The atmosphere inside Valcrest Holdings changed overnight.
Aria felt it the moment she stepped onto the executive floor.
People walked faster. Voices dropped when doors closed. Assistants whispered urgently into phones, eyes darting toward the boardroom as if something inside might explode.
Aria pushed her cart forward, silent as always.
No one paid her any attention.
Good.
Near the elevators, two senior managers stood talking in hushed tones.
"the audit request came from above," one of them said. "No name attached."
"That's impossible," the other replied. "Audits don't just appear."
Aria stopped beside them and began wiping the metal panel of the elevator, head bowed.
"Apparently it does now," the first man muttered. "Several departments are being reviewed. Finance, procurement, overseas investments…"
The second man cursed under his breath. "If they dig too deep, people are going to get exposed."
Aria wiped slowly, methodically.
Exposure was inevitable.
Midway through her shift, she was called into the supply room.
"Hey," the supervisor said, not bothering to look up from her clipboard. "Executive floor again tonight. Be careful."
Aria nodded. "Yes."
The supervisor hesitated, then lowered her voice. "They're in a bad mood. Don't give anyone a reason to complain."
Aria didn't respond.
She never did.
The executive cafeteria was crowded when Aria arrived to clean spilled coffee near the window.
Selena Ashford sat at the center table with her usual entourage.
Her laughter rang louder than everyone else's.
Aria kept her gaze down as she knelt to wipe the floor.
A sharp crack echoed suddenly.
Gasps followed.
Aria looked up just in time to see a porcelain cup shattered near her hand, coffee splashing dangerously close to her uniform.
"Oh my," Selena said lightly. "I slipped."
Several people laughed.
Selena looked down at Aria. "Did I get you dirty?"
Aria wiped her hand and stood slowly. "No, Miss Ashford."
Selena smiled sweetly. "Good. Clean it up."
Aria knelt again and picked up the shards.
One of the assistants leaned over and whispered loudly, "Careful. Don't cut yourself. Medical bills are expensive."
Laughter erupted.
Aria cleaned every piece carefully, her face expressionless.
Inside, something shifted.
Not anger.
Resolution.
That night, after the building finally quieted, Aria entered the empty cafeteria.
She stood where Selena had been sitting earlier.
She imagined the table overturned.
The laughter silenced.
Soon.
Her phone vibrated.
She checked it briefly.
The finance head requested an emergency meeting.
Board members arguing.
Aria typed back.
Let them argue.
She slipped the phone away.
As she exited the cafeteria, she nearly collided with someone.
"Watch it."
A deep voice.
Aria stepped back immediately. "I'm sorry, sir."
She looked up just enough to see a tall man in a black suit, his presence commanding even in the empty hallway.
He didn't look at her face for long, just her uniform.
"Be careful next time," he said coldly and walked away.
Aria watched him disappear around the corner.
She didn't know his name.
She didn't need to.
Not yet.
Back in the storage room, Aria washed her hands slowly, staring at her reflection in the cracked mirror.
Coffee stains marked her sleeves.
Her eyes were calm.
The cracks were spreading.
And when the glass finally shattered
They would bleed.