Valeria waved her hand toward the gathering crowd of wealthy party guests in the hall.
Several prominent corporate lawyers and estate executors watched the dramatic scene unfold with curiosity.
Valeria: Look at this desperate woman trying to crash our exclusive family gathering tonight.
Elena: I am not crashing anything, Mrs. Vance, I am Daniel's lawful wife.
A collective gasp echoed across the grand foyer from the shocked onlookers in designer clothes.
Valeria's face turned pale with deep rage as she glared sharply at Elena's belly.
Valeria: How dare you utter such an absurd lie in front of my honored guests!
Elena: It is not a lie, and we have the legal marriage certificate to prove it.
Valeria stepped forward quickly and snatched the blue folder straight out of Elena's hands.
She flipped open the document and saw the official court stamp along with Daniel's clear signature.
Her hands began to tremble with anger as she realized her plan for the estate was falling apart.
If Daniel was truly married, his new family would automatically inherit the entire real estate portfolio.
Valeria tossed the paper folder onto the floor, scattering important legal sheets across the marble tiles.
Valeria: You think you can trap my stepson and claim our family fortune for yourself?
Elena: I do not care about your money, I only care about Daniel and our child.
Valeria reached over to a display table and grabbed a pair of sharp decorative silver ribbon scissors.
The crowd gasped louder as the wealthy woman stepped uncomfortably close to the defenseless maid.
Elena backed up against the cold plaster wall, holding her arms protectively over her rounded stomach.
Elena: Please stay back, do not come any closer to me or my baby!
Valeria: You came into my house to humiliate me, so now you will pay a heavy price!
Valeria lunged forward and grabbed Elena's shoulder, pinning her against the wall with surprising force.
She raised the sharp silver scissors high into the air, threatening to cut Elena's long black hair off.
Elena cried out in deep fear and dropped to her knees on the cold marble floor.
She covered her head with both hands while sobbing uncontrollably in front of the silent audience.
Elena: Please stop, somebody please help me save my baby!
The guests remained frozen in shock, too afraid to cross the powerful matriarch of the house.
Valeria leaned down and snorted with cruel satisfaction as she held the cold blades near Elena's cheek.
Valeria: You are nothing but a common gold digger trying to steal what belongs to me!
Suddenly, the heavy doors at the end of the long hallway burst open with a loud bang.
A tall man in a tailored black suit came running furiously through the astonished crowd of people.
His face was red with pure fury as he saw his helpless wife crying on the floor.
Daniel: What are you doing?! Let go of her right now!
Daniel shoved his way past the two security guards who tried to step in his way.
He rushed straight toward his stepmother with his eyes filled with overwhelming anger and terror.
Valeria stopped her arm in midair and looked up with a calm, condescending expression on her face.
She dropped a snip of Elena's hair ribbon onto the floor as if it meant nothing to her.
Valeria: Daniel... your maid forgot her place, so I am just teaching her proper manners.
Daniel reached out and forcefully pushed Valeria's arm away from his weeping wife.
He immediately dropped to his knees beside Elena and wrapped his suit jacket around her shaking shoulders.