The air in the ballroom grew instantly thick and tense as nearby guests stopped talking completely to watch the confrontation. A waiter holding a tray of drinks stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide with fear for Hannah. Victoria stepped right into Hannah's personal space, her face red with dark rage under the bright white ceiling lights. She felt humiliated that a young serving girl was speaking to her so calmly in front of the city's most important leaders. Victoria lost her temper completely and snapped under the pressure of her own deep arrogance.
With a fast, sudden swing of her right arm, Victoria brought her open hand hard across Hannah's left cheek. The violent crack of the slap echoed through the tall room like a loud gunshot, silencing the live string band instantly. Hannah's head snapped violently to the side, and her silver tray crashed onto the floor with a deafening bang. High-society ladies gasped loudly, covering their open mouths with gloved hands as several men took step backward in shock. Nobody had ever seen Victoria commit flat-out violence in the middle of a high-society charity event before.
Hannah stumbled back two steps, her boots scraping across the shiny white marble floor as she caught her balance. A thick red mark bloomed instantly across her pale skin, and a thin trickle of dark blood leaked from her lip. The sharp physical pain stung her face, but a fierce heat flared up inside her chest as she looked up. For two long years, she had carried the grief of losing her father while watching this wicked woman waste his hard-earned legacy. She stared back at Victoria with burning eyes, her chest heaving as she swallowed the copper taste of her own blood.
Victoria stood there with her arm still raised, a cruel, satisfied smirk spreading across her painted red lips. She stepped forward again, looking down her sharp nose at the hurt girl standing before her on the floor.
Victoria: KNOW YOUR PLACE!
Hannah: Touch me again!
Before Victoria could answer or raise her hand a second time, Hannah planted her feet firmly on the polished marble. She gripped Victoria by the shoulders of her emerald gown and shoved her backward with all the rage stored in her heart. Victoria shrieked in terror as her high heels lost their grip on the slippery floor, sending her flying straight back. She crashed directly into the tall ten-tier champagne glass tower sitting on the long central display table beside the stage.
The massive glass pyramid wobbled for a brief second before collapsing completely in a terrible cascade of flying crystal. Hundreds of expensive tall glasses shattered into tiny glowing pieces as gallons of bubbly golden champagne splashed over the white floor. Victoria hit the deck hard, falling flat on her back right in the center of the sticky, sparkling mess. Her expensive hair fell apart, her green dress soaked up the spilled wine, and tiny pieces of broken glass covered her lap. The grand ballroom fell into total, stunned silence except for the sound of liquid dripping onto the floor.
Victoria: Someone call the police and arrest her!
Hannah: Go ahead and call them right now!
Victoria: You just destroyed my life, you monster!
Hannah: You destroyed your own life long ago.