The polished white marble of the Sterling estate foyer felt freezing against my skin, but the cold was nothing compared to the humiliation burning in my chest.
Cora: Please, Chloe... let go of my arm!
Chloe: Keep your filthy hands off my dress, you worthless little charity case!
I cringed on the hard floor, my hands instinctively covering my growing belly while my silk tan dress crumpled around my knees.
Chloe stood over me in her maroon gown, her eyes dark with pure hatred as she pressed the sharp heel of her designer shoe directly against the fabric of my dress, pinning me to the stone floor while two hundred high-society guests watched from the surrounding archways.
Chloe: Look at you, groveling on the floor like the peasant you are!
Cora: I didn't touch your dress! I was just walking to the patio!
Chloe: You ruined my custom gown on purpose because you know you don't belong in this mansion!
Heavy, rapid footsteps echoed across the high-ceilinged foyer, cutting through the crowded room's shocked murmurs.
David rushed into the center of the hall, his dark navy suit immaculate, the gold US flag pin glinting on his lapel under the crystal chandeliers.
His face was contorted in furious, wild rage, the veins along his neck bulging against his crisp white collar as his eyes locked onto Chloe's foot pinning my dress.
David: Get your foot off my wife right now!
Chloe: David, darling! You don't understand!
David: I said move your foot!
Chloe pulled her foot back, putting on a sharp, defensive expression as she pointed up toward the cream-colored ceiling.
Chloe: She attacked me first, the camera will prove it!
David didn't look up at the blinking red light of the dome camera. His hands balled into tight fists at his sides, his chest heaving as he stepped between Chloe and my shaking frame on the floor, setting off a confrontation that would shatter the Sterling empire forever.