.
Arthur: Who invited this rude young woman and her family to my event?
Manager: Her father holds a minor secondary lease for a small retail shop in our lobby, sir.
Arthur: Cancel that commercial lease agreement immediately. Terminate it tonight without renewal.
Victoria: No! Please, Mr. Vance! That shop is my family's main source of income!
Arthur: Then you should have taught your family how to treat human beings with basic dignity.
Victoria began to cry openly as tears ruined her heavy makeup and ran down her cheeks. Her former friends turned their backs on her, looking away to avoid being associated with her ruin. She fell back a step, grabbing the edge of a nearby table to keep from collapsing on the floor.
Victoria: Please, Clara, tell him to stop! I am so sorry for what I said!
Clara: Respect is not something you give only when you see power, Victoria.