The silence in the grand dining room was heavy enough to crush anyone standing inside it. Arthur slowly stood up from his leather chair, his tall frame casting a shadow over the broken glass scattered across the marble floor. Maria remained on her knees, cradling her bruised cheek while soft, wet sobs shook her shoulders continuously. Evelyn wiped her hand on her silk dress as if she had touched something filthy, looking over at her fiancé with an expectant expression that demanded approval.
Evelyn: She needs to be fired immediately, Arthur. Such carelessness is completely unacceptable in a home like ours.
Arthur: Stand up, Maria. Please, get up off the floor right now.
Maria looked up with wide, terrified eyes, wiping her wet face with the sleeve of her dark uniform. She slowly pushed herself up, holding onto the edge of a dining chair for balance as she trembled from the shock of the violent encounter. Arthur walked around the long table, stepping over the puddle of juice without taking his dark eyes off Evelyn. His chest burned with a deep, furious fire, but his voice remained deadly calm as he approached his crying housemaid.
Arthur: Go to the kitchen and ice your face, Maria. You are not fired, and you will never be treated like that again in this house.
Maria: Thank you, Mr. Vance... I am so sorry about the glass...
Evelyn: Do not dismiss my authority in front of the staff, Arthur! We are getting married in three days!
Maria quickly scuttled out of the dining room, her soft shoes making fast tapping sounds against the hallway floor until the kitchen door swung shut behind her. Evelyn turned to face Arthur, throwing her hands up in frustration as she stepped closer to him. Her silk dress rustled softly, but her eyes held a sharp, icy glare that Arthur had never seen before. She crossed her arms, leaning against the back of a tall dining chair with absolute confidence in her position as his future wife.
Evelyn: You are letting her ruin our morning over a cheap piece of glass! She disrespects this estate by being clumsy!
Arthur: That glass was a gift from my late mother, but its value is nothing compared to human dignity.
Evelyn: Oh, don't be so dramatic! She is just a paid worker who made a mistake and needed to learn her place!
Arthur took a deep breath, looking closely at the woman he had promised his life to just a few months ago. The glamor and beauty were still there on the outside, but underneath it lay a cold heart that cared for nothing except money and control. He remembered how his father had warned him about people who change the moment they get a taste of real power and high social status. He had ignored those warnings back then, believing that love could overcome any background differences, but now the truth was sitting right in front of him.
He walked slowly back to his seat at the head of the table and sat down without saying another word. The dramatic tension swelled in the room, accompanied by the low, steady sound of his own heavy breathing. He looked straight into the camera of his own mind, realizing that making a mistake in marriage would cost him his entire life and legacy. He could not bring a person like this into his family or let her rule over his estate with absolute cruelty.