The law of the strongest

Meanwhile, at the Karen&Karen law firm.

Karen senior couldn't believe the news that her daughter was telling her. She felt inclined to call the weakness in her firstborn, even in front of all the others, but she knew too well that lady Cassandra Barton could be as stuborn and unmovable as the earth itself, that old bitch.

"She refused all of your propositions?" She asked coldly.

"She would if she at least cared to listen to them. She didn't even wanted to hear our proposals for a public apology" Even when making excuses, her daughter sounded arrogant, as if all was somehow still part of her plant. In that regard she was much like her.

"Let me guess: A Barton never apologies?"

"I believe she added the word fucking at least two times." Karen junior said with a smile.

"Don't play funny with me, girl. I am not in the mood. That might work with the happy boys down the street, but not in this room." That made the other twenty lawyers of the room smile. It was important from time to time to assert her dominance over her ambitious daughter, even at the cost of her animosity. A matriarch does not rule with a soft hand, indeed.

"Let me remind you, and I meant all of you. Barton is not just our biggest client, she is our ONLY client. Her mother built this building with just the spare money from one of her parties, back in the 80's. You might thing that anecdote an exaggeration, but let me tell you: it is not. If she falls, we fall. You will all say goodbye to those pretty suits and start training your mouths for dick sucking on the streets." Some of the women felt very uncomfortable by the mention of such unfeminine action. One of them, a highly conservative senior, even seem tempted to puke at the very notion. But she needed them to really know what was in play at this game, to have a visceral and allergic reaction to failure. "We need to fix this, even if she does not help... even if she does not approve. Morgan," She called her young assistant by her side, who almost seemed to want to hide under the table at the mention of her name. "tell me some good news."

"Mrs. Karen... I'm afraid the lawsuit is still going strong. New evidence is leaking constantly and her public ratings drop every hour..." Said the demure woman.

"Goddammit, Morgan. I said good news!" Spit the law firm leader.

"I... there is no way to paint this is a good picture. Whoever is behind this... 'male rights' assotiation... someone must be feeding her info from the inside!"

"That is..." Began to say Mrs. Karen. But then a loud noise irrupted in the middle of that dark room, strident and somewhat trying to be musical: it was the ringtone of a mobile phone. Karen senior hated phones, they were always forbidden at her meetings. "Who the fuck let one those things inside!?"

Everyone looked at each other in horror, even if they where innocent, they feared her rage. Her daughter was the only one who dared speak. "Mother, I... I think it comes from under the table"

"What?" Said the matriarch "My table!?"

Karen Junior swallowed a bit of her pride and knelt just enough to get under the table. There, after the sound of a soft struggle, she emerged with a box, wrapped like a present. The sound of the ringtone came from inside it. By the time she opened it, the phone was already silent. Luckily, it had no lock on it and she could look at what was inside. The light of the screen shined upon her daughter's face and after just a few seconds, she began to smile.

"What is it?" Asked Karen Senior.

The smile of her daughter was incredibly smug by them. "Gentlewomen... I think you should all take a look at this"