The sound of clicking heels echoed across the halls as Eva walked. Her head held high and her posture immaculate, wherever she went she was met with reverent stares. The envy of those who aspired to be half as prodigious as her; or perhaps fear. Was there really a difference? All it amounted to were many pitiful looks from many of the ‘little’ people, but that was quite alright. Eva was more than content to bask in the glow of her own greatness and relish in the winces her aura brought upon people. Her heart pounded with a constant thrumming excitement at every step. It was, after all, time for her favorite part of the week: the Weekly Board Meeting. 

All the suited ducks fell into a neat row as she entered the room. Discordant chatter immediately went silent in her presence and all turned to greet Eva with subservient smiles. Alan, Alonzo, Peter, and even Dana among others; they all greeted her with the utmost respect, grace and just that right amount of trepidation. Eva herself wore a coy smile; a vain play at feigning ignorance despite knowing full well how much her presence made them all squirm. 

At first she said nothing, leaving the room guessing as she took her rightful spot at the head of the table. Either side was flanked by the lineup of suited figures who hung on her every word, and it was with their full attention that Eva finally deigned to speak. “Well then, let us get this meeting underway, shall we?” Her gaze flicked to a particularly bulbous man who shuddered at her eye contact. “Why don’t you start us off Alan? And remember: Brevity.”

“R-Right, of course Miss Rhodes.” The man said with a hint of sweat lining his receding hairline. He had already received a long overdue warning on the importance of not taking too much time in these meetings. Time was money after all, and Eva didn’t care to waste either. 

Of course what he said mattered less to her than how it was said. For as much as she could criticize the man himself, Alan did good work. His greatest flaw was also his greatest strength: his stringent focus on the details. In speaking, he walked a fine line between particulars and generalizations in his presentation, summarizing what he and his department had been up to and how it was proceeding. Eva even bothered to tune in from time to time, though she was far more amused by studying the man’s expressions. Her own visage was an unreadable enigma, and that unnerved any who wished to avoid her ire. The subtle hints of tension that wrinkled the man’s brow as he spoke were endlessly entertaining. It was a game. One to see someone squirm as he was unsure what Eva wanted to hear and how she wanted to hear it. 

“...and so we expect to have our samples ready to go by the end of next month. Then we can-”

“Next month?” Eva interjected. “My understanding was at our last meeting you said it would be ready by the end of this one.” The room fell silent, all eyes on Alan. One could almost hear a pen drop.

“Yes...That was the original plan, but unexpected delays have led us to…”

“Unexpected? What happened?”

“Our…...A miscommunication with our supplier led to-”

“Miscommunication?” Eva tilted her head. “I hope that wasn’t on our end.” The woman leaned back in her seat with a playful smirk, brazen enough in her role to prop her ankles atop the edge of the table. Not a soul dared to call her out on it. “Well? Was it?”

Alan eyed the sole of Eva’s heel nervously and swallowed. “I-It is a bit more complicated than that Miss Rhodes. You se-”

“Brevity Alan. Yes or No?”

“I...Yes.” He said with his head held low.

“Tch Tch Tch Tch Tch…..Alan oh Alan.” Eva shook her head with faux disappointment. “Oh whatever am I going to do with you? Your little blunder has cost us a month of progress then. Do you have a plan for how you intend to make amends for that?”

The man thought long and hard on his reply. He needed to choose his words very carefully; excuses had no place at this table. Everyone knew what Eva wanted to hear. It was simply a matter of if he was willing to say it himself. If he was willing to submit to the arrogant woman brazenly flexing her station.

“My...team and I could take a payroll deduction to cover the differences…” He muttered hesitantly. Perhaps a stronger man could deny Eva. That man was not Alan. 

Eva’s hands came together in a single clap that shook the room, her elegant features set into a brilliant smile. “A wonderful idea! I knew you had it in you!” She praised in a similar manner to cooing at a dim pet. “I shall get in touch with HR then and we can settle on the technicalities after the meeting.” The man could only meekly accept the verdict, sinking into his seat while the proceedings moved on. 

Alan proved the tonesetter for how the rest of the meeting went. Older gentlemen like Peter or Alonzo stumbled through their parts while some of the younger blood at the table shamelessly told Eva everything she wanted to hear. It was easy to see such shameless bootlicking for what it was, but that didn’t make it any less gratifying. The old guard feared for their jobs and the next generation smelled blood in the water. How delightfully cutthroat; and yet it all amounted to peasants bickering over a loaf of bread as Eva ate like a queen.

What a lovely image. Eva mused. The idea of herself as some sort of high noble was as delightful as it was accurate. It seemed to lighten her mood even more, Eva visibly relaxing as her attention was directed to their final speaker for the day.

“The floor is yours Dana.” Eva encouraged.

