“What happens next will be.”
The first phone rang behind the reception counter less than twenty seconds later.
The receptionist answered.
“Fifth Avenue flagship, good evening.”
Her expression changed.
“Yes.”
She looked toward the manager.
“Yes, she’s here.”
A second phone rang beside the private-client desk.
Then a third.
A tablet near the register flashed.
The sales associate picked it up.
Her eyes widened.
“Ma’am?”
The manager ignored her.
Another phone rang.
Then another.
Three desk phones.
Two staff mobiles.
One internal service line.
The sounds overlapped until the once elegant showroom felt suddenly chaotic.
The manager turned sharply toward the front desk.
“What is going on?”
The receptionist covered the receiver.
“Corporate.”
“What do they want?”
“They’re asking who authorized an executive-access suspension.”
The manager laughed.
“Executive what?”
The tablet in the sales associate’s hands went black.
Then a message appeared.
FLAGSHIP MANAGEMENT PRIVILEGES TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED
The associate swallowed.
The manager grabbed the tablet.
“What?”
The message remained.
She tapped the screen.
Nothing.
“Restart it.”
“I can’t.”
“Then use your login.”
The associate whispered:
“It says administrator hold.”
The manager stared.
Another employee rushed from the private salon.
“The inventory system locked me out.”
“Call IT.”
“They called us.”
The manager looked toward the Black woman.
For the first time, uncertainty appeared.
The Black woman had not moved.
She stood beside the display case with her handbag resting lightly against one wrist.
Calm.
Almost detached.
The manager lifted her chin.
“This is some kind of stunt.”
The Black woman said nothing.
The manager’s personal phone began ringing.
She looked down.
The screen displayed:
CORPORATE LEGAL
Her face changed slightly.
She answered.
“This is the Fifth Avenue flagship manager.”
The voice on the other end spoke for less than five seconds.
The manager’s posture shifted.
“What?”
Another pause.
“No, there has been no incident.”
Several customers laughed in disbelief.
The manager heard.
Her cheeks reddened.
She turned away slightly.
“I said nothing happened.”
Someone from across the showroom shouted:
“She slapped her!”
Phones lifted higher.
The manager spun.
“Who said that?”
Nobody answered.
The voice through her phone became louder.
The manager pressed it tighter against her ear.
“Yes.”
“No.”
“I did not assault anyone.”
The Black woman remained perfectly still.
The manager looked at her.
Then away.
“What do you mean preserve footage?”
Her eyes widened.
“No, you don’t need outside counsel.”
Pause.