The paramedics arrived with a trauma kit, gently cleaning the cut on Maya's temple and applying a neat medical bandage. Evelyn stood in the corner of the room, her hands shaking as her phone rang repeatedly.
Evelyn: Hello?! Arthur?! You need to post Julian's bail right now!
Arthur: I can't do that, Evelyn. The board has just convened an emergency meeting.
Evelyn: What emergency meeting?! My son is in a police cell!
Arthur: Exactly. And under section four of the company bylaws, an indicted officer cannot hold voting shares or access corporate defense funds.
Evelyn: You're his uncle! How can you turn your back on him?!
Arthur: Maya is my brother's daughter, Evelyn. Julian made the mistake of thinking she had no power because she stayed quiet. The board has just voted to freeze all accounts managed by Julian Vance.
Evelyn dropped her phone onto the marble floor. It clicked against the tile, the screen displaying a push notification from the bank: Corporate Accounts Frozen.
Maya: Thank you, Paramedic. I'm ready to leave now.
Paramedic: Take it easy, Mrs. Sterling. You might have a slight concussion from the impact.
Maya: I feel completely clear, thank you.
Maya stood up from her chair, brushing off her dress and picking up her leather purse. She looked down at Evelyn, who was sitting on a dining chair, pale and trembling.
Evelyn: What am I supposed to do now? We have a mortgage payment on this mansion next week!
Maya: You have twenty-four hours to pack your personal belongings, Evelyn.
Evelyn: What?! You're throwing me out of my house?!
Maya: This house was put up as collateral for Julian's failed shipping investment last spring. Since the loan went into default yesterday, my holding firm purchased the deed from the bank this morning.
Evelyn: You bought our house... behind our backs?!
Maya: I bought my estate back from the people who stole it from my father.
Maya turned and walked out of the dining room, her high heels clicking firmly against the pristine white tile. She passed through the foyer, where officers were collecting evidence and taking photographs of the shattered ceramic pieces.
Outside, the night air was cool and sharp. A black luxury sedan pulled up to the curb, driven by her father's long-time personal driver, Thomas.
Thomas: Are you alright, Miss Maya?
Maya: I'm better than I've been in six years, Thomas.
Thomas: Where to, ma'am?
Maya: To the corporate office. We have a board meeting to finalize at nine in the morning.