The office buzzed with an energy Karen hadn't felt since she started. Whispers zipped across cubicles, heels clicked hurriedly on the tiled floor, and phones rang endlessly. It wasn't just the usual Monday chaos this was different.
Karen looked up from her desk just as Carla dropped into the seat beside her, wide-eyed and grinning.
"You heard?" she whispered, like it was a secret she couldn't wait to spill.
"Heard what?" Karen arched a brow, half-smiling.
"The company retreat! They're taking the entire executive department and a few lucky staff to a private resort for three days.
All expenses paid" Carla clasped her hands dramatically. "A resort, Karen!"
Karen blinked. "You're joking."
"I swear! The HR director just posted it in the internal portal. They said it's for team bonding, strategic planning... you know, bossy stuff.
But mostly, it's just luxury, baby" Carla wiggled her brows.
Karen quickly clicked into the company's staff hub. Sure enough, the headline read:
EXECUTIVE TEAM RETREAT
Location: Avalon Private Resort
Date: This Friday – Sunday
Selected staff will be notified by email today.
Her stomach twisted. A retreat with Alex in the same space for days? She hadn't even recovered from the chaos of the gala. And now this?
Just then, her phone vibrated.
New Email: You've Been Selected.
Carla screamed before she could. "You got it!"
Karen stared at the message, heart thumping. A retreat with Alex, Dami, and possibly Luca? What were the odds?
But nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.
Upstairs in the CEO's office, Alex stared at the staff list. His finger paused over Karen's name. He hadn't forgotten the perfume. Or the way her laugh had haunted him in his dreams last night.
He tapped her name, confirming her inclusion, then added another.
Luca Moretti.
Someone had to keep an eye on her. Not for safety...no, Alex didn't trust himself around her anymore. Not when her mere presence made him forget every line he'd drawn for himself.
Downstairs, Luca received his own email. He leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Interesting."
By lunchtime, the whole floor was a flurry of outfits, gossip, and frantic Googling of Avalon Resort.
Karen could barely focus, her thoughts pulled in too many directions.
What would this retreat bring?
Peace?
Chaos?
Or something far more dangerous?