The dining room fell into a heavy and suffocating silence.
The soft sound of Maria's quiet sobbing echoed off the tall marble walls.
Victoria smoothed down the front of her expensive beige dress with angry motions.
Victoria: You are overreacting, Gabriel, she was being lazy and careless.
Gabriel: She made a simple mistake with a teapot, Victoria.
Victoria: Simple mistake? That tablecloth costs more than her monthly salary!
Gabriel: Money does not give you the right to put your hands on anyone.
Gabriel pushed his chair back from the table with a sharp scraping sound.
He stood up tall, looking down at his fiancé with cold and distant eyes.
Victoria crossed her arms across her chest and let out a short laugh.
Victoria: Gabriel, what are you doing?
Gabriel reached over and grasped Victoria's left hand into his own.
He carefully slipped the three-carat diamond ring off her finger.
The giant stone caught the bright daylight as he held it up between them.
Victoria: What is wrong with you? Give that back to me!
Gabriel placed the heavy platinum ring on the reflective table surface.
With one finger, he slid the diamond straight across the smooth dark wood.
The metal made a loud sliding sound until it stopped right in front of her.
Gabriel: I am seeing you clearly for the first time in two years.
Victoria stared down at the ring, her mouth open in absolute disbelief.
Victoria: You can't be serious over a spilled cup of tea!
Gabriel: This is not about tea, Victoria.
Gabriel: This is about who you truly are when you think nobody is watching.
Victoria: I am your fiancé, you cannot humiliate me in front of the help!
Gabriel: Maria is a human being, not help to be abused by you.
Maria looked up from the corner, her eyes wide with total surprise.
She had never seen anyone stand up to Victoria in this house before.
Victoria step forward, her face turning red with sudden panic and embarrassment.
Victoria: We have three hundred guests coming to the estate next week!
Victoria: The flowers are ordered, the papers are drawn up, everything is ready!
Gabriel: Then you better start calling people to cancel every single thing.
Victoria: You are making a huge mistake, my family has deep connections!
Gabriel: My family business built this town, Victoria, and I will not marry cruelty.
Gabriel stepped around the table and walked directly toward Maria.
He pulled a soft linen handkerchief from his suit pocket and handed it to her.
Gabriel: Are you okay, Maria?
Maria: I am okay, sir, but there is something you need to know about her.