Ice water flooded Sadie's veins. Panic, sharp and metallic, clawed at her throat, but the diner instincts overrode it: Crisis mode. Move fast, think later.
She grabbed her phone from her pocket and dialed 911. She gave the address, the floor, the symptoms, barking the information with military precision. Only then did she hit the intercom button on Beatrice's desk.
"Call down to security! Paramedics are coming up! If anyone delays them, I'll throw them out the window myself!"
Within three minutes, the sterile penthouse was chaos. EMTs swarmed the office—loud, efficient, and smelling of latex and sweat. They strapped Beatrice to a gurney. Sadie didn't let go of her hand until they physically forced her to step back to load the stretcher into the elevator.
As the doors closed, Richard stepped out of the adjacent elevator bay. He was flanked by Caldwell and two men Sadie recognized from the legal department. Richard didn't run to his mother. He looked at the departing EMTs, then at Sadie. His face was a mask of calculated grief, entirely devoid of actual emotion.
"What happened?" Richard demanded, walking into the office. He looked at the shattered glass on the floor, his nose wrinkling in distaste.
"She had a stroke," Sadie said, her breathing heavy, adrenaline still redlining her heart rate. "They're taking her to Mount Sinai."
Richard nodded slowly. It wasn't a nod of shock; it was a nod of confirmation. A piece on the chessboard had finally moved to the square he anticipated. He turned to Caldwell.
"Call the hospital. Inform the chief of staff she is arriving. Then get the board on a secure line. We need to initiate the contingency protocol."
Sadie stared at him, her chest heaving. "Your mother is in an ambulance, and you're calling a board meeting?"
Richard finally looked at Sadie. The thin veneer of tolerance he usually wore was gone. He looked at her the way he looked at the broken glass on the floor.
"My mother is incapacitated, Ms. Miller, which means her power of attorney—which I hold—is now active. As of this moment, I am the acting CEO of Hayes Global. I am in control of her medical care, and I am in control of this office." He stepped closer to Sadie. "Your employment is terminated. Clear your desk."
Sadie stood her ground. Her knee was bleeding, soaking through her slacks where the crystal had cut her; she ignored it.