로그인Alexander stopped outside the study and called his father.Richard answered after the third ring."Have you finally reconsidered?""No. We need to talk.""I thought we had already said everything that needed to be said.""Apparently not. You've involved Vivienne in a decision that has nothing to do with you."Richard sighed. "Alexander, you're being unreasonable.""Then let me make myself clear. I will not marry Vivienne. I will not entertain another discussion about replacing Elena, and I expect you to stop encouraging her family to pursue something I've already rejected.""You're speaking as though this is a business negotiation.""You made it one."There was a pause.Richard's voice hardened. "You are risking more than you understand. The Ashfords are important to this family. Your mother and I have spent years building relationships that you seem determined to throw away.""Then maintain those relationships without involving my marriage.""And if we refuse?"Alexander looked towar
The silence inside the car continued long after the estate disappeared from view.Elena kept her attention on the passing buildings, watching the familiar streets of Manhattan come into view. Alexander sat beside her, his phone resting in his hand. He had received two messages since they left his parents' house, but neither had been answered.Eventually, he put the phone away."You're unusually quiet."Elena turned slightly. "I'm tired.""That's not what I asked."She looked back through the window. "What would you like me to say, Alexander? Your parents have made their position clear. Vivienne has made hers clear, too.""And?""And I don't know what you expect me to do with that."He shifted toward her. "Nothing. You don't have to do anything."A faint, humorless smile touched her lips."That's easy for you to say. You grew up in that house. You understand those people. I am still trying to understand why sitting at your family's table feels like being interviewed for a position I wa
The following morning, the resort was already busy with departing guests.Suitcases stood beside the reception desk, employees gathered around the breakfast tables, and Daniel was making final arrangements with the transport coordinator. The delay had been resolved, although the additional vehicle would arrive later than originally scheduled.Elena sat near the window with a cup of tea, checking the time on her phone. She had already informed her supervisor that she would be back in New York that evening.Alexander arrived a few minutes later, his phone pressed to his ear."No, don't release the report yet. I want the original submission history alongside the revised records. If there's a discrepancy, I want to know where it began, not simply what the final system shows."He ended the call and placed his phone on the table."Everything all right?" Elena asked."An issue with the access records. The analyst is still reviewing them."She nodded. "I hope they find something useful.""So
By eight o'clock, the resort's private dining room had filled with the voices of Blackwood Corporation's employees.The formal part of the retreat was over. Jackets had been abandoned over chair backs, ties loosened, and the long tables rearranged to accommodate people who had spent the day speaking to colleagues they usually encountered only through emails and meetings.Elena sat beside a woman from the marketing department, listening as she described the difficulty of getting three departments to agree on a single campaign."Every time we settle on something, someone discovers a reason it won't work," the woman said. "By the time we finish, the original idea is barely recognizable.""Does that mean the final version is better?" Elena asked."Sometimes. Other times, it just means everyone has managed to get their opinion into it."Elena smiled. "That sounds exhausting.""It is. But I suppose every job has some
The restaurant Daniel had recommended was already crowded when the group arrived.Warm light spilled through the windows onto the narrow sidewalk, and the smell of grilled seafood drifted into the street whenever someone opened the door. Inside, wooden tables filled most of the dining room, with a few smaller ones tucked beside the windows overlooking the harbor.The retreat coordinator had made reservations for everyone, but the employees quickly divided themselves among the available tables. Conversations overlapped as people settled in, comparing what they had seen around town and debating which dishes were worth ordering.Elena took the menu offered by a waiter and looked through it.Across from her, Alexander was answering a question from Martin Reeves about the following morning's schedule. Even away from the office, people seemed to find reasons to bring work to him."The revised figures will be in your inbox tonight," Ma
By the time the last presentation ended, Daniel had already begun gathering the folders scattered across the conference table.“We have the afternoon free before dinner,” he announced. “The resort has arranged transport into town for anyone who wants to explore. The return shuttle leaves at five-thirty.”A few employees immediately began discussing where to go. Someone suggested a café near the harbor, while another recommended the small shops along the main street.Alexander closed his laptop.“Send me the revised figures before tomorrow morning,” he told the department heads still packing their belongings. “The rest can wait until we're back in the office.”Nobody mistook that for a suggestion.Elena, seated near the windows, slipped her phone into her bag. She had spent most of the morning listening to people discuss budgets, schedules, and figures she had no particular reason to remember. She was looking forward to







