Aria didn’t remember how she got out of the office.

She only knew that one moment she was staring at the screen, her entire life reduced to bullet points and leaked numbers, and the next she was moving—walking fast, heels clicking sharply against the marble floor as whispers chased her down the hallway.

“Did you see it?” “Five years?” “So it was fake?” “She sold herself—”

Every word felt like a slap.

Heads turned as she passed. Conversations died abruptly. Some people looked away in embarrassment. Others didn’t bother hiding their curiosity. Aria kept her chin high, spine straight, even as her chest felt like it was caving in.

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