"To be honest, staying would just be awkward now." I forced a smile and avoided Lucas'' probing gaze.


    The situation with Mr. Hastings Senior and Mom had caused quite a stir at thepany. Even though no one spoke about it openly, I could feel the whispers and judgment behind my back. Rather than enduring the difort, it was better to just leave.


    Lucas seemed to understand. He let out a soft sigh and didn''t press further. "Have you thought about where you''ll go next?"


    I shook my head. "Not yet. I''ll just figure it out as I go." Deep down, a quiet voice told me it didn''t matter where I went as long as I could get away from all this chaos here.


    "If you ever need help, you can always reach out to me," he said sincerely.


    I simply thanked him and left it at that.


    After we parted ways, I walked home alone. The fall wind howled around me. The swirling fallen leaves in the air mirrored the turmoil inside me. I had no direction, no clear path forward.


    The sudden ringing of my phone broke the silence. It was Alex.


    "Serena, I heard you resigned." His voice carried a trace of urgency.


    "Yeah," I replied tly.


    "Why? Is it because..." He hesitated as if carefully choosing his words. "Because of my father?"


    "That''s part of it." I didn''t care to exin further.


    "Serena, you can''t leave!" His voice grew tense. "Thepany needs you right now. If you go, what am I supposed to do?"


    His words caught me off guard. Thepany needed me? Funny how that hadn''t crossed his mind when he reassigned me away from the core project team.


    "I''ll be back tomorrow to wrap up a few things," I said before hanging up.


    ...


    The next day, I arrived at the office as usual. The moment I stepped inside, saw Jacqueline Quinn, one of the newer employees, looking at me with concern. "Serena, are you okay? I heard-"


    "I''m fine," I cut her off, unwilling to discuss Mr. Hastings Senior any further. "But I won''t be here much longer."


    "What?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "Why? You''re doing so well here!"


    I just smiled and said nothing. Some things weren''t worth exining.


    I returned to my desk and began packing my things. Around me, may colleagues pretended to be busy, but I could feel their eyes darting in my direction, their hushed whispers drifting through the air.


    "So, she''s not some rich heiress after all... She''s just a maid''s daughter."


    "No wonder Mr. Hastings treated her so well. Looks like..."


    "Shh! Keep your voice down. Don''t let her hear you."


    Their words stabbed at me like tiny needles, sharp and cruel. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stayposed as I continued packing.


    "What are you all talking about?" Jacqueline''s angry voice suddenly rang out.


    "N-Nothing..." one of the gossiping employees stammered.


    "Nothing? I heard everything!" Jacqueline''s voice grew louder. "What does any of


    this have to do with you? Who gave you the right to judge Serena?"


    "You''re still too young, Jacqueline," one of the older employees said with a


    mocking tone. "There are some things you''re better off not knowing."


    "You should be worrying about yourself," another added, smirking. "Who knows where you''ll end up soon enough..."


    "The office is a workce, not a gossip lounge," a senior employee suddenly interjected, his voice firm and authoritative. "If management hears about this, do you think there won''t be consequences?"


    The room fell silent in an instant. One by one, they all turned back to their screens, suddenly too busy to continue their conversation.