She held up the phone.
The massive ballroom screens suddenly displayed her executive credentials.
The viewer count on the live stream jumped above ninety thousand.
Comments poured across the screen.
IS THAT REALLY A MICROSOFT EXEC?
SHE GOT THE WRONG WOMAN.
THIS IS HORRIBLE.
STERLING INDUSTRIES IS ABOUT TO HAVE A PROBLEM.
Victoria stared at the screen.
Her face had gone pale.
"No."
Maya continued.
"I came here tonight to sign a $4.2 billion partnership with Sterling Industries."
Victoria looked at her father across the room.
Jonathan Sterling had just arrived.
He saw the cake.
He saw his daughter.
He saw Maya.
Then he saw the screens.
His face went completely white.
"Oh no."
Victoria turned toward him.
"Daddy!"
Jonathan didn't answer.
Victoria pointed at Maya.
"She's lying."
Jonathan looked at his daughter.
"Victoria..."
"She crashed the gala!"
Jonathan whispered:
"Do you know who that is?"
Victoria shook her head.
"I don't care."
Jonathan closed his eyes.
"That's Dr. Maya Washington."
"I know!"
"No," Jonathan said.
"You don't."
The ballroom doors closed behind them.
The clock read 10:12 p.m.
Three minutes remained.
The $4.2 Billion Signature
Jonathan Sterling walked toward Maya.
Every step looked heavier than the last.
He had personally negotiated with Microsoft executives for months.
He had met Maya several times through video conferences.
He knew exactly who she was.
He knew how important her approval was.
And he knew the contract sitting inside that damaged briefcase was the single most important document his company had ever pursued.
"Dr. Washington," he said.
Maya looked at him.
"Mr. Sterling."
Jonathan stopped several feet away.
His eyes moved to the cake in her hair.
"I'm so sorry."
Victoria stepped between them.
"Daddy, don't apologize to her."
Jonathan's voice sharpened.
"Be quiet."
Victoria stared at him.
"What?"
"Be quiet."
The authority in his voice shocked everyone.
Victoria had rarely heard her father speak to her that way.
Maya checked her watch.
10:13 p.m.
Two minutes.
Jonathan lowered his voice.
"Dr. Washington, I assure you, this does not represent Sterling Industries."
Maya looked around the room.
Three hundred witnesses.
Six cameras.
Thousands of phones.
A live stream rapidly approaching one hundred and fifty thousand viewers.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Sterling," she said, "your daughter is part of Sterling Industries."
Jonathan looked down.
Victoria shook her head.
"This is ridiculous."
Maya's phone rang.
She answered.
"Hello?"
A familiar voice came through.
"Maya, it's Satya."
The room went completely silent.
Even Victoria recognized the name.
Satya Nadella.
Microsoft's CEO.
Maya put the call on speaker.
"Hello, Satya."
"Are you safe?"
"I'm fine."
"Legal tells me the assault was intentional."
Maya looked at Victoria.
"It was."
Satya paused.
"The board is watching."
Jonathan looked like he might collapse.
Satya continued.
"Maya, you have complete authority to decide whether we proceed."
Victoria stepped forward.
"Wait."
Maya raised one hand.
Victoria stopped.
Satya's voice remained calm.
"We have a termination protocol available if you determine that Sterling Industries no longer meets our partnership standards."
Victoria's eyes widened.
"No."
Maya said nothing.
"Your decision, Maya."
"I'll call you back."
She ended the call.
Victoria stared at her.
"You can't cancel a four-billion-dollar deal because of cake."
Maya looked at her.
"This isn't about cake."
"Then what is it about?"
"You."
Victoria laughed nervously.
"You don't even know me."
Maya's answer was quiet.
"I know exactly what you showed me."
The hotel security chief, Ramone Martinez, stepped forward.
"Dr. Washington."
"Yes?"
"We reviewed the security footage."
He held up a tablet.
"We have six camera angles."
The footage played on the nearest screen.
Victoria approached Maya.
Victoria took the cake.
Victoria threw it.
Victoria grabbed Maya's hair.
Victoria stepped on her hand.
Victoria kicked her briefcase.
Victoria's words were audible.
Back to the kitchen where you belong.
The room became silent.
Victoria stared at the screen.
"I didn't—"
Ramone stopped the video.
"You did."
Another guest stepped forward.
"I recorded it too."
A second person raised her phone.
"So did I."
The hotel dessert manager approached.
"I saw her take the cake from the service table."
Victoria screamed:
"Everyone is lying!"
"No," said a journalist.
"We're not."
The live stream crossed 180,000 viewers.
The story was spreading beyond the ballroom.
Jonathan turned to Victoria.
"Stop."
"I didn't do anything!"
"You assaulted her."
"It was a joke!"
Maya looked at her.
"A joke?"
Victoria's voice became smaller.
"I didn't know who you were."
Maya stared at her.
That sentence was more revealing than anything else Victoria had said.
"I didn't know you were important," Victoria whispered.
Maya's eyes hardened.
"You didn't know I was human."
Silence.
Jonathan covered his face.
Maya opened her briefcase.
The leather was scratched.
Several pages were stained with chocolate.
She pulled out the contract.
The blue cover was marked:
MICROSOFT — STERLING INDUSTRIES STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
TOTAL VALUE: $4,200,000,000
She held it up.
"I came here tonight with authorization to sign this."
Jonathan nodded.
"Yes."
"The signing deadline is 10:15 p.m."
He checked the clock.
10:14.
One minute.
"Dr. Washington..."
Maya continued.
"Your company is already in financial difficulty."
Jonathan swallowed.
"You know that."
"I know much more than that."
She opened the financial analysis.