Tiffany: What is that folder? What are you doing?
Evelyn: Something I should have done three months ago.
Tiffany: Richard, call security right now! She just assaulted me in front of everyone!
Richard, the senior partner in a tailored navy suit, looked down at the document in his hands. His face turned pale.
Richard: Tiffany... quiet down.
Tiffany: What do you mean quiet down?! She slapped me! Look at my cheek!
Evelyn: You threw water in my face after threatening me for twenty minutes.
Tiffany: You're an intern's assistant! You're a nobody!
Richard: Tiffany, stop talking immediately.
Tiffany: Why are you taking her side, Richard? My father is the head of the investment board!
Evelyn: Was the head of the investment board.
Tiffany's voice cracked as she took a step toward Evelyn.
Tiffany: What did you just say?
Evelyn: Your father sold his controlling shares at six o'clock this morning.
Tiffany: You're lying! My father would never sell his shares without telling me!
Evelyn: He didn't have a choice. His firm was facing insolvency from the audit.
Tiffany turned to Richard, her breathing coming fast and shallow.
Tiffany: Richard, tell her she's wrong. Tell her my dad still owns this firm!
Richard: She's not wrong, Tiffany. The buy-out was finalized at dawn.
Tiffany: Buy-out? Bought out by who?!
Richard pointed to the gold seal embossed on the top page of the grey folder.
Richard: The Sterling Trust. She is the principal trustee.
Tiffany stared at Evelyn, her red cheek burning as cold sweat broke out across her forehead.
Tiffany: Sterling? You... you're Evelyn Sterling?
Evelyn: In the flesh. Though you preferred calling me a cardio body two minutes ago.
Tiffany: I... I didn't know who you were! You wore that cheap grey suit!
Evelyn: This suit cost three thousand dollars, Tiffany. You just didn't recognize it because you judge people by their volume, not their value.
Tiffany: This is a mistake. I was under so much stress about the merger today!
Evelyn: Stress doesn't give you permission to assault people in my lounge.
Tiffany: Please, Miss Sterling! Let's talk in private. We can fix this!
Evelyn: There is nothing to fix. Richard, read clause four on page three.
Richard turned the heavy cream page, his eyes scanning the black text line by line.
Richard: Clause four states that any employee or board representative guilty of personal misconduct on company grounds forfeits all stock options and severance packages immediately.
Tiffany: What?! No! My stock options are worth four million dollars!
Evelyn: Not anymore.
Tiffany: You can't take my life savings over a glass of water!
Evelyn: It wasn't just a glass of water, Tiffany. It was three years of you bullying every junior staff member in this building.
Tiffany: They deserved it! They were slow and incompetent!
Evelyn: No one deserves to be treated like trash. Especially not by someone living off her daddy's name.
Tiffany: My father built this company!
Evelyn: And I bought it. Which means you work for me. Or rather... you used to.
Tiffany grabbed the edge of the marble counter, her fingers digging into the stone as her confidence completely crumbled.