The Grand Gesture    

[EVE]

"You should be more careful," Victor snapped, his tone sharp enough to cut through the tension in the air.

He stood there, radiating anger, his eyes fixed on Sophie with an intensity that made it clear he would not back down.

"It's just a dress, Victor," Sophia chimed in, trying to defuse the situation.

"I'm sorry, Mother, Eve. I didn't mean to," Sophie murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Didn't mean to?" Victor raised an eyebrow, and sneered. "This lobby is enormous, and of all the paths you could take, you chose to intersect with Eve? Are you trying to make a fool of us?"

"I . . . I was just—"

"She was just going to talk to Eve," Sophia interjected, attempting to shield her daughter from the escalating confrontation. "She doesn't mean anything for this to happen."

Victor scoffed. "Yeah, right."