Chloe: "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
The slap was loud enough to kill every conversation in the room. Chloe's hand smashed across Victoria's face, the heavy gold ring on her finger tearing a small line of skin across Victoria's left cheekbone. The force pushed Victoria's head to the side, but she didn't stumble. The room went completely silent as the piano player abruptly stopped playing.
Chloe: "You think you can just show up here in a cheap suit and act like you belong?"
Victoria slowly turned her face back to confront Chloe. A quiet gasp rippled through the surrounding guests. Blood was beginning to bead along the scratch, bright red against her pale skin. Victoria didn't shout. She didn't put her hands up to defend herself. Instead, she slowly raised her right hand, encased in a fitted black leather glove, and wiped the drop of blood from her cheek.
Victoria: "HOW DARE YOU..."
Chloe: "I OWN PEOPLE LIKE YOU! 🇺🇸"
Chloe took another aggressive step forward, crowding Victoria's space. Her eyes were wide, filled with a mix of jealousy and adrenaline. She reached out, attempting to push Victoria's shoulder to embarrass her further in front of the cameras.
Chloe: "My family built this city, and you are nothing but a trashy intruder!"
Victoria: "Your family built nothing. My father built this company, and you leach off his bank accounts."
Chloe: "Shut up! You were written out of the will!"
Victoria: "Is that what your mother told you?"
Chloe lurched forward again, raising her arm for a second strike. But Victoria didn't wait. Moving with fluid, trained precision, Victoria grabbed Chloe's reaching wrist, twisted her arm inward, and stepped deep into Chloe's body. Before Chloe could even scream, Victoria leveraged her weight, lifting Chloe off her feet and throwing her sideways through the air.
Chloe flew across the space, crashing down hard onto the polished wood floor with a loud thud. Her wine glass shattered against the floor, spraying red liquid across her yellow gown.
Chloe: "Aaargh! My arm!"
The crowd gasped in unison. Several women covered their mouths, and two security guards rushed forward before stopping dead in their tracks. Victoria stepped forward, standing directly over Chloe. Her shadow completely covered the trembling woman on the floor.
Victoria: "YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM! 🇺🇸"
Chloe: "You... you crazy psycho! Security! Arrest her!"
Victoria: "Security works for the owner of the estate, Chloe."
Victoria pulled a sleek black leather folder from inside her jacket and held it up for the room to see. The silver crest of the Vance legal firm glistened under the chandelier lights.
Victoria: "And as of midnight yesterday, I am the sole owner of Vance Enterprises."
Chloe stared up at her from the floor, her face pale, her confidence completely destroyed as Eleanor rushed down the balcony stairs, her face white with panic.