Chapter 2 - The Line in the Terrazzo
Ethan’s chest tightened. He watched the massive security guard, Bill, step forward, his large hand reaching out to grasp the elderly woman’s frail elbow.
"Wait," Ethan blurted out, stepping around the reception desk before his brain could stop him. "Don't touch her. She’s not doing anything wrong."
Sarah whipped her head around, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as she fixed her gaze on the eighteen-year-old runner. "Ethan. Back behind the desk. Now. You do not speak unless spoken to, and you certainly do not countermand my operational instructions."
"She just wants to deliver an envelope, Ms. Jenkins," Ethan said, his voice shaking slightly under the weight of her predatory glare, but holding his ground. "She’s an old lady out in the freezing cold. Can't we just call the executive assistant upstairs? Maybe someone can come down and take the paperwork?"
"Are you deaf, or simply illiterate?" Sarah snapped, her face flushing with anger at being challenged by an eighteen-year-old hourly employee in front of her security team. "We do not call upstairs for vagrants! We do not accept unsolicited envelopes! For all we know, this is a stunt, a bomb threat, or a deranged fan looking for media attention!"
"I am neither a vagrant nor a threat," the old woman said, her voice remaining entirely level, contrasting sharply with Sarah’s rising hysteria. "My name is Martha Sterling. And this envelope contains the original founding charter of Apex BioTech, signed fifty years ago in a basement in Evanston."
Sarah let out another harsh laugh, though this time it sounded a fraction more frantic. "Martha Sterling? Oh, please. You expect me to believe the mother of billionaire visionary Arthur Sterling—a man whose face is on the cover of Forbes every six months—wandered into my lobby wearing a thrift-store coat without a security detail, a driver, or even an ID badge?"
"My son does not know I am here," Martha replied simply. "I wanted to surprise him. I took the bus from Oak Park."
"Take her out," Sarah ordered, pointing a manicured finger toward the revolving doors. "Bill, get her out of my sight right now."
Bill stepped forward, his grip tightening on Martha’s arm, pulling her toward the exit.
"Hey! Let go of her!" Ethan shouted, lunging forward. He grabbed Bill’s forearm, trying to pry the guard's fingers loose. "You can't treat people like trash just because they don't look rich enough for your lobby!"
"Ethan, you idiot!" Sarah shrieked, her voice echoing across the soaring ceiling. "You are completely out of your mind!"
Bill shoved Ethan back with one heavy hand, sending the teenager stumbling against the quartz reception desk, knocking a stack of visitor badges onto the floor.
"Don't ever lay your hands on company security, kid," Bill growled.
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Ethan scrambled back to his feet, his face burning with a mixture of humiliation and blinding fury. He looked at Sarah, who was standing with her arms crossed, a triumphant, wicked smirk playing on her lips.
"You're fired," Sarah said coldly, pronouncing the words like a death sentence. "Hand over your ID badge, strip your uniform vest, and get out of my building before I have you arrested for trespassing and assault on a security officer."
