Victoria: Someone call security right now! This woman has lost her mind!
Sarah: Touch me or my daughter again, Victoria, and you will leave this room in a body bag!
Chloe: Mommy, my face burns so bad!
Sarah: Shh, baby. Mommy is right here. Nobody is ever going to hurt you again.
The crowd of Dallas high-society guests backed away, murmuring in total disbelief as Victoria struggled to sit up on the slick marble floor.
Guest 1: Did she really just hit a little girl in the middle of the charity gala?
Guest 2: I saw it with my own eyes! She slapped her right across the face!
Victoria: She is my granddaughter! I have every right to discipline her when her mother fails to do so!
Sarah stood up slowly, keeping one arm wrapped tightly around Chloe while using her phone to record Victoria on the floor.
Sarah: Keep talking, Victoria. The police officers arriving outside are going to love this video footage.
Victoria: Delete that video this instant! Do you know who I am?! My late husband built this trust fund!
Sarah: I don't care about your money or your trust fund. You just committed felony child abuse in front of fifty witnesses.
The double mahogany doors of the estate ballroom burst open, and Arthur Sterling, Sarah's husband, came rushing into the room in his black tuxedo.
Arthur: What is going on in here?! Sarah, why are people shouting?!
Sarah: Ask your precious mother, Arthur!
Victoria: Arthur! Thank goodness you are here! Your insane wife shoved me to the ground!
Arthur: Mother?! Are you alright?! Sarah, what did you do?!
Sarah: Look at your daughter's cheek, Arthur! Look at the handprint on her skin!
Arthur froze, his gaze shifting from his mother on the floor down to his seven-year-old daughter. The bright red mark on Chloe's pale skin was unmistakable.
Arthur: Chloe... sweetie... what happened to your face?
Chloe: Grandmother hit me, Daddy! She hit me because my shoes hurt!
Arthur: Mother... tell me you didn't do this.
Victoria: She was being insolent! She needed to learn discipline! You are letting this common woman soft-parent our family's heir!
Sarah: She is a child, you monster! Not an accessory for your fake social status!
Arthur: Mother... how could you strike my daughter?
Victoria: Don't you dare take her side, Arthur! I control the estate, the family business, and every single dime in your trust fund!
Sarah: You don't control us anymore, Victoria. Not after today.
Sirens echoed down the long private driveway outside the estate, the red and blue emergency lights flashing through the tall ballroom windows.
Sarah: The Texas police are here. Let's see how much your money helps you in a holding cell.
Victoria: Arthur, stop them! You tell those officers this was just a family misunderstanding!
Arthur: No, Mother. I won't lie for you anymore.
Victoria's face turned pale as two uniformed police officers stepped into the grand ballroom, their heavy boots clicking against the marble floor.