It started with whispers.
At first, they were faint—just fragments of conversations slipping through the office like background noise.
But Lina had always been observant.
And soon—
she started hearing them.
"Have you seen them lately?"
"They eat lunch together."
"The CEO actually talks to her…"
"Who is she?"
Lina didn't react at first.
She simply continued walking.
Cleaning.
Working.
Smiling when spoken to.
But something had shifted.
People no longer looked at her the same way.
Their glances lingered.
Curious.
Judging.
Sometimes—
uncomfortable.
Lina slowed her steps slightly, glancing at a group of employees who quickly turned away the moment she looked in their direction.
"…Did I do something wrong?" she murmured quietly to herself.
The question lingered longer than it should have.
That afternoon—
she found herself near the break area, cleaning a small spill on the floor.
The room was mostly empty.
Or so she thought.
Two employees stood nearby, unaware that she was within earshot.
"She's just a cleaner, right?"
"Then why is she always in the CEO's office?"
A pause.
Then a quieter voice—
"You know how these things go…"
Lina froze.
Her movements stopped completely.
Her hand tightened slightly around the cloth in her grip.
Another voice followed, lower, more certain.
"…You think she's using him?"
The words hit harder than she expected.
Not because they were loud.
But because they were said so casually.
So easily.
As if her entire presence—her work, her effort, her struggles—
could be reduced to something like that.
Using him.
Lina's chest tightened.
Her breath felt caught, stuck somewhere between disbelief and hurt.
For a moment—
she couldn't move.
Couldn't speak.
Couldn't even think clearly.
Using him…?
Is that really what they think?
She slowly lowered her gaze, her grip tightening just slightly as she forced herself to remain composed.
To stay calm.
To not react.
Because reacting—
would only confirm something she didn't want to be true.
Quietly—
she stood up.
Finished the small task.
Then turned and walked away.
Before they could notice her presence.
Before they could see her expression.
And for the first time since she had stepped into this company—
her smile didn't come.
Not even when she tried.
Because something had reached her.
Something small.
Something simple.
But something that—
for the first time—
she didn't know how to brush off.