As Clara reached the center of the white marble floor, she did something that left every single person in the room completely speechless. Without breaking her stride, she pushed off the ground with incredible athletic strength, launching her entire body high into the air. The rust-colored dress fluttered around her legs as she flew horizontally through the space between two massive white columns. Time seemed to slow down completely for the shocked onlookers who raised their hands to their mouths in sheer disbelief. Clara pulled her right leg back in mid-air, concentrating all her energy into one powerful dynamic strike. She hit Richard directly in the center of his chest with a heavy flying side kick that made a loud thud sound ring out. The sheer force of the impact snapped Richard's head back, completely breaking his balance and sending him flying backward through the air.
Richard crashed hard onto the glossy marble surface, sliding several feet backward until he hit the base of the wooden flag display. The loud impact of his heavy body hitting the floor sounded like a sack of stones being dropped from a roof. The crowd let out a collective high-pitched gasp, pulling back in fear as Clara landed smoothly on her feet like a trained fighter. Richard sprawled out flat on his back, his blue tuxedo jacket twisted awkwardly around his ribs as he groaned in pain. His sleek hair was now completely ruined, and he clutched his chest tightly while gasping for air. Clara stood right over his fallen body, her chest heaving up and down with intense rage as her dark eyes burned into his. She did not care about the grand gala or the famous guests staring at her in horror. All she cared about was making sure this cruel man understood that he could never hurt her family again.
Clara: Don't you ever touch her again!
Richard: You crazy woman... you broken my ribs! Someone call the security guards right now!
Sarah: Keep your mouth shut, Richard! You lied about my daughter to cover your own dirty tracks!
Clara: If you speak another bad word about Lily, I will make sure you cannot stand up for a month.
Richard: She took my diamond ring! She had her hand right near my pocket when I stood by the table!
Clara leaned down closer to Richard, her voice dropping into a low, terrifying growl that made the fallen man shudder in fear. She told him that she knew exactly why he was causing a scene in front of all these rich guests tonight. This gala was not just a simple charity event; it was the exact night when the legal family trust fund was scheduled to be updated. Their late grandfather had left a massive estate worth millions of dollars, including a grand mansion and valuable real estate properties. The entire inheritance was set to pass down to little Lily once she turned eighteen, according to the official will. Richard was Sarah and Clara's greedy stepbrother, and he wanted that legal fortune all for his own selfish desires. If he could prove that Lily was a trouble maker and a thief, he could file a lawsuit to cancel her trust fund access.
Sarah stood up slowly from the floor, holding little Lily securely in her arms while wiping the wet tears from the girl's face. Lily was still whimpering softly, but she felt much safer now that her aunt Clara was standing guard like an invincible shield. Sarah walked over to stand beside her sister, looking down at her lying stepbrother with absolute disgust in her eyes. She explained to the gathering crowd that Richard had been trying to force them into signing a legal settlement paper for weeks. He wanted to buy out their family home for pennies on the dollar and claim full ownership of the family business. When Sarah had refused his low offer, Richard threatened to ruin their reputation in front of the entire city. Framing a seven-year-old child for stealing a ring at a charity gala was his desperate, pathetic plan to ruin their life.
The onlookers in the room began to shift their feet uncomfortably, realizing that the story was not as simple as Richard had made it sound. Several guests who knew the family history began whispering about Richard's well-known gambling debts and failed business deals. They looked at the fallen man in the blue tuxedo with growing suspicion instead of sympathy. Richard struggled to sit up, his face turning bright red with embarrassment as he realized his grand show was falling apart fast. He raised a shaky finger at Clara, trying to regain his dominant posture despite lying flat on his back. He warned them that he would call his expensive divorce lawyer and personal legal team to throw them both in jail for assault. Clara simply smiled coldly, stepping right onto his blue tuxedo pant sleeve to lock him in place on the floor.