The elevator crawled upward, the silence between them thick enough to choke on. Joan didn't dare speak. She stole a glance at Ariyah Griffin. Her face was as calm as ever—smooth, unreadable, like a pond that gave away nothing beneath the surface.
The elevator chimed just as the doors slid open, and chaos spilled into view. A knot of employees crowded the entrance, blocking the path.
“What's going on?” Joan asked, catching Shyla, the receptionist, by the arm.
“Oh, thank God you're here, Joan!” Shyla whispered, voice tight with panic. “Mrs. Kelly is here... but you'll have to see it to believe it.”
The crowd parted, and Ariyah's gaze landed on a familiar figure in the middle of the reception area.
Milo Kelly’s mother sat there like she owned the place, surrounded by scattered coffee cups. Shyla hovered nearby, looking sick with worry.
She had forced her way past security by loudly invoking her son's CEO status. The guards, wary of physically removing an executive's mother in front of clients, had escorted her upstairs instead of creating a scene in the lobby.
Ariyah didn't need anyone to explain. This woman had been terrorizing her young employees for a while now.
“First the coffee's too cold, then it's scalding hot. Is this how you treat guests in this two-bit operation?” Milo's mother announced, loud enough for the whole room to hear. “This company should be handed over to my son. Following that Griffin girl will get you nowhere!”
“Young people should have some manners. How do you not know basic etiquette?”
Shyla opened her mouth to snap back, then closed it immediately, too afraid to stand up for herself. With Ariyah out of the office for days, she'd been completely overwhelmed, forced to just stand there and take the abuse.
“Hand it over to your son?” Ariyah called from the doorway. “The Kellys are really experts at freeloading, aren't they?”
Shyla spun around, eyes lighting up. Her savior had arrived, and the confidence surged back into her chest. “Exactly! Mrs. Kelly, this is AEI Equity—Ariyah's company. You coming here to nitpick about coffee? That shows who's really lacking manners!”
Her heart was still hammering, but a rush of triumph coursed through her veins.
Mrs. Kelly blinked, caught off guard, then rose to her feet, shaking with rage. “Ariyah Griffin! I didn't come here to argue today! Is this how you let your staff speak to me?”
“Apologies,” Ariyah said smoothly, stepping forward. “Shyla, you need to choose your words more carefully.”
“Discussing manners with people like this is beneath you.”
Mrs. Kelly's face flushed a deep, furious red. Her hands trembled as she snatched up a coffee cup, ready to hurl it—but her grip slipped, and the cup smashed against the edge of the table, slicing her finger.
“Ariyah Griffin! You've gone too far!” she shrieked, shaking with fury. “You've run my son ragged! He's worked himself to the bone for you, even with his health problems, and you never gave a damn! Now somebody actually loves him and takes care of him, and you're upset? Aren't you just sitting on the fence, refusing to get off?”
“You think you can just swoop in and take back the company when it's my son's hard work that got it this far? You just sit at home and enjoy the spoils!”
Ariyah listened, patient and stone-faced. “The only thing you've gotten right is that your son is a leech on my property.”
“And besides,” she raised her voice, slicing through Mrs. Kelly's protest, “I can make your son a CEO, and I can just as easily demote him to an intern. He's the one at fault—not me. You wave what little power you have around like it's a royal decree. Honestly? It's embarrassing.”
Joan let out a quiet sigh of relief. Even after all this time away from the office, Ariyah hadn't lost her sharp wit or her command. Her father had left a legacy in the business world, and his daughter was proving to be just as savvy—striking straight at the heart of her opponent.
“Where are the security guards?” Ariyah gave a calm wave of her hand. “Why hasn't anyone shown her the door?”
“Throw me out? You wouldn't dare!” Mrs. Kelly shot back, eyes wide with indignation. “This company depends on my son's mergers! Without him, you'd all be struggling just to stay afloat. As if some housewife could manage the projects that keep this team alive!”
Ariyah leaned back against the wall, watching Mrs. Kelly carry on. Clearly, the old woman had done her homework—she'd even learned how the company was structured.
“I've already spoken with Solstice Capital's receptionist. You'd better start thinking about how to save yourself, Ariyah Griffin. When they come to cancel those partnerships, your company will have no choice but to shut its doors!”
Ariyah stayed silent, which only made Mrs. Kelly bolder. Her smile sharpened into something almost mocking.
“You know, the only way out of this is to beg my son. He's generous—he might even give you some money to keep you comfortable in the future. But if you insist on walking away empty-handed, you'll have no one to blame but yourself.”
Ariyah drew in a slow breath. “Mrs. Kelly, if I were you, I wouldn't be so smug right now.”
“Your entire family lives off Milo's salary. If you lose this fight, you'll all be crammed into that tiny apartment—four adults and one child. Just thinking about it makes me worried for you.”
“You—”
Mrs. Kelly choked on her words, her face burning bright red. She prided herself on appearances, dressing impeccably every day just to keep people from looking down on her.
“Oh, what a lively scene.” A clear voice cut through the tension from the direction of the elevator doors. Everyone turned to see a young man in a sharp suit holding a stack of documents, a slight smile playing at his lips.
“Did I come at a bad time?” he asked cautiously, weaving his way through the crowd toward Ariyah.
“Apologies, things are a little chaotic around here today.” She switched to a professional tone. “I'm Ariyah Griffin. And you are... a client?”
“Oh, yes. I'm with Solstice Capital. Call me Lewis.” He handed her a business card. “My boss asked me to invite you for coffee, Ms. Griffin.”
Ariyah's heart skipped. A representative from Solstice Capital really had shown up. But why? What did they want?
“Oh, from Solstice Capital!” Mrs. Kelly perked up, certain her little visit to their front desk had finally paid off. The company was finally taking her seriously. *Ariyah, I didn't want to push you, but your arrogance has left me no choice!*
“I'm the one who came by your office this morning. I can go with you! I know the whole situation!” she said eagerly, practically rolling up her sleeves.
“Oh. Hello.” Lewis gave her a cool, dismissive glance. “That won't be necessary. Our boss only wants to meet with Ms. Griffin. No outsiders.”
His words hit Mrs. Kelly like a bucket of ice water. She sank back into her seat, deflated.
Something was off. She'd expected them to show up and confront Ariyah with evidence. Shouldn't they have invited her along for backup?
Surely nothing could go sideways now—not at the worst possible moment.
