Abby walked into the office with her usual air of confidence, the sharp click of her heels echoing in the wide, marble hallway. But something felt off today. As she passed by her colleagues, she couldn't help but notice the way their conversations seemed to abruptly stop, only to start again in hushed whispers the moment she moved past them. Eyes followed her, curious and probing, as if she were an exhibit in some twisted display.
Her gut tightened with unease, but she kept her expression calm, her posture straight. She had worked too hard to let a few whispers shake her. Whatever gossip was going around would fade—it always did. People loved to speculate about powerful women, and Abby had learned to steel herself against it. But today, the tension in the air felt different, thicker, almost suffocating.
