The air inside the hotel ballroom felt thick with the smell of expensive flowers and perfume.
Waiters moved quietly between the long rows of white tables carrying heavy silver trays.
Little Lily held her paper flower tightly in her small right hand.
She had spent three hours cutting the pink paper with safety scissors that morning.
She wanted the gift to be a warm surprise for her father's new friend.
Her white shoes made small tapping sounds as she walked across the red carpet.
Julian stood near the center stage talking to three men in dark expensive suits.
He laughed loudly at every joke the older men told around him.
Beside him stood Vanessa, who wore a dress that shimmered like real gold under the spotlights.
Lily felt her heart beat fast with excitement as she reached the edge of the table.
She stepped closer to the tall woman in the gold dress and reached out her arm.
Lily: I made this pink flower just for you today!
Vanessa looked down at the small child with a look of deep annoyance on her face.
She pulled her long golden skirt back so it would not touch Lily's dress.
Vanessa: Why are you touching me with those dusty fingers?
Lily: It is a flower because you like yellow and pink!
Vanessa reached out her manicured hand and snatched the paper craft right out of Lily's grip.
She crumpled the pink paper in her palm and dropped it onto the floor.
Vanessa: Take your paper garbage away from my table immediately.
Lily stared down at her crushed artwork as tears formed in her blue eyes.
She looked up at her father, expecting him to step in and comfort her.
Julian: Lily, run back to the back room right now.
Vanessa: Who let this messy child wander around the main floor anyway?
Julian: She belongs to the local housekeeper who helps clean my home.
Lily raised her head in shock as she heard her father say those cold words.
She did not understand why her own father was lying about who she was.
Lily: Daddy, why are you calling me that name?
Julian: Go to the kitchen, child, and leave the guests alone.
Vanessa sneered at the little girl and stepped over the ruined paper flower.
The room suddenly grew quiet as an older gentleman walked out from the VIP lounge.
Arthur Sterling moved slowly across the carpet, leaning lightly on his wooden cane.
He had spent fifty years building the family company into a nationwide success.
He stopped right beside his granddaughter and looked down at her red face.
Grandpa Arthur: Pick up that paper flower right now, Julian.