When The Sun Sets In The East

01| The topic of gossip.

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A sense of relief washed through her as she relieved her bladder. Soon after, she tore out a few rolls of tissue to clean herself up. In those few seconds, she heard the creaking sound of the door as it opened, and a few steps followed in.

"I'm telling you, she's not." The first female voice spoke up just as the steps eventually stopped.

"Are you sure? I thought Genevieve was a divorcee." The second female voice added, a little doubt laced in her voice.

At the mention of her name, she felt rather reluctant to get up as she had intended. She directed her attention towards the women beyond the door of the toilet she was in. Genevieve didn't want to listen, but circumstances forced her to do so. She endured without making a sound.

"Nope, she has never gotten married and I wonder if she plans to turn grey in her father's house." The first voice declared alongside a burst of mocking laughter in the end.

"Well, maybe she no longer has suitors because of all the success she has made. You know, I heard men don't like an overconfident and independent woman." The second added her piece and Genevieve still didn't utter a word to let the women know their topic of gossip was right behind them.

"Of course. She thinks she's better than everyone else because she was lucky enough to make it to the top earlier than most people. I bet she's lonely and desperate for a man in her life..."

The sound of the toilet being flushed interrupted whatever she had left to say and as the door opened, their gaze immediately shifted to it. The moment they sighted her walking out of the toilet towards the sink, right where they were, their eyes dilated in surprise, followed by a wash of guilt and embarrassment.

She spared them no glimpse, turned on the tap, washed her hands, walked past them, took out a few rolls of tissue to wipe her hands, and then calmly walked out of the restroom after depositing the used tissue in the nearest bin.

Once she was out with the door shut behind her, she stopped for a second and drew in a deep breath, releasing it at once to ease herself from any feeling of anger. Genevieve felt satisfied with herself for the way she handled the situation. Exchanging words with clueless women like them would be a waste of her energy. The truth will always be that she is better than them and they're simply jealous of something about her.

Accepting all that, she drew in another deep breath to boost her confidence before heading off towards her office.

As a branch manager in one of the best banks the country offered, it was no lie that Genevieve had achieved what most women couldn't have attained at thirty-seven years old. She was at the peak of her career and it would seem like she had it all, yet there was one thing she couldn't shake off. The talk of a life partner. There was no denying that time was fast against her and that simple fact made her a conversation topic for her surrounding acquaintances.

Her phone rang, and she looked at the caller ID. She felt exhaustion weighing on her, but she picked up the call, anyway.

"Good evening, mum." She greeted once she held the phone to her ear.

"Evening, dear. How's work going?" Her mother's voice came through.

"Okay." She gave a brief response.

"Well, I won't take much of your time. I just had to remind you that your younger brother's child dedication is the day after tomorrow, but you already know preparations start tomorrow, so you should spend the night home for the next two days."

A light frown surfaced between Genevieve's brows.

"Spend the night?" She repeated after her mother, and yet the idea didn't seem the least bit pleasant to her.