The polished white marble floor of the grand hall reflected the blinding crystal light of the chandeliers above. Clara stumbled backward, her gashed hands trembling against the silk fabric of her torn wedding dress. Surrounding her were hundreds of high-society guests in tailored tuxedos and evening gowns, gasping in horror yet refusing to step forward to help her.
Clara: Julian, please... listen to me for just one second!
Julian: Shut up! Just shut your mouth right now, Clara!
Clara: You pushed me... I fell into the glass display! Look at my arm!
Julian: I don't give a damn about your arm! Look around this room! You're making a scene in front of every investor, senator, and CEO in Texas!
Clara: My arm is bleeding through my gown, Julian... I need a doctor!
Julian: You need to pull yourself together and stop acting like a dramatic child!
Clara collapsed onto the cold marble, her knees buckling under the sheer weight of pain and shock. Tears cut clear tracks through the light dust and blood staining her face. Her breathing came in fast, erratic hitches as she looked down at the tile floor. Inches away from her bruised fingers lay her rose-gold smartphone, its screen cracked from the fall.
Julian: Get up off the floor right now, Clara! Stand up!
Clara: I can't... it hurts too much...
Julian: STOP EMBARRASSING MY FAMILY!
Julian's Mother: Julian is right, Clara! My family spent millions on this venue! You are ruining our reputation before we even finish the reception!
Clara: Your family... your family doesn't care that he just threw me against a glass table?
Julian's Mother: You tripped over your own gown because you were being careless! Now get up before the press takes photographs!
Clara’s hand shook violently as she reached for the phone. Her bloody thumb swiped across the glass screen, dialing a single speed-dial number she knew by heart. She pressed the speaker icon, holding the device close to her mouth as the dial tone echoed across the silent, judging room.
Dad: Clara? Honey, is everything okay? The wedding was supposed to wrap up an hour ago.
Clara: Dad... destroy them.
Dad: What did you just say? Clara, where are you?
Clara: They hurt me, Dad... Julian hurt me...
Dad: I’m outside the main gates. Hold on, baby. I’m coming in right now.
The speaker phone clicked off. Julian let out a cruel, mocking laugh, taking a slow step toward Clara as she pulled the phone close to her chest.
Julian: You called your old man? What's your blue-collar dad going to do against the Sterling empire? He's nothing!
Before Julian could finish his sentence, the massive double entrance doors beneath the grand American flag wall banner slammed open with a deafening crash that echoed through the entire mansion. The music stopped instantly, and every head in the grand hall snapped toward the entrance in absolute terror.