Chapter 21 – Whispers in the Hall

It started with a whisper.

A comment here, a glance there. All barely noticeable on their own, but together they wove a web that grew tighter around Evelyn each passing day.

"Did you see her come out of the executive elevator again?" one assistant muttered to another as Evelyn passed. "She must have friends in high places."

"She's definitely angling for something," someone else said with a smirk. "No one rises that fast without help."

Evelyn heard it all. And though she kept her chin high, each remark struck like a pebble against glass, fine cracks spidering beneath her carefully curated calm.

What she didn't yet realize was that this wasn't idle gossip. It was coordinated.

Genevieve had wasted no time planting seeds. Upon returning from the U.S., she had taken quick stock of the office dynamics and Evelyn Hart had been an unexpected variable. One that needed to be managed.

Over an espresso in her private office, Genevieve tapped her manicured nail against the desk, her gaze fixed on Linda Chang, the long-standing Head of Marketing and Evelyn's supervisor.

"You've been in your role for what? Five years?" Genevieve asked casually, not looking up.

"Six," Linda replied, straightening in her chair. She didn't like the implication.

Genevieve smiled faintly. "Then I imagine it must sting to see your assistant's face showing up in internal reports. Her name mentioned in board recaps."

Linda's jaw tensed. "Evelyn is thorough. And Alexander has always appreciated efficiency."

Genevieve raised an eyebrow, finally looking up. "Efficiency? Or something more?"

Linda frowned. "What are you suggesting?"

Genevieve leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping into a confidential tone. "Just that Alexander's interest in her seems… uncharacteristic. He's not known for mingling with junior staff. Yet he's requested her for meetings. Defended her in public. It's concerning."

Linda's lips pressed into a thin line. It was true and she had noticed the shift. At first, she had chalked it up to Evelyn's competence. But there had been moments that didn't sit right. A glance exchanged during a meeting. A quiet word from Alexander in Evelyn's defense that had felt strangely… personal.

"She's young," Genevieve continued, standing and moving toward the window. "Talented, yes. But she doesn't have the depth for your role. And yet…" She let the sentence dangle.

Linda sat in stiff silence.

"I'm only saying," Genevieve finished, turning back with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "keep your eyes open. Sometimes the people who seem loyal are simply opportunists in better disguise."

The conversation ended there, but the damage was done.

Over the next few days, Linda's tone toward Evelyn grew cooler. She began bypassing her on strategic discussions, rerouting tasks to junior team members. Evelyn found herself excluded from a key campaign brainstorming session, the one she'd organized and scheduled.

She knocked on Linda's door the following afternoon. "You rescheduled the Q4 planning meeting?"

Linda looked up, her face unreadable. "Yes. It didn't require your input."

"I was leading that session," Evelyn said, trying to keep her voice even.

Linda shrugged. "We've adjusted. I need you focused on coordinating the launch assets instead."

Evelyn's fingers curled slightly around the folder she held. "Is there something wrong with my work?"

Linda smiled thinly. "Not yet."

That evening, Evelyn sat in Noah's office, a plate of half-eaten takeout in her lap and her laptop open beside her. She stared at the team calendar, noticing the sudden changes: meetings vanishing, responsibilities shifting.

"They're cutting you out," Noah said quietly.

"I know," Evelyn whispered. "It's her. Genevieve."

"Want me to dig?" Noah offered, already pulling his laptop toward him.

Evelyn nodded. "If there's a pattern, I need to know."

Meanwhile, in a bar far too upscale to be casual, Genevieve sipped her wine as she reviewed a printed spreadsheets - staff hierarchy, reporting structures, campaign credits. Evelyn's name appeared too often. Linda sat across from her, nursing a cocktail.

"If she becomes a liability," Genevieve said, without pretense, "we act."

Linda said nothing, but her silence wasn't agreement. It was calculation.

Genevieve saw it and smiled.

"We're not just protecting your title," she added softly. "We're protecting the company from someone who doesn't know how deep these waters go."

The trap was baited.

And Evelyn Hart was walking straight into it.