The new hire spilled hot coffee all over my silk blouse and smirked, saying her boyfriend owned the company. So I picked up the phone, called the CEO, and told him his girlfriend just made a massive mistake.
The scorching heat of fresh coffee soaked straight through my white silk blouse, burning my skin before I even had time to gasp. I staggered backward, clutching my chest, as dark brown liquid dripped onto my tailored trousers and carpet. Right in front of me stood Chloe, the newly hired marketing assistant, holding a half-empty mug. Instead of apologizing, she folded her arms, looked me up and down with disgust, and let out a cold smirk. “Oops,” she purred, her voice dripping with artificial innocence. “Maybe you should watch where you’re walking next time, sweetie.”
Before I could speak, she leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a confident whisper. “And don’t bother running to HR. My boyfriend owns this company. One word from me, and you’ll be packing your desk before lunch.”
The office lobby fell completely silent. Dozens of colleagues paused, staring in shock, waiting to see if I would burst into tears or scream. I didn’t do either. I slowly pulled a handkerchief from my pocket, dabbed the steaming stain on my collar, and pulled out my phone. Chloe chuckled, shaking her head as if amused by my audacity. “Who are you calling? The police? Go ahead, try it.”
I ignored her, dialed a familiar ten-digit number, and put the phone to my ear. It rang twice before a deep, authoritative voice answered. “Julian speaking.”
I kept my eyes locked on Chloe’s arrogant smile, keeping my tone dead pan and icy calm. “Julian, you should come down to the main lobby right now. Your girlfriend just made a very big mistake.”
On the other end, Julian went dead silent. Chloe’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but she quickly recovered, crossing her arms again and rolling her eyes. “Nice bluff,” she sneered loud enough for the crowd to hear. “Julian doesn’t take calls from low-level nobodies.”
Ten seconds later, the private executive elevator chimed. The glass doors slid open, and Julian Vance, the founder and sole owner of Vance Enterprises, stepped out into the lobby, his face pale and his jaw tightly set.
Chloe’s eyes lit up instantly. She gasped dramatically, threw her mug into a nearby trash can, and rushed toward him, squeezing her eyes shut to force out fake tears. “Baby! Thank God you’re here!” she wailed, throwing her arms around his waist. “This psycho woman threw herself into me and started threatening me! You need to fire her right now!”
Julian didn’t hug her back. Instead, his eyes swept across the lobby, past the staring employees, and landed straight on me—standing there covered in coffee. Slowly, he reached out, pushed Chloe’s hands off his body, and walked right past her toward me.
Chloe turned, her face twisting in utter confusion. “Julian? What are you doing?”
I took a step forward, looking Julian dead in the eyes as the entire lobby held its breath.
Julian stood inches away from me, his eyes dark with panic as he looked at the dark brown coffee stain ruining my shirt and skin. Chloe hurried over, grabbing his arm again, her voice rising in pitch. “Julian, why are you looking at her like that? I told you, she insulted me first! She’s lying!”
Julian slowly turned his head toward Chloe, his voice terrifyingly quiet. “Chloe… do you have any idea who this woman is?”
Chloe scoffed, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Yeah, some low-level staff member who thinks she can talk down to me. Fire her already!”
“This is Katherine Vance,” Julian said, each word dropping like heavy ice onto the floor. “My co-founder. My elder sister. And the majority shareholder who owns sixty percent of this entire company.”
The color drained from Chloe’s face so fast she stumbled back a step. Whispers instantly erupted through the lobby like wildfire. My colleagues swapped stunned glances as the truth settled in. Chloe blinked rapidly, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “Sister? But… but you never mentioned a sister! You said you owned everything!”
“Because I manage daily operations while Katherine runs our international branch,” Julian snapped, his voice sharp with anger. “Her name is on the building, Chloe. On every legal contract you signed when you were hired yesterday.”
Chloe’s arrogance shattered into pure terror. She looked at me, then at Julian, her chest heaving. “I… I didn’t know! I swear I didn’t know! It was an accident, Katherine, I promise!”
“It wasn’t an accident,” I said smoothly, stepping closer to her. “You intentionally tipped the mug toward me because I didn’t move out of your path fast enough. And then you threatened my job using my brother’s name.”
