Emma: No discipline? She is an honor roll student.
Arthur: I don't care about her grades. She has no respect for authority.
Emma: She doesn't respect you because you act like a tyrant.
Arthur: I am a billionaire. I built this empire from nothing.
Emma: You built this empire on the money you stole from my father's trust fund.
Arthur: That is a bold lie from a woman scrubbing floors.
Emma: Look at her face, Arthur. You left a handprint on her cheek.
Arthur: It was just a warning strike. She will recover.
Emma: A warning strike? To a fifteen-year-old girl?
Arthur: Stop being so dramatic, Emma. It isn't like she is family.
Emma's eyes narrowed. The pain in her expression shifted into absolute, unbridled fury.
Emma: She is my daughter!
Arthur: Then you should have taught her better manners!
Emma swung her arm with everything she had. Her palm struck Arthur's face with a deafening crack.
Guest: Oh my god!
Arthur: Are you out of your mind?
Emma: Don't you ever lay a hand on my child again!
Arthur stumbled backward, holding his stinging cheek. His eyes were wide with total disbelief.
Arthur: You just assaulted the CEO of this company.
Emma: Call the police, then. Let's explain to the cops why a grown man punched a little girl.
Arthur: I didn't punch her, I slapped her.
Emma: The law doesn't care about the difference, Arthur.
Arthur: Security! Arrest this woman!
Security: Sir, we can't arrest her. That is a police matter.
Arthur: I pay your salary! Do your job!
Emma: Nobody is touching me. I am standing right here.
Arthur stared at Emma. Then, he looked down at Chloe, who was wiping tears from her eyes.
He looked at Chloe's dark hair, her sharp jawline, and the intense, defiant glare in her green eyes.
Arthur: How old did you say she was?
Emma: She turned fifteen last month.
Arthur: Fifteen...
Emma: Yes. Fifteen years.
Arthur did the math in his head. The realization hit him like a physical blow.