She yelled at me. "Chloe, you seem pretty comfortable, huh? Acting all high and mighty as the boss. Do you think you’re qualified?"

I sat calmly in my chair and looked at her.

Johnson followed her inside, attempting to mediate. "Ms. Murphy, why are you here? Can't you resolve it at home? There are so many people here, and it's not the right place. Besides..."

"Is she afraid of causing a scene? Who does she think she is?" Melanie was on a roll, her words cutting.

I could see the employees standing and looking at us through the frosted window. I turned to Johnson and said, "Tell them to go home early."

Johnson quickly went to disperse the curious employees. They left the office reluctantly. Typically, they’d vanish even if there were only twenty minutes left in the workday.

I relaxed in my seat and watched Melanie. "Please go on with what you just said."

Johnson sensed the tension and positioned himself between us, just in case.

Melanie looked at me with the arrogance of a bull