This choice: Meeting Gloria, Lacey implies just how much dirt she has on her. • Go Back...Chapter #6Between Lacey Truman and a Hard Place... by: Keroro04   A few days later...
Gloria sat down, her arms puffed as she waited for Lacey Truman to arrive. Her rival had requested a meetup between the two owners, and while she had hesitated to agree, Nicole had convinced her it could provide for good PR.
To avoid the obvious though, the two bosses chose a neutral ground: a Sunbucks Cafe. It was the only Restaurant in town that was a chain not owned by either of them, and as such neither had to worry about complaining about the other’s venue. The coffee tasted terrible, but at the least things could be civil.
Eventually, as Gloria began to wonder when she was to show up, Lacey entered the lobby in a single push, before making her way to the table. She was dressed casually, though her blouse did have a cut heart shaped window to show off her cleavage, something that the other chef found a bit tacky.
“Sorry I’m late, but I got caught up in a photoshoot. It is a bit hard to find free time when your constant climbing the social ladder, after all...”
Looking unfazed, Gloria crossed her arms as she made her intentions clear. “Get to the point, miss Truman. I’ve got other things to do today, like hiring a staff for my next big venue.”
“Oh, you won’t have to worry about that venue.” Lacey said, as she slowly reached for her pockets. “In fact, if I were you I wouldn’t have to worry about any venue for the rest of my life...”
“What are you implying?” Gloria asked, raising a brow out of curiosity.
“I know about the bribes.” Lacey said, pulling out what appeared to be a sheet of paper. “How you’ve been using your cooking classes to hide it too. I’m honestly impressed by it...”
Letting out a devilish smile, Lacey giddled with glee as she saw Gloria appear stunned by her remark. “Do you seriously think claiming-“
“They aren’t just claims.” Lacey said as she unrolled the papers, revealing documents of Heinretta’s findings. “Ive got definitive proof and evidence that will hold up in any court. All I’ve got to do is submit this to the police, and there’s a good chance you could be locked up for... say, 20 years, maybe 30?”
Gloria was frozen in fear. Looking at the documents, she could see clear as day that Lacey really wasn’t bluffing. If this evidence came out to the public, her empire of restaurants could topple and she could end up locked away for life, and with the threat of that happening, there was only one idea coursing through her mind on how to deal with it.
“What will it take to get you to keep quiet about this?”
“Hmm... let me think.” Lacey said, crossing her arms as she smugly asserted her dominance. “Oh! I know, how about every venue you got, chefs and all. I’ll even let you work for me and pay you generously, long as you give ownership to me!”
“What!?” Gloria said, slamming her hands on the table in frustration. “Are you saying I have to give up on being a Kitchen Boss for you to keep quiet?”
“It’s either that or spending the rest of your years in a comfy jail cell, surrounded by questionable people. Now, which do you think sounds like the better deal?”
“Well uh... let me think things through!” Gloria said, panicking internally at the situation she had now been thrust in. “This is a really big deal after all!”
“Oh, I’d be glad to give you some time! One week, tops. After that, we’ll meet back here, and if your not willing to show up, then I’m taking you to court. Good day!”
Rising up from her seat, Lacey made a few cheerful steps, smiling at the alluring bouncing that her curvy body was getting, before making one last stop and turning back to Gloria.
“Oh! Before I forget, one last thing. Don’t even think about buying out a new venue if you do give me your empire. If you do, then you know what’ll happen...”
___
Late into the afternoon, Gloria was back off at home, trying to figure things out with her second in command, Nicole. All of a sudden, Lacey had presented something that could destroy everything she had worked towards, and now the two had to do damage control.
“There’s no way you can let her win!” Nicole said, stomping down on the ground and causing her rotund thighs to jiggle a bit from the impact. “We’ve already come so far! Surely we can hire someone to-“
“Trust me, that won’t work, least not in this city...” Gloria admitted, sounding dire in her voice. “Even if we managed to get a high-class lawyer, with what she’s got we’re as good as dead meat...”
“Your... your not seriously considering throwing everything away, are you?” Nicole said, gasping a bit from Gloria’s comment.
“No, not at all. I’m just... I have no idea what to do. I’ve never had something like this happen to me before, what did you expect?”
“Hmm... oh, I got it!” Reaching for the Yellow Pages, Nicole smiled as she flipped through them until she reached a certain page. “I know what we could do! If Lacey’s got dirt on us, what’s stopping us from doing the same to her?”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying we hire a private eye!” Nicole said, as she slid the book down to Gloria. “Someone who could look deep into Lacey’s life and find something equally incriminating! That way, if she tries submitting that evidence of bribery, we can counter her credibility with something equally as bad! At worst, it’s mutually assured destruction, but at best we could be the ones taking what she owns instead!”
“Wow, that actually sounds like a good idea...” Gloria said, finally smiling again as her depression faded away. “That does bring up another problem though. Who do we hire?”
“Oh, there is only one good person for the job.” Reaching back for the book, Nicole pointed down on one name in particular. “Anne Higgens, of the Higgens Agency. She’s a bit shady, but she’s also the smartest girl in town. If anyone can find dirt on Lacey, it’s gotta be her.”
“Anne Higgens, huh? Long as she’s good at her job, I’ll check her out.” Writing down the number, Gloria closed the book as she rose out of her chair to put it away. “I’m probably going to be busy talking to her tomorrow, so can you look after everything that day?”
“Of course, you can count on me!” Nicole said, saluting her boss with a smile on her face.
“Good... then let’s get things done!”  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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