Top Floor Shenanigans

The elevator moved too slowly. It only compounded my frustration to the point that I didn't know what I would do when I saw King, but I knew it wasn't going to be good. The stupid, peppy elevator music didn't help either. I flipped off the elevator camera and hoped someone would pass it on to King.

I didn't wait for the elevator doors to open fully before exiting the car and stomping toward the receptionist. The woman wore a pillbox hat and a Jackie O retro suit in a baby powder blue.

She gave me a measured appraisal. "If you're looking for a public restroom, you'll have to go downstairs. This is a private company."

"I want to see King Heavenly."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but I'm his wife."

"I highly doubt that. Mr. King is a very affluent man. His wife wouldn't be caught dead wearing that."

"If you don't believe me, ask him. Is Min here? Min can identify me."

I'd storm into his office if I knew where his office was. My one previous visit didn't leave much impression on me, but I vaguely recalled going to the left.

When the receptionist turned from me to the phone, I made a dash for it.

"Hey, stop!" The receptionist called after me.

I assumed security would be called, but what could they do to me? Eject me? Uh, King was better off facing me head-on right now. If I took out my laptop, he was dead. Arrest me? Technically, I was part of the Heavenly family. The company was owned by the family. Therefore, the company was partially mine. I had every right to be here.

I wandered around under the curious gazes of the employees, but no one tried to stop me. A woman in a red dress called security. I nodded at her and kept moving.

I turned a corner and entered the employee breakroom. A young girl was pouring coffee into a pump dispenser. She had collected a dozen matching coffee cups on a tray.

King couldn't attend therapy because of a meeting. It was apparent the girl was setting up for a meeting. One and one added up to two, or in this case, that she was making coffee for King's meeting.

I smiled at her. "Excuse me, are you setting up for the meeting? Mr. Heavenly's meeting?"

"Yes, why? Do they need something else? Pastries? I can go down to the cafeteria for a selection."

"Yes, that's right. I'll take in the coffee while you fetch pastries."

The girl looked me up and down and hesitated.

"Yeah, I know. I look like a bum. I was called in at the last minute and didn't want to be late. I'm sure someone will read me the riot act any second now, but for now, let me help with the coffee."

I flashed her my best smile. My cheeks hurt as a reminder of how seldom I smile anymore.

She glanced at her watch and did some mental calculations, but the deciding factor was when she received a call from someone rushing her.

She handed over coffee duty to me. "Thank you so much for your help. I'll owe you one."

Poor girl. I hoped her actions didn't cost her this job. If it did, I'd have to make it up to her. I added her to the list with the servers at Well Water. Tomorrow, I will take care of all of them. Today, I would take care of King but in a whole different way.

Someone had left a jacket on the coat rack in the corner of the room. It would be large on me, but it would at least give me more of a professional vibe than the sweatshirt, so I borrowed it. I had to roll my sleeves up, but it was an improvement.

The one thing I forgot to do was find out where to take the beverages. At this rate, I considered running through the building, calling out King's name until he came to me. And then I came up with one better.

I strolled back out into the open work area. I strolled around until I found that one employee had walked away without securing their computer.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. That was just an invitation to a computer geek like me. I sat down and started keying my way to the command prompt. From there, I could do anything.

"Excuse me, this is my desk."

I turned to see a thin, nervous man standing next to me.

"Right. Give me ten minutes, and it is all yours. I'm a contract employee with IT. I'm going around to input a security update that can't be automatically updated. Sorry, didn't you get the notice I was coming?"

"I've been busy and haven't checked my email."

"Why don't you take a break? I'll be done in ten minutes."

I watched as he headed to the breakroom and then returned to my project. In essence, the project was easy. Stiff would have been proud, as his specialty was freezing networks, so no one could work until his target paid up. Hence his handle. Get it? Frozen stiff?

I set up a nice splash screen for everyone to enjoy while they waited for me to remove the freeze. King, your wife is waiting for you in the breakroom. She's pissed. You should PERSONALLY come now. I topped it off with three pink little pigs running from a big bad wolf wearing a business suit.

I returned the employee's computer to Windows mode before returning to the breakroom to wait. I didn't have to wait long. King walked in with a trio of security guards and a number of suited executives.

"Teela, what's going on?"

"I should ask you the same thing."

"About?"

"Do you want to discuss it in front of your employees?"

"Come with me."

I followed him to his office, his entourage in tow. This time, I took note of the directions. I had thought I'd attracted a lot of attention before. It was nothing compared to now.

King let me into the office and closed the door behind us. "Okay, spill it. What is going on?"

"It was your idea to do couple's therapy, and you didn't even bother to show up. You sent your girlfriend to therapy with your wife. How fucked up is that?"

"Never mind the therapy. What's with freezing our network? Who did you hire to do it? How much will it cost me to release the freeze?"

I noticed he didn't deny Nan was his girlfriend.

"What makes you think I hired anyone, King? Has it ever occurred to you that I could do it myself?"

"I don't care who did it. I want the freeze released. Now."

"Make me."

King jerked me to him. My body was flush with his. He cupped my face between his hands, forcing me to maintain eye contact. "Teela, don't threaten my bottom line. I have a responsibility to my employees. This freeze is creating havoc in the company and costing shareholders money. Call someone and have it released, or I will personally take you to the reflection room myself."

"Like you did the first time when all I did was backtalk your mother? Do you really have no sense of matching the punishment with the crime?

"Fine. Release me, and I'll make a call, but then we are talking about therapy."

King nodded and let me go. I stepped back and pretended to look for the phone number, but it wasn't necessary. I'd already set up an auto-release before logging off the guy's computer. I wasn't looking to ruin King's company. I only wanted his attention, and I got it.

"Give it ten minutes," I said as slid my phone into my pocket.

King nodded and motioned for me to sit on the couch in the room. He sat in a chair opposite of me. "You can't keep using a hacker to threaten me, Teela. Eventually, I'll find out who it is, and when that happens, I'll prosecute them."

"And me?"

"If I have to."

"Wouldn't that embarrass the family?"

Let King continue to live in denial about who was really the hacker. When I was ready, he would know.

King sighed. "Just tell me what you came to say. It must be important, considering the fuss you made."

"Have you heard nothing I said?"

"Something about therapy. I sent Nan to participate. I don't have time. I don't have time for this conversation. I have people waiting in the meeting room."

"I won't go to therapy with your lover. I don't even know this woman, and I don't have a relationship with her that I want to improve."

"I never agreed to attend the sessions. You did."

"I believe the agreement was I had to show up. If you aren't there, I won't be participating, and King, how dare you insult me like that? How dare you send someone else? Why do you even care if I leave you? You have Nan. Let me go. She can replace me. You'll be happy. She'll be happy.

"I don't know about Lettie, but I don't see how she could be any less happy than she is with me. And King, if you love Nan, isn't she the person you deserve? It's not like letting me go means I'll take back the land Mom sold you. You lose nothing."

"Don't tell me what to do, Teela. You don't have that right."

"Oh, so unless I gave birth to you, I don't have the right to tell you anything? Fine. Be that way. Then don't listen to this. I'll show up for each therapy session for a month as promised, but I won't participate in any session you don't attend. And King, the minute you don't show up, I'm coming back up here. There's no telling what I'll do next."