The atmosphere inside the grand hall shifted instantly from curiosity to intense panic. Officer Miller took a slow step back from Clara, looking down at his duty belt before looking back up at the copper-haired woman with newfound respect and caution.
Officer Miller: Miss Vance? Is that truly you in the news report?
Clara: Yes, Officer Miller. And I want this woman arrested immediately for felony assault and criminal trespass on my property.
Victoria dropped her gold phone onto the marble floor. The screen cracked across the center as it hit the stone, but she did not even notice. All the color drained from her face, leaving her skin looking ghost-white under the bright lights.
Victoria: Wait... Clara, please. Let's go talk about this privately inside the back office.
Clara: We have absolutely nothing to discuss in private, Victoria. Your family's empire ends tonight in front of everyone.
Victoria: Officer, please! This was just a big misunderstanding! She did not say who she was when she walked into the main room!
Clara: You grabbed my jacket before I could speak, Victoria. You kicked me in the chest in front of fifty local business leaders and a police officer.
Officer Miller: Ma'am, I stood right here and watched you kick her while she was standing completely defenseless.
Victoria: She insulted me first! She came in here trying to ruin my family's party!
Clara: This is no longer your party. This is my private venue, and every person in this room is currently trespassing unless I grant them permission to remain.
The crowd erupted into chaotic murmurs. Several high-profile investors immediately put their expensive drinks down on nearby tables, looking around nervously as they realized the danger to their own reputations.
Elderly Businessman: Arthur Pendelton told us his family owned this hall outright! He took our five-thousand-dollar charity entry fees at the door!
Clara: Then Arthur committed grand fraud, Mr. Harrison. Because the Pendelton Group has not paid rent on this facility in six full months.
Victoria: Shut your mouth! Just shut up!
Suddenly, the crowd parted near the main entrance as an older man pushed his way through the guests. Arthur Pendelton, wearing an expensive black tuxedo, was wiping sweat from his forehead with a white cloth. His face was red, and his breath came in short gasps as he looked at the police officer standing in the center of the floor.
Arthur: What is going on here? Victoria, why are you screaming like a child?
Victoria: Dad! Do something right now! She is calling the police on me! She says she owns our venue!
Arthur turned his eyes toward Clara. The moment he recognized her face from the morning board meeting, his entire body went stiff. His jaw dropped open, and the white cloth fell from his hand onto the floor.
Arthur: Miss... Miss Vance? What happened to your face? Who did this terrible thing to you?
Clara: Your spoiled daughter did this, Arthur. Right here on your floor.
Arthur: Victoria! Tell me you did not put your hands on Miss Vance!
Victoria: Dad, she was standing near the door acting like she owned the building! I did not know who she was!
Arthur: You foolish girl! She bought out our thirty-million-dollar mortgage debt at eight o'clock this morning! She holds all our personal bank guarantees!