“Violet,” Elliot says, his tone skipping with the usual charm. “You don’t know how good it is to see you again. Honestly, you’ve made my weekend.”
I resist the urge to gag, instinctively taking a step closer to Violet.
“Elliot,” Violet says with a polite smile. “Small world.”
“Yes, it is indeed. If only I’d realized before that Chase was underpaying to the extent you had to juggle two jobs.” He shoots me a condescending smirk, his words landing like well-aimeddarts. My fists ball instinctively. “But you must visit us at our new offices, Violet. They really are quite sensational.”
“Are you trying to poach my staff, Elliot, right in front of my face?” I force myself between them, resisting the urge to punch the slimy smile off his face.
Elliot chuckles, every inch of him radiating satisfaction, aware he’s pushing every single one of my buttons. The sad part is I’m letting him get to me.
“Stop being so sensitive, Chase. I’m simply offering her the opportunity to visit our offices to take a look around.”
“The only time she’ll visit your offices is when I’ve taken it over.”
His smirk widens. “We’ll see.”
The tension tightens like a drawn bowstring, and I’m seconds away from snapping when the retreat coordinator steps onto a small platform at the front of the terrace, clapping her hands for attention.
“Okay, everyone, let’s get today started. First, I want to thank Monarch’s CEO, Charles Ravenscroft, for setting this up.” A ripple of applause follows, accompanied by a not-so-subtle grimace from Richard.
“You’ll be competing in a series of challenges designed to test problem-solving, leadership, and, of course—teamwork,” she continues. “Our first event will be an obstacle course. You’ve been divided into two teams based on the wristband color you were assigned this morning. Red teams, please gather on the right and the blue team on the left.”
I glance down at my wristband. Red.
Then I look at Violet’s.
Blue.
Then Elliot’s.
Blue.
For fuck’s sake.
Elliot is already all up in Violet’s space, ushering her toward the left like he’s claiming her for himself. I don’t know what irritates me more—the sight of him practically hovering over her or the way Violet walks off without even a glance back.
The air is fresh with the scent of damp earth and pine as we line up at the starting point of the obstacle course. A rough trail winds ahead, disappearing into dense foliage before re-emerging at a clearing where the real challenge begins. Rope nets, towering wooden walls, mud pits, balance beams, and a goddamn zip line over a freezing creek—Monarch wasn’t messing around.
“Remember,” the retreat coordinator calls out, “this isn’t just about speed. It’s about teamwork. First team to get all their members across the finish line wins.”
I roll my shoulders, my muscles loose and ready. I’ve done enough endurance training to understand this will be simple for me. What’s more interesting is the team breakdown—Violet’s stuck with Elliot. I’m on the other side of the competition with Richard, who already looks like he’s questioning every life choice that led him here.
“This is absurd,” Richard mutters, eyeing the course as if it personally insulted him. “Tell me again why we couldn’t just do a trust fall exercise in the conference room?”
“Because Monarch thinks ‘friendly competition’ builds business relationships,” I parrot dryly.
Richard snorts. “This is why I work in an office.”
A whistle blows. The race is on.
I take off at an easy pace, the packed dirt giving way to roots and loose stones as we charge toward the first challenge—a set of wooden beams we have to crawl under. I clear them fast, barely slowing, while behind me, Richard lets out a winded grunt as he drops to his knees.
“I amnotbuilt for this shit,” he wheezes, dragging himself forward.
“You’re doing great,” I lie, already moving ahead.
The course winds through the wilderness, the sound of rustling leaves and scattered laughter breaking through the thud of running footsteps. Ahead, I see Elliot reach the first climbing wall with Violet right behind him. She hesitates for half a second—then Elliot is there, boosting her up, his hands firm on her waist.
