The large dining room was filled with warm afternoon sunlight pouring through the tall glass windows.
An American flag hung proudly on the white marble wall behind the long wooden dining table.
Evelyn: You think you belong at this table, Sarah?
Sarah adjusted her green sweater and lowered her eyes toward her glass of water.
Sarah: I came here because Mark asked me to come, Evelyn.
Evelyn: You came here because you want a piece of our father's estate.
Mark sat in his burgundy shirt, staring straight down at his plate with a heavy heart.
Mark: Please, Evelyn, can we just have one peaceful meal together?
Evelyn: Quiet, Mark, you have always been far too soft on her.
The guests sitting around the edges of the room began to whisper nervously among themselves.
Everyone knew that the family business trust fund was supposed to be decided by the end of the week.
Sarah: I do not care about the money, I only care about justice for our family.
Evelyn: Justice is just a word weak people use when they are losing.
Evelyn folded her arms over her navy dress and looked down at her younger sister with utter contempt.
She had spent months trying to convince the family lawyer that Sarah was unfit to inherit anything.
Sarah: Mark, tell her what the lawyer said yesterday morning.
Mark squeezed his fork tightly until his knuckles turned completely white under the soft room light.
Mark: Now is really not the right time to open that topic again.
Sarah: If we do not speak up now, she will take everything we worked for.
Evelyn: You worked for nothing in this house, Sarah!
Evelyn took a step forward, her voice echoing off the bright marble floor of the estate.
The children held onto Sarah's hand tightly, their small eyes wide with sudden fear.
Sarah: You are wrong, and father knew the truth before he passed away.
Evelyn: Father was old and confused when he signed those papers!
A sudden gasp went through the crowd of relatives watching from behind the grand glass partition.
Nobody expected Evelyn to attack her own father's memory so openly in front of company.
Sarah: Do not speak about father like that in front of his grandchildren.
Evelyn: I will speak however I want in my own house!
Sarah took a deep breath to steady her shaking hands as she stood up tall.
Sarah: This is not just your house, it belongs to all of us equally.
Evelyn: We will see what the probate judge has to say about that on Monday.
Mark dropped his fork onto the plate, creating a sharp clinking sound that startled everyone.
Mark: Both of you need to calm down right now.
Evelyn: Mind your own business, Mark, before I remove you from the will too.