The blonde woman jumped out her skin and looked to Eva apprehensively. She’d been on the outs as of late with her erstwhile friend and it showed. Several consecutive setbacks and failures had aged what was otherwise a mature, gracefully beautiful visage. Wrinkles and bags sagged her features while her frazzled hair spoke of a rush out of bed and a lack of time to make herself presentable. Everything else about her demeanor suggested news that she didn’t want Eva to hear. Quite the contrary, her boss was on the edge of her seat with eager anticipation. The younger workers weren’t the only ones to smell blood in the water. 

“Right...Well…” Dana let out a chuckle easily recognizable as a stall for time. Her words hummed in place akin to a vehicle refusing to start, the woman looking around for some escape where there was none. She had no choice but to speak, and Eva was quite eager to listen. 

“I...was in talks with the city about a partnership with the transportation department and…”

“And…?”

“And...it fell through…”

“Oh Dana…” Eva shook her head with a heavy sigh. “What does that make it now? Four deals that were a guarantee before they slipped through your fingers? I’m trying to give you a chance here, but I won’t lie. It’s getting hard to justify keeping you in your current position. I’m a tolerant woman, but I don’t care for...underperformers.”

The noise of Eva’s shoe clacking against the table made the room jump. Her heel had slipped off and now rested on its side atop Alonzo’s notes. All eyes involuntarily traced the sound to the dark nylon-clad foot now hanging over her ankle: and the naked, pitiful thing squirming between Eva’s toes for all to see.

“Isn’t that right Tina?”

Dana appeared absolutely horrified as this thing that was once Eva’s assistant cried out in the affirmative. Her voice was unrecognizably hoarse and pathetic, the woman apologizing profusely as she ran her tongue across the pale skin as it pinched her. Her only reward was a satisfied grunt from Eva and a clench of her toes that forced the air from her tiny lungs. A living monument to what happened if you failed Eva Rhodes one too many times. It was often whispered there was never a moment Tina had that wasn’t spent worshiping her boss. 

“Are you an underperformer Dana? Was my predecessor wrong to promote you?” 

Dana seemed to shrink into her seat as Eva looked down on her. Her eyes couldn’t stray far from the tiny thing trapped at Eva’s feet. It was akin to a glance into her future if she didn’t act fast; and everyone knew it. “No, of course not! I’m just having an off day is all.” She laughed. “No need to do anything drastic Miss Rhodes. Just gotta turn on the ol’ charm is all and I’ll have agreements comin’ in from all over the place!”

Desperate pleas from a desperate woman. In a way it was somehow sadder than the state of Eva’s former assistant. Although even a sad display was enough to force Eva to discreetly press her thighs together. She happened to quite like the combination of panic and pleading that warped Dana’s face. They were of similar height and build and yet Dana felt so much…lesser than her.

“Mm...I would be inclined to believe you. Except it’s been much longer than just ‘an off day’, hasn’t it?” She smiled. “No, I think you’ve just about run your course Dana.” Eva smirked.

“Eva, please! Just give me-

“Your boss is talking.” Eva said sternly. “If anything, you’ve just proven my point. You may have had a place in this room once, but clearly not anymore.” The woman rested her chin between her fingers, the look on Eva’s visage anything but kind. “Don’t worry, you won’t be downsized. Not yet anyway. What am I, a monster?” She laughed at that and was joined by the frightful chuckles of the rest of the Board. 

“No, I think you’ll be better off with something else. As it would turn out, I’ve been looking for a new assistant. Tina is rather qualified at her new job, but what she can do is rather...limited. Don’t you think?”

Dana focused back on the tiny thing. To think it was ever a person the same size as any of them was insanity. She was an unhealthy shade of pale and looked dangerously thin with a deranged look in her eyes. What Eva had done to the woman who thought she could cross her was only the stuff of office gossip, but the image of a broken woman lapping away at Eva’s feet was enough to effectively deter anyone. Tina was nothing but a mewling ant revering her god. It was either do what Eva wanted, or Dana could share that fate. 

“Ye-Yeah...You’re right of course, Miss Rhodes.” She somberly relented.

“Excellent. Now then, moving forward-”

Before she could speak further, the room rumbled - an earthquake. A weak one, granted, but enough for Eva to glower out the window. Not even Mother Nature was free from her ire at being interrupted. 

“As I was saying…” She sighed. “Moving forward then Dana, I expect you to-”

Another quake struck just as she began again, stronger. Louder. Everyone in the room braced in their seats as it went on for several seconds before fading. They remained quiet, all present exchanging tense looks. Then it came a third time, the strongest yet. Its noise was akin to a thunderous explosion and the world shook so violently that Eva was flung from her seat. The world melted into darkness all around her, each frightened face fading into the void as it all left her. 

The last thing Eva heard was laughter from the one at her feet.

-------------------------

“Mn…” 

Eva groaned as her eyes fluttered open. Such a vivid, wonderful dream. Interrupted by explosive footsteps and swiftly fading from memory. She blinked away exhaustion as the noise sounded off once again nearby and a familiar imposing figure filled her senses.

“Morning~” 

The smaller woman growled as she lifted herself up from her bed of coins, glaring at the brilliant smile of the gigantic brunette.

“Ready for work?”