The office hadn't missed a beat in her absence. Emails flowed, phones rang, laughter echoed from the break room like nothing had ever happened.
Except… everything had.
As Karen walked into the open-floor workspace, conversations dimmed mid-sentence. Eyes darted. Some smiled politely. Others just stared,calculating, comparing, judging.
Her desk was untouched. Carla had kept it that way, her best friend always had her back.
"Finally," Carla whispered, springing up and hugging her. "I would've murdered someone if you didn't walk in today. I was this close to losing my mind."
Karen smiled softly. "You have no idea how good it feels to see this place again."
Carla pulled her down into the seat beside hers. "Okay, spill. Is it true you were taken? And what about you and the CEO? Because people are saying...."
Karen gave her a look that shut it all down with a smile.
"Let's just say I saw the worst of people, and the best of someone I didn't expect."
Carla blinked. "Was that a love quote? Karen, what did they do to you at that resort?"
Before Karen could reply, Mr. Fola, the uptight HR head, appeared like a cloud. His eyes narrowed.
"Karen Wright," he said formally. "Mr. Alex requested to see you in his office."
The whispering resumed the second they left the floor.
Carla mouthed "text me everything