"Hey! Are you blind?"
The sharp voice made Aria stop mid-step.
She was pushing her cleaning cart down the executive corridor of Valcrest Holdings when a woman in a red designer dress blocked her path, heels planted firmly on the polished marble floor.
I'm sorry," Aria said immediately, lowering her head. "I'll move right away."
The woman looked her up and down, nose wrinkling in disgust. "Do you know how expensive this floor is? If your dirty water stains it, you could never afford to pay for the damages."
"I understand," Aria replied quietly.
Behind the woman, several employees laughed.
"Why do they even allow cleaners on this floor?" one of them said mockingly. "This is where executives work."
Another voice joined in. "Maybe she came here to admire how rich people live."
The laughter grew louder.
Aria tightened her grip on the mop but said nothing.
She had learned long ago that silence was the safest response.
"Move faster," the woman snapped impatiently. "You're blocking the way."
Aria stepped aside at once, pressing herself close to the wall as they walked past her like she was invisible.
Invisible.
That was what she had been for ten years.
Not long after, familiar laughter echoed from the elevator.
Aria's heart sank before she even turned.
She knew that laugh.
"Selena, slow down," a man said indulgently. "We're not late."
Selena Ashford stepped out of the elevator like she owned the building perfectly styled hair, expensive perfume, confidence dripping from every step.
The company's beloved princess.
Aria's step-sister.
"Why should I?" Selena replied smugly. "This company will be mine sooner or later anyway."
The man beside her chuckled.
Aria's breath caught.
Ethan Cole.
Her ex-fiancé.
Vice President of Valcrest Holdings.
The man who had once promised her forever until her family threw her away.
Selena's eyes landed on Aria.
She froze, then slowly smiled.
"Well, look at this," Selena said, amusement sparkling in her eyes. "Isn't this… familiar?"
Ethan followed her gaze.
His expression stiffened the moment he recognized Aria.
For a split second, something like embarrassment flickered across his face.
Then it disappeared.
"Do you work here now?" Selena asked mockingly. "Oh wait, of course you do."
She laughed softly. "I almost forgot. This is the only kind of job you're qualified for."
The people around them laughed again.
Aria lowered her head. "Good evening, Miss Ashford. Sir."
Ethan frowned. "You don't need to greet us. Just do your job."
Selena looped her arm through his and leaned against him deliberately. "Honestly, Aria, I really admire your persistence. Even after being abandoned by your family, you still managed to survive."
She tilted her head. "But cleaning floors for people like us… isn't that a bit embarrassing?"
Aria said nothing.
There was nothing left to explain.
Ethan glanced at her mop and scoffed. "Some people are just born to stay at the bottom."
Selena nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Know your place."
They walked away, laughing together.
Aria stood still long after they were gone.
Her hands trembled slightly not from pain, but from restraint.
When the executive floor finally emptied, Aria pushed her cart into the massive boardroom and closed the door behind her.
The silence was heavy.
She straightened slowly.
Her back no longer bent.
Her eyes were calm.
She reached into her pocket and took out her phone, not an old, cracked one like everyone assumed, but a sleek device protected by a privacy screen.
One message sat at the top.
Majority Share Acquisition Completed.
Ownership: 51.8%
Aria stared at it for a long moment.
Then she locked the screen and returned the phone to her pocket.
She picked up her mop again and continued cleaning, expression indifferent.
After all…
Tomorrow, Selena Ashford would still call her a cleaner.
And Aria would let her.
For now