Evelyn, an investment-department intern, collapses with nausea and a dull belly ache; a doctor reveals she's malnourished, carrying triplets and at high risk of miscarriage. Colleagues spot pregnancy signs, accuse her of improper conduct and demand she open the locked room; they threaten to fire her and break the door down. Mr. Howe suddenly feels Evelyn's pain because the Howe lineage resonates with the first woman a man is intimate with, creating confusion and scandal. Evelyn pleads, "Someone drugged me," and begs for a permanent position to save her ailing mother—her job and the company's judgment remain unresolved.