"I don't work for Hayes Global," Sadie said, her voice dropping into a low, dangerous register. "I work for Beatrice."
"Beatrice is a vegetable," Richard snapped, the cruelty finally laid bare. "She's a liability to the stock price. I am putting her in a secure long-term memory care facility in Switzerland, where she will receive the best medical attention and quietly fade out of the public eye. Now take your backpack and leave before I have security arrest you for trespassing."
Sadie's mind raced. Switzerland. He wasn't just taking the company; he was exiling her. He was locking the old woman in a gilded cage thousands of miles away so she could die alone in a sterile room.
No.
Sadie walked past Richard, her boots crunching on the glass. She went straight to the small locked filing cabinet under her desk. She didn't have the key; Beatrice kept it. Sadie grabbed the heavy marble paperweight off the desk and smashed it into the cheap metal lock.
Clang.
"What are you doing?" Richard yelled, taking a step toward her. "Caldwell, stop her!"
Caldwell moved, reaching for Sadie's arm. Sadie spun, wielding the heavy marble block like a weapon. Caldwell froze, seeing the absolute, unhinged violence in her eyes. The diner girl was back, and she was done playing corporate.
"Touch me and I break your jaw!" Sadie snarled.
She turned back to the cabinet, yanked the mangled drawer open, and pulled out a thick red accordion folder. She slammed it onto the desk.
"Read it, Richard," Sadie breathed, her chest heaving.
Richard stared at the folder. He didn't move.
One of the lawyers stepped forward, cautiously pulling the documents out. He scanned the first page, his face going entirely pale.