9:00 AM. Carter Group Headquarters.

Vivienne stepped out of the elevator and onto the executive floor. Usually, this was her runway the place where she walked with her head high, the rhythmic click-clack of her heels signaling productivity and power.

Today, the hallway felt like a gauntlet.

Every head turned. Conversations stopped mid-sentence. Eyes darted away, then back again, filled not with the usual fear or respect, but with something far worse: amusement.

She saw a junior analyst whisper to a secretary. She saw a board member quickly lock his phone screen as she passed.

They know about the company, she told herself, tightening her grip on her handbag. They...