Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 162

Chapter 162

"I don't know," you whispered. "She didn't do anything. Didn't even want to talk about it."

"Maybe she knows," Gemma muttered. "I mean, recording her isn't the most original plan, right?"

"Maybe," you agreed. "But then, if just the threat of it keeps her at bay, we're in a stalemate. We can't get evidence, but she can't do anything."

"Anything to you," Gemma said. "That doesn't help the rest of us."

You and Gemma were down the hall from the conference room in the little staff kitchen for the floor. She was slowly making a new pot of coffee and you were filling up your water bottle.

"We've got Garrison on our side for real now," you said. "So she's got a short leash on whatever crap she can pull on you two."

"That doesn't help Eric," Gemma said.

You frowned. "I know."

You and the girls had come to a collective decision that while Andy was a nice enough kid, he was already shit at this job anyways. Whatever connection he had that had gotten him his internship to begin with, that was going to have to be enough. Eric, on the other hand, wasn't as connected. And while douchey, he'd also helped you and Gemma out without asking questions when you needed it.

Loyalty had to go both ways.

"OK," you said. "So maybe we need to dig harder if she can't come at me directly right now."

"We could see if we can find something out about her mother," Gemma pointed out. "That's her entire power base."

"You want to take on a full-on Partner for the firm?" you asked.

"I mean, if there's a vulnerability to leverage," Gemma shrugged.

"Gem, I love you, but this isn't our home," you said. "We're done here in two months no matter what. Waging a war on a Partner sounds like something out of a legal drama."

"Maybe it's a little overboard," she smirked. "But if wedo find something..."

"OK, yeah. If it falls in our lap, we'll obviously use it," you said. "But can we at least consider that the nuclear option?"

Gemma nodded, finished loading the grinds into the coffee maker and turned it on. "You know," she said, turning and leaning back against the counter. "It's less than two hours to the end of the day. Are you ready for our big night?"

"How big are we talking?" you asked. "You two are in charge."

"Big enough," she teased you. "Go home at the end of the day and pack an overnight bag, OK? But not a lot of clothes, remember we're going shopping for you tomorrow."

"OK," you said. "Where am I meeting you two?"

"I'll text you," she said with a grin. "Gotta keep you in suspense.:

You rolled your eyes. "Did Sabrina tell you what she was doing with Garrisson?"

"Mentor meeting," Gemma said. "Just an informal get-to-know-you interview kind of thing. She said he wants to meet with me on Monday. Didn't mention about you."

"I think we already did that," you said. "Sort of."

"Well, we both need to thank you again," Gemma said, peeking out the kitchen down the hall and then coming back and pressing close to you, giving you a kiss on the tip of your nose. "I'm excited to do that."

"I'm excited too," you grinned.

Two hours, unfortunately, is a long time.

It started with Joy getting summoned out of the conference room. Not totally weird, but the look on her face wasn't exactly the usual aggressive snide expression of haughtiness she usually carried. She came back five minutes later with a smirk on her lips and a glint in her eye.

"Listen up," she said, strutting back over to her spot at one end of the table. "As the lead intern, I've been tasked with giving you all performance reviews. So for the rest of the day you all need to stay in here and I'll be calling you over to an office to conduct your reviews. That means no extra meetings, no mini water breaks to go bullshit in the kitchen, and no going home sick." Joy glared over at Andy on the last one. "Eric, you're up first. Come find me in the empty office three doors down in five minutes."

She grabbed her laptop and left, that smirk still on her face.

"She's joking, right?" Eric asked.

"I don't think so," you said.

"I don't know whether to laugh, or be mad," Gemma said. "I mean, seriously. There's no way she can actually be doing performance reviews for us. Especially alone."

"I'll just go talk to Garrisson," you sighed and started to stand.

"Actually, I think we should let her do them," Sabrina said. You all looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "No, wait. Hear me out," she continued. "There's no way that any review she does will be seen as legitimate as long as we don't just accept them, right? So let's let her dig her own grave. Find out what kind of crap she's going to throw at us, andthen we go talk to Garrisson. It's not like she can make the reviews formal and put them into our files or anything by herself."

"That's actually a great idea," Gemma said, starting to grin. "Sabrina's right. Try and remember everything she accuses you of, don't agree with anything she says, and don't sign anything."

You all agreed, and at five minutes after Joy left Eric went to meet her.

Ten minutes after that the shouting started.