There was a very tense moment where Winston's attention flickered from Tony to Pepper to Emma. It was at his daughter that he pointed a concentrated beam of hatred, but Emma matched him in kind. It seemed something nasty might have happened, but Hazel spoke up at the very last moment. "Come, dear," she said, slipping her hand into Winston's. "Let's leave Emma with her tacky friends."
The pair of elder Frosts left then and Emma felt a rush of something akin to relief flood her system. She hadn't really wanted to get into a screaming match in the middle of a crowded hall. It was bad enough that a few eyes had lingered on the scene in an effort to make sense of the tension.
When they were gone far enough, Emma looked at the pair who had come in to save her. A part of her wanted to tell them that she hadn't needed the assistance, but Emma was too tired to make new enemies. And, if she were honest with herself, she could admit that their interruption had saved her some unnecessary drama. "I cannot put into words how much I envy you your dead father," Emma said in a polite voice.