Chapter 7 - Shadows in the Parking Lot
Twenty minutes later, the rain had intensified into a blinding downpour. Thunder rumbled low in the distance, shaking the large glass panes of the supermarket storefront.
Amber stood in the manager's office, holding a hot cup of tea that Victoria’s personal assistant had brought her. The room was quiet, save for the hum of the security monitors mounted on the wall. On monitor four, Amber watched Marcus walking out the side employee exit into the storm, carrying a small cardboard box containing his desk items.
He looked broken, his maroon jacket soaked through with rain as he trudged toward his sedan parked in the far corner of the lot.
Victoria walked into the office, carrying a leather briefcase. She set it on the desk and looked at Amber with a quiet, approving nod.
"You look overwhelmed, Amber," Victoria noted softly.
"I am," Amber admitted, setting her tea down. "An hour ago, I was worried about paying my rent this week. Now... now you're handing me the keys to a multimillion-dollar store. It doesn't feel real."
"Power rarely feels real when it falls into the hands of those who deserve it," Victoria replied, walking over to the window to watch the rain. "Most people who seek authority do so because they want to control others. But those who use kindness as their baseline... they are the only ones capable of true leadership."
Amber looked down at her hands. "Why did you really come here today, Mrs. Vance? A chairwoman of a global capital firm doesn't just walk into a suburban grocery store in a wet raincoat on a Tuesday afternoon by accident."
May you like
Victoria turned around slowly, her eyes darkening slightly as a shadow crossed her face.
"No," Victoria agreed softly. "They don't."
