The company hums with whispers as Adele strides through the gleaming corridors of departments.

She knows they are talking about her.

The voices aren't hushed enough.

"There she is."

"God, she's beautiful, but inside? Rotten. I mean, she's like a rotten Egg."

"And you wonder why her husband doesn't care about her? Maybe this is why he hits her, throws her out, and still takes her back to just use her."

"She has an eight-year-old daughter! Doesn't she feel ashamed? I pity the poor girl."

"Shameless. I wish I had her audacity. On second thought… no, thanks."

"Bet she's after money."

Adele keeps her back straight, chin high, even as their words press down on her like a weight she can't shake off.

She knows the rumors are absurd. Laughable. But falsehoods don't need truth to ruin a life, just enough people willing to believe them.

Her breath is tight in her chest by the time she reaches the glass double doors of the CEO's office. The whispering follows her like a shadow.

Inside, Nathan McCall, the company's CEO, stands by his desk, his broad frame outlined against the city skyline. His presence is as imposing as ever.

He isn't alone.

A younger woman sits stiffly, a folder clutched in her hands, Lucy Carter.

Adele's stomach tightens. "Sir, you called for me?"

Nathan barely glances at her. "Yes, Mrs. Richards." He gestures toward Lucy. "This is Lucy Carter. She will be taking over as Head of the Design Department. Before you leave, make sure she has everything she needs."

The words hit like a slap.

Adele sways slightly, but she steadies herself. "Sir, I don't understand."

Nathan folds his arms, his gaze finally settling on her__ cold, unreadable.

He then turns to Lucy, "Mrs. Carter, excuse us." He says.

"Yes, sir." Lucy stands and walks out, heels clicking against the marble floor.

The moment the door shuts, Nathan turns to Adele.

"How old do you think my son__ Ricky, is?" He asks, his voiced laced with annoyance.

Adele blinks. "Sir, whatever you've heard, it's a lie. I would never..."

"Did I ask for an excuse? I asked how old you think my son is!" His voice is sharp, edged with anger. He doesn't wait for her answer. "Twenty-three! A kid who plays around, who doesn't know what he wants! And you… you are thirty, a mother! And you dare force yourself on him?"

Her breath catches.

"What people are saying is true because I saw it myself on the security footage!" Nathan's voice is firm, final. "You should be grateful I'm letting you go quietly. I don't want to hear of you again. Ever."

Adele doesn't move. Doesn't blink.

She cannot take this__ this is a lie, this is character assassination.

"Sir, I didn't do it." Her voice trembles with thick emotions. "You can ask him. Ask him and he will tell you the truth that I did not, sir."

Nathan's jaw tightens. "Leave, Mrs. Richards. Before I have security drag you out. Leave before you dent my name and my son's... any further!"

The room tilts slightly as the weight of the moment settles on her.

She wants to fight. She wants to scream.

Instead, she turns and walks out.

_

After everything Adele stops outside the towering Star Shine Jewelry Company. The golden letters gleam under the city lights, a place that once gave her everything.

Her hands tremble.

This job fed her daughter.

Paid for her education.

Kept her afloat... while her so called husband doesn't even know where their daughter goes to school.

A man who is never home.

A man her daughter barely knows.

The man who abuses her for no reason.

And now, it's all gone.

Her mind drifts back to yesterday, to the moment that lead to all these chaos__ To the moment that has led to the ruin of her life.

Ricky had followed her to her office after he saw the bruise on her arm.

"He did that to you again?! He did that, didn't he?!" He had pointed at the bruise on Adele's hand. His voice had been firm, his eyes filled with something close to desperation. "He doesn't deserve you, Adele! You're worth more than anyone cares to admit. And I'm not saying this just because I love you, and I want you. I'm saying it because it's the truth."

His words had settled deep inside her, shaking something loose.

She had always sent him away, always told him to never show up in front of her again. Telling him that what he wants with her can never happen. Always told him to stay out of her life.

But yesterday… she hadn't fought it.

When Ricky leaned in, determined to connect their lips_ She should have turned away. Should have stopped him.

But she didn't.

And before anything happened, the door flew open.

Mr. McCall's secretary.

Her eyes wide opened before flashed with shock. She didn't hesitate before running to spread the rumor, a rumor that had lived in whispers for months but now had a witness to fuel it.

And now_ Adele is the woman who threw herself at the younger CEO's son.

Adele is the woman who lost everything.

She clenches her fists, the cold wind biting against her skin.

She turns away from the company that no longer belongs to her.

'Why hadn't she moved away from Ricky's attempted kiss anyway!?' She asks herself as she walks away.