Chapter 6 - The Trial on Live TelevisionEvery news camera in the city was rolling. The live stream was being broadcast to millions of viewers across the country, picked up by national business networks.
Evelyn turned around to face the cameras, stepping into the center of the room.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Evelyn said smoothly, her voice commanding total authority. “For thirty years, Northstar Group has operated under a single guiding principle given to me by my late mother: Everyone deserves a place at the table.”
She paused, looking over at Richard Sterling and Arthur Vance, whose faces were now completely drained of color.
“However,” Evelyn continued, her eyes flashing like steel, “over the past two years, cancer has grown within the executive leadership of this company. Certain individuals believed that profit was more valuable than basic human decency. They issued secret directives to abuse the vulnerable, turn away the hungry, and intimidate honest workers.”
The reporters began whispering frantically, cameras flashing continuously.
“Last night,” Evelyn said, pointing down at the very spot on the floor where she was standing, “I walked into this exact café wearing a fourteen-dollar coat and broken shoes. I asked for a warm place to sit and a simple bowl of soup.”
She turned her gaze directly to Brent Cole, who was shaking visibly, sweating through his expensive charcoal jacket.
“This manager, Brent Cole, under direct orders from Vice President Arthur Vance, told me that this café was not a shelter, threw me into the freezing rain, and intentionally smashed a bowl of hot soup onto the floor.”
The crowd inside the café erupted into gasps of disgust.
“No... wait! That’s a lie! I didn’t know who you were!” Brent stammered foolishly, blurted out the words before he could stop himself.
Evelyn smiled coldly. “That, Mr. Cole, is precisely the point. You only treat people with dignity when you think they have the power to punish you.”
Evelyn snapped her fingers. Dana Brooks immediately stepped forward, holding a sleek tablet connected to the café's digital displays. With a click, the large television screens above the counter—which usually displayed coffee prices—switched to clear HD security footage from the previous night.
The video played clearly for the news cameras and the entire room: Brent intentionally hitting Evelyn's tray, the soup shattering on the floor, Mark stepping in to protect her, and Brent sneering as he threw them both into the rain.
The room roared with outrage.
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“Turn that off!” Arthur Vance shouted, lunging toward Dana, but two heavy security guards blocked his path instantly.
“I’m not finished, Arthur,” Evelyn said, her voice cutting through the noise like a thunderclap. “Because the cruelty didn’t stop at the store level. It went all the way to the top floor.”
