Chapter Eight: Madam

My hand reaches for the pitcher of water at the centre of the table; it's cold and frosty. One girl out of the three seated winces as if I am about to douse her with the cold water, but instead, I pour the liquid into her half-full glass.

“There are a lot of things on my mind, but guess what takes the cake?”

I ask, but none of them answer; they only look at each other as if they want to run.

“‘How influential and important to my company are these three ladies to gossip about their boss openly and loudly.’ Really, I can’t wrap my head around it. How can I not know your names and how important you must be for me to overlook this?”

I press the question, but again, none of them says anything. Finally, after what feels like a full minute, one of the ladies gasp when the cold water overflowing from the glass to the table finally drips onto her skirt.

She stands abruptly with her eyes widened.

"Sit. Down."

She does as I command. Like a scared puppy, she sits on the now wet chair and co