The white marble walls of the estate dining hall were bathed in bright morning sunlight. Clara sat at the long mahogany table, her silk blouse stained with a thin line of red near her collar. She held a damp white cloth against her forehead, pressing it gently against the cut above her eye.
Clara: It's still bleeding a little.
Evelyn: Hold it tight, sweetie. Don't move.
Jason: PUT THE PHONE DOWN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
Jason slammed his heavy hands onto the table, causing the crystal glasses and porcelain plates to shatter into a hundred sharp pieces across the polished wood.
Clara: I'm calling the family attorney, Jason.
Jason: You aren't calling anyone! You don't have the right to touch those accounts!
Evelyn: HOW DARE YOU TALK TO HER LIKE THAT?!
Evelyn stood up from her chair at the head of the table, her burgundy dress sweeping against the floor as she stepped directly toward her son.
Jason: Mother, stay out of this! She's trying to lock me out of the estate!
Evelyn: Shut your mouth, Jason!
Before Jason could react, Evelyn swung her arm back with full force and slapped him hard across the face with a loud, violent crack that echoed off the high white walls.
Jason stumbled back against the sideboard, clutching his red, burning cheek in absolute shock and disbelief.
Jason: YOU SLAPPED ME?!
Evelyn: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE RIGHT NOW!
Clara: Dad, call security immediately.
Clara calmly held her smartphone to her ear, ignoring her brother completely as he backed away toward the sunlit glass doors, unaware that the secret he had been hiding for six months was about to destroy his entire life.