Chapter 42 Slander!
Stargaze Gallery closed at 5 PM, and it was usually pretty packed around then.
Rachel looked at Benjamin standing in front of her, paused for a moment, then said, "Hey, are you free tonight? Let me treat you to dinner."
She still owed him for that rainy night.
She couldn't let it slide.
Her conscience wouldn't let her.
Last time, he had picked up the tab.
"What time?" he asked.
"I'm flexible. Whenever works for you."
Benjamin glanced at his watch and said casually, "6:30. You pick the place and text me the address."
"Sounds good." Rachel smiled, "Drive safe."
Benjamin nodded, tossed his coat onto the back seat, and got into the driver's side.
As the car started and drove off, he glanced at the right side mirror and saw her slender figure still standing there, watching his car.
The sun was setting, and it was getting chilly.
Rachel had rushed out without a coat, just in a chiffon blouse. Benjamin frowned, only relaxing when he saw her turn around and head back inside as his car turned the corner.
Rachel went back up to the third floor and straight to her office.
Her phone buzzed with a message.
[Nancy's gonna use Sarah's phone to spread rumors in the Stargaze Gallery work group chat, saying you and Benjamin are having an affair!]
She froze, her body tensing up.
Nancy had snapped a photo of her and Benjamin?
Rumors?
An affair!
The key words in that message made her throat tighten.
Ten minutes later, Carol knocked urgently on her office door. Without waiting for a response, she pushed the door open and came in. "Rachel, you need to see this."
Rachel's heart sank. She had a pretty good idea what it was about. She looked up from the exhibition catalog she was reviewing, feigning confusion. "What's up?"
Carol had already thrust her phone in front of Rachel.
Rachel's eyes focused on a somewhat familiar photo.
Her brows furrowed, and a chill settled in her eyes.
Sure enough.
In the photo, Benjamin was caught mid-stride, his face still recognizable, arms open as if ready to embrace her.
The photo was posted from Sarah's account in a group chat with 36 members.
The group was called "Salary Slaves United."
Rachel wasn't in that group.
Sarah: [Guys, I discovered something huge, oh my god!]
Two familiar names replied: [Oh my god, what's going on? Is that Ms. Davis? And who is that guy? He's so handsome.]
Sarah: [This secret is too big, I can't handle it.]
Rachel didn't scroll further. She looked up at Carol, puzzled. "What group chat is this?"
Carol looked a bit embarrassed. "It's a chat for the curation, display, exhibition, and admin teams. Nancy added me."
Stargaze Gallery had about sixty employees, excluding cleaning and security.
This group chat included half of Stargaze Gallery's staff, and from some of the most important and active departments.
There were about thirty unread messages in the chat.
Rachel tapped the screen, and the lines of text jumped out at her.
[No way, Ms. Davis and her husband always seemed so in love.]
[But I think the guy in the photo is more handsome than Mr. Martinez. Where's my go-to for gossip? Somebody pull up his entire file for me!]
[I just can't believe Ms. Davis would cheat.]
Nancy: [@Sarah, what are you posting? I know that guy, he's just a friend of Rachel's. It's not what it looks like. Steven treats Rachel so well, there's no way she'd do something like that. She's not that kind of person! Everyone, stop spreading rumors!]
Rachel suddenly laughed.
She hadn't even labeled Steven and Nancy as cheaters, yet Nancy was already dragging her into a scandal.
Nancy's message seemed to defend her, but it was also a backhanded confirmation.
Rachel's face turned cold. "Get me the footage from the two cameras in the display group's hallway, from 4:13 to 4:23. I want to see who took that photo!"
Carol was taken aback, then nodded. "Okay, I'll do it now."
Rachel closed the file in front of her, took a sip of water to clear her throat, and walked out of the office.
When she reached the curatorial team's area, she ran into Sarah, who was carrying a stack of freshly printed papers. Sarah smiled and greeted her, "Ms. Davis."
Rachel's cold eyes landed on her face.
Sarah was a recent graduate interning at Stargaze Gallery, not yet a full-time employee.
Rachel had personally hired her. Sarah was pretty, outgoing, and very capable in her field.
Just as she was about to speak, someone suddenly jumped out, blocking her path.
"Sarah, that's too much! How could you post that photo and spread rumors, ruining Rachel's reputation? How do you think everyone at Stargaze Gallery will see her now?"