THE MOP AND THE BILLIONAIRE 2

*Chapter 2: The Gossip Spreads* By 6:15 AM, the entire 42nd floor knew. Nora walked into the staff room and the chatter died instantly. Three cleaners looked away. One laughed too loudly into her phone. The silence was worse than the whispers. “She thinks she’s special now,” said Sofia, the head cleaner, not bothering to lower her voice. She was folding uniforms, slamming each one onto the shelf harder than necessary. “One night with the boss and she’s too good to mop floors.” A few of the younger girls giggled. Nora set her bag down without a word. She didn’t argue. She’d learned in Riverton Village that arguing with a crowd only gave them more to talk about. She’d expected this. In a place like Walker Enterprises, a girl from Riverton Village didn’t rise without people dragging her back down. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She stepped outside to the hallway to check it. A message from her mother: _Did the money come through? School fees due today. Your brother is crying again._ Nora’s chest tightened. She typed back quickly: _Soon. I’ll send it by noon._ She didn’t say why. She couldn’t say why. If her mother knew she’d been sleeping in a CEO’s office at 3 AM, she’d either cry or pray for three days straight. At 6:30 AM, she reported to Ethan’s office on the 45th floor. The security guard at the elevator didn’t stop her this time. He just nodded and pressed the button for her. The respect felt unearned and uncomfortable. Ethan was already there, reviewing files, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened. He looked tired but focused. He glanced up when she entered. “You’re early,” he said. “I don’t do late, sir.” He gestured to the desk beside his. A new laptop, a headset, a stack of files labeled _Q4 Reports – Walker Enterprises_. “Your desk. Learn the system by noon. You’ll be taking calls, scheduling, and screening visitors. If Celine comes, you send her to me first.” Nora sat down. The chair was leather, cool and expensive. Her old one at home was plastic and cracked down the middle. She felt out of place, but she forced herself to focus. By 9 AM, the first call came. It was from a supplier in Oakridge, angry about a delayed shipment. By 10 AM, she’d made three mistakes and fixed two of them herself. She mispronounced a client’s name, forgot to log a meeting, and almost sent a confidential file to the wrong email. Ethan didn’t correct her out loud. He just slid the corrected file back to her with a red pen mark and moved on. No lectures. No humiliation. That scared her more than yelling would have. At 11 AM, Celine walked in without knocking. Ethan didn’t look up. “You’re not manager anymore, Celine.” “I’m still your fiancée,” she said, smiling at Nora like a predator circling wounded prey. “And I’m here to see why my replacement is sitting at my old desk.” Nora kept her eyes on the screen. Her hands were sweating so badly she wiped them on her pants under the desk. “She’s my secretary intern,” Ethan said flatly. “That’s all.” “All?” Celine stepped closer to Nora’s desk. Her perfume was strong, expensive, suffocating. “She’s a village girl, Ethan. She doesn’t know how to talk to clients. She’ll embarrass you. Embarrass us.” Ethan finally looked up. His expression shut the room down. “Watch yourself.” Celine’s smile faltered for half a second. “I’m only saying what everyone is saying. The staff thinks you’re playing favorites. They think she slept her way up.” Nora’s face burned. She wanted to stand up, to say something, to defend herself, but she knew better. In Riverton City, rich people’s words were law. Poor people’s words were noise. Ethan stood slowly, pushing his chair back with a screech. “If I hear one more person say that, they’re fired. If I see one more person harass her, they’re fired. This building runs on work, not rumors. Am I clear?” Celine stared at him for a long moment, calculating. Then she forced a laugh, light and brittle. “Of course, darling. I was just looking out for you.” She left, heels clicking hard against the marble, each step like a threat. The office was silent after she left. Ethan sat back down, rubbing his temples. “You good?” Nora nodded, throat tight. “Yes, sir.” “Don’t let her get to you. She’s angry because she got caught.” Nora frowned. “Caught?” Ethan hesitated, eyes flicking to the door, then shook his head. “Not your concern. Not yet.” At noon, Nora went to the HR office to update her contract. On her way back, she passed the pantry. The door was slightly ajar. Celine’s voice drifted out, low and sharp. “Make sure she fails,” Celine was saying. “One mistake, and I’ll make sure Ethan sees it. He can’t protect her forever.” Marcus Hale, Ethan’s secretary, replied quietly. “Leave it to me.” They didn’t see Nora. She stepped back quietly and walked away, heart pounding. So it wasn’t just gossip. It was a plan. That evening, she sent her mother the money. $120,000. More than she’d ever sent at once. She used the new company account Ethan had set up for payroll advances. She told herself it was a loan. By 8 PM, the internal company chat was blowing up. Someone had leaked the change in her role. _Did you hear? The new janitor is now the CEO’s secretary._ _She’s sleeping with him._ _No way. She’s 21. He’s 29. It’s disgusting._ _Celine is going to destroy her._ _I heard she’s from Riverton Village. Those people have no manners._ Nora logged off and stared at the ceiling of her small rented room in Brimland District. The fan creaked. The walls were thin. She could hear her neighbor arguing with his wife again. She’d left the village to escape gossip. Riverton City was worse. Here, gossip could get you fired. Or worse. The next morning, Ethan called her into his office at 7 AM. The city was still waking up outside the glass walls. “Don’t explain yourself to anyone,” he said. “Not to them. Not to Celine. Not even to me. Just do the work. Let them talk.” Nora nodded. “One more thing,” he added. “Lunch is on me today. 1 PM. Don’t be late.” Nora blinked. “Sir?” “Call it a performance review,” he said, and for the first time, he almost smiled. It was small, but it reached his eyes. Outside, Celine watched from the hallway. She’d been waiting there for ten minutes. Her hands were clenched so tight her nails left crescent marks on her palms. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. At 1 PM, Nora sat across from Ethan in the executive dining room on the 46th floor. The view overlooked all of Riverton City. She barely touched her food. “You’re distracted,” Ethan said. “I’m fine.” “You’re not.” He set his fork down. “What did you hear?” Nora hesitated, then told him about the pantry. About Celine and Marcus. Ethan’s jaw tightened. “I thought so.” “What are you going to do?” “What I should have done months ago.” He paused. “Celine’s been embezzling. Small amounts. Hidden in vendor contracts. I’ve been building the case.” Nora froze. “And you’re telling me this why?” “Because you’re in the middle of it now,” he said simply. “And I need someone I can trust to watch my back.” Nora didn’t know what to say to that. Trust was expensive in Riverton City. She’d never been given it before. When she got back to her desk, there was a note on her keyboard. No name. Just one line: _Quit before you get hurt._ She crumpled it and threw it away. That night, she stayed late again. Not because she had to. Because she didn’t want to go home to an empty room and a phone full of messages she couldn’t answer yet. At 9:47 PM, Ethan walked past her desk on his way out. “You’re still here.” “So are you,” she said. He stopped, studied her for a moment. “You’re stubborn.” “So are you.” He almost smiled again. “See you tomorrow, Nora.” She watched him leave, then looked at the darkened city outside. The gossip would keep spreading. Celine wouldn’t stop. But for the first time since she’d left Riverton Village, Nora felt like she wasn’t running anymore. She was staying. And she was going to learn how to fight back.