Victoria stood frozen near the marble pillar, her hand still pressed against her burning red cheek. Her chest heaved up and down as she stared at Clara in absolute disbelief, unable to process what had just happened in front of the fifty high-society guests watching them.
Victoria: What... what did you just say to me?
Clara: You heard me perfectly, Victoria. Look at my face very carefully right now.
Victoria: You are completely insane! Officer, arrest her right now! She just assaulted me! You saw her slap my face!
Officer Miller immediately stepped between the two women, putting his hands out to keep them apart as the crowd moved closer to see the action.
Officer Miller: Alright, both of you need to calm down right now! Ma'am, take two steps back!
Clara: Officer Miller, I suggest you check the official venue deed before you place your hands on anyone in this room.
Victoria: Don't listen to her crazy lies, Officer! She is a fake! Look at her cheap, fake suit!
Clara: This suit is custom Italian Armani, Victoria. Something your father's failing real estate business could not afford if he tried for ten years.
Victoria's face turned bright red with furious anger. She pointed a shaking finger directly at Clara, who was calmly dabbing her bleeding lip with a clean silk handkerchief from her pocket.
Victoria: My father is Arthur Pendelton! He controls the majority board of this entire downtown commercial property! He rented this hall for our annual family gala!
Clara: Your father holds minority non-voting shares. And as of midnight last night, his lease agreement was officially terminated for total non-payment.
Victoria: You are lying through your teeth! Security, throw this crazy woman out onto the street this second!
Head Security Guard: Miss Pendelton, we... we cannot do that just yet. We need to verify her identity first.
Victoria: Verify who she is? She is a nobody! She walked in through the catering doors without a paper invitation!
Clara: I walked in through the executive private elevator because I own the residential penthouse on the top floor.
Victoria let out a loud, bitter laugh that echoed off the high chandelier lights, looking around at the wealthy onlookers for approval. A few guests began whispering among themselves, noting Clara's relaxed posture despite the physical marks on her face.
Victoria: The top floor penthouse belongs to the managing founder of Apex Global Holdings! The young heiress who bought out the whole commercial district last month!
Clara: Precisely.
Victoria: And you expect this entire room to believe that YOU are Clara Vance? The woman who signed the forty-million-dollar deal yesterday morning?
Clara: I don't expect you to believe anything, Victoria. I expect you to pull out your phone and open the morning news.
Victoria sneered loudly, pulling a gold-plated phone from her small black clutch bag. Her thumb swiped across the glass screen with heavy force as she prepared to humiliate Clara in front of everyone.
Victoria: Let's see what the financial press has to say about... wait a second.
Clara: Go on, Victoria. Read the front page out loud for all your friends.
Victoria completely froze in place. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the high-resolution photo on the main page of the Dallas Business Journal website. The woman smiling next to the city mayor on the screen was wearing the exact same suit, had the exact same copper hair, and bore the name Clara Vance in bold black letters.
Victoria: This... this cannot be real. This must be a mistake on the website!
Clara: It is very real. And you just physically kicked the majority owner of this building on bright security cameras.