"Yes, right there. Make sure it's centered correctly."
Dahlia stepped back from the wall, her heels clicking on the brand new marbled floor as the workers finished hanging up the frame. Unlike the classical asari and human paintings adorning the newly installed granite walls, this decoration was a bit more modern; a blown-up cover of the financial magazine Irune Rally from a few days ago, featuring Liara T'Soni in her shocking black and red business suit sitting sideways in a golden throne, glancing towards the camera with a smug expression below the massive headline.
The New Queen of the Galactic Market
Shamelessly tacky, pompous to the point of narcissism, and Dahlia absolutely adored it. No doubt it would leave an impression on those entering the lobby of the newly rebranded ShepardTech Systems.
"Yes, I'll let her know at once," the human secretary manning the front desk that once belong to Dahlia said, putting down the phone. "Ma'am, that was Miss T'Soni, she wants to see you right away."
"Already on my way up," Dahlia said, strolling past as she adjusted her tie, a pleasing shade of blue to contrast with her boss. Entering the offices, she moved through what was once Liara's shadow broker headquarters, now converted into a massive trading floor for the stockbrokers working for her, running back and forth and shouting out instructions to buy, sell, and everything in between. Weaving her way through the chaos, Dahlia reached the newly installed elevator, taking it up to the top floor of building that she once sheltered her activities in, but had now been bought outright by her new company. Several floors up, the elevator finally let out a cheerful tone and opened onto a short corridor leading to an office that, frankly, put Liara's old workspace to shame.
It was, in a word, extravagant. Plush carpeting, fine plasteel furniture, a wall full of stock information and financial displays on giant expensive screens and projections, ancient vases and decorative art pieces occupying the corners of the room, a door in the back leading to personal quarters rivaling the finest penthouse suite, and a massive wooden desk trimmed with gold, where the head of this dynamic new company was standing with her back to the elevator.
"...and inform the Turian ambassador, in no small terms, that if negotiations are not concluded soon, then the Combine in charge of defense spending is going to be facing a sharp downturn in their fortunes," Liara said coolly over the comm system to the holographic projection of an extremely nervous Volus.
"I...wheeze..." he started to stammer out.
"Good day!" Liara snapped back, cutting off the projection at once. Hearing the elevator door close, Liara turned around quickly and smiled at the sight of her loyal assistant. "Dahlia, darling! I'm so glad you're here!"
"Is there something you wanted to tell me?" she asked as Liara ducked down to grab something from underneath her fancy desk. "I'm due for a meeting with the Ridge Corp vice president to smooth over tensions."
"Ah, that's the news I wanted to share," Liara declared brightly, appearing with a bottle of expensive Asari honey-mead. "Two hours from now, Ridge Corp will be officially rebranded as a subsidiary of ShepardTech Systems."
Dahlia's eyes widened "Ridge Corp would give us effective control of the entire human side of the market!"
"And with it, the Systems Alliance," Liara reminded her. "I say this calls for a celebration!"
"Isn't it a bit early for honey-mead?" Dahlia said, watching her boss produce two glasses and open up the incredibly rare beverage. "It's quite rich, too."
"So are you," Liara pointed out. "Besides, if it weren't for you, STS would never have gotten as far as it did! You should enjoy the fruits of your labor! I know I am!"
This didn't surprise Dahlia. She'd suspected this for a while, but with Liara's suit removed and hanging on the back of her chair, it was really impossible to miss that Liara had put on a few pounds since the company first saw runaway success. A burgeoning potbelly was already testing the strength of the buttons on her shirt, and it was clear that legs were starting to fill out her slacks a little more then before. Dahlia couldn't complain, being a little on the chubby side herself, but she couldn't ignore that Liara was almost as big as her now. Evidently, Liara's new, more 'forceful' personality was not just a ruthless capitalist but a rampant hedonist as well.
Well, Dahlia already found she enjoyed being a ruthless capitalist. Maybe a rampant hedonist would be fun too.
"Now that's more like it," Liara said proudly as Daria took the glass offered to her. Picking up her own, she raised it in a toast. "To ShepardTech!"
"To ShepardTech!"
A clink of glass, and both women gulped down their drinks, their sharp minds feeling the fuzzy effects of the alcohol.
"I think," Dahlia said slowly, pondering each syllable. "I would like another..."
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