Chapter 14: Questions

My heart sank. Gossip. It was always a delicate dance in the office, but this was crossing a line. I stopped in my tracks, my smile fading. I couldn't let them talk about me like this.

I approached them, my voice firm, “Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I'm afraid I have to address this.”

The group fell silent, their eyes widening in surprise. The employee who had started the gossip, a young woman named Sarah, cleared her throat nervously.

“Oh, Ms. Winston, we were just...”

“You were gossiping about my personal life,” I finished for her, my voice unwavering. “And I won't have it.”

Sarah's face flushed red. “But we were just...”

“Just what?” I asked, my patience thinning.

“Just speculating about my romantic life? Just assuming things about my past? Do you know what it's like to be judged and dissected without even a shred of understanding?”

The others in the group looked uncomfortable, their eyes darting between me and Sarah.

“I'm not asking you to be my fr