The skyline was awash in color; reds and golds and oranges that made the entire sky look as if it was on fire for one blessed moment. The flash of light in her hand was insignificant compared to that, the soft glow of a cigarette almost an afterthought as the sun finally sank beneath the horizon. They did not notice.
Humans never noticed. What was one sunset when they had seen so many? As always, this particular time of day reminded her of why she disliked humanity, even as she needed them. Particularly the three in front of her. Her eyes focused on them, one by one. Old men eager to continue their reign of power. Old men eager to continue gathering wealth. Old men who wanted it all.
“What you are asking for is not easy, gentlemen. Your stocks have fallen by thirty percent. After your loss in the Charleston case..”
“Of which your lawyer was responsible for!”
“.. the value of your firms have gone down. Why would I continue to consider such a merging?” She sat down again, her cigarette leaving curls of smoke in the air as she tapped one perfect hand against the table. Her lips curled up in a smile. A shark’s smile. There was no warmth. It was the look of someone who had a person by their balls, and was enjoying the knowledge.
“Camassa Juleni is a new lawyer. She went against your best, and she kicked your asses. I am willing to consider a buyout, but I will not have a board of directors that can not plan strategy.” She watched all three of them, watched the gears turn in their skulls. Human greed was predictable. The men would consider pushing. They would consider withdrawing. But they wouldn’t. The chance of a buyout, an early retirement and never having to work again… that was too much for feeble mortal men like them to resist.
“How much would you pay for a buyout?”
To their credit, they didn’t blink when her assistant laid folders down in front of them. Ms. Natalya Drew had a reputation for having plans in place for every occurrence. She was a terror in the courtroom, able to shred a witness in moments. Able to win every case. Of course, it was rare to see her in a courtroom as the active lawyer these days. She was expensive. Most of the time, she was there to observe her lawyers, to make sure they were earning their pay.
Every lawyer in the country wanted to be part of Drew Law. They had a ninety five percent success rate. They had great paychecks. They were renowned across the world for their ability to maneuver laws and courtrooms.
And they were expensive.
“This snapshot shows that forty percent of my staff would be laid off.” Mr. Scott Wilming did not enjoy that thought. The other two had already shrugged losses out of their minds. But Wilming didn’t. That got him a second glance from her. “The forty percent who would lose their positions is regrettable, but it is part of the streamlining of your workforce. I would have an unbiased third party performing that process.”
Her cigarette entered the nearby dish, the smoke snuffing out, drifting away. She smiled, watching him. And he shivered. There was something uncanny about the woman, and he’d never liked dealing with her. “Forty percent is unacceptable. Many of my staff have been working loyally for years.”
“There is the door. I do not need your business, Mr. Wilming. It is a possibility that with some hard work you can turn your firm around. If you care so much for your employees, then don’t take the deal. These prices and terms are non-negotiable for me. I don’t carry deadweight.” She smirked, watching him teeter. She liked men like this. Men that had temptation… and yet were finding the strength to move past it. She liked marking them down for testing.
Most would inevitably fail, of course. Temptation was not man’s strong point. But she had infinitely more respect for the man that was Tempted and yet managed to keep to his principles. It was a rare thing. Mr. Wilming was among those rare men in this instance. She watched him go, her smile never flickering.
“Fool.”
The other two were signing their contracts, taking Druj’s attention from the proud back of a man that had just avoided a deal with the devil, so to speak. “Perhaps.” She smiled, nodding to her assistant. “Thomas will escort you out. The money will be wired by the end of the week, and the announcements made tomorrow.”
She didn’t shake their hands. Ms. Natalya Drew never shook hands. She just up and left. Disgust curled her lips as she found herself in her back office, alone. These men were too easy. Too… refined. Civilized. They were hardly men at all.
When the cleaning lady came to the office, she was not there. There was the faint smell of cigarette smoke, and a subtle red haze in the air. But she was not there. As always, the employee put it out of her mind. There were always strange things in the Drew tower. She’d learned long ago to ignore them.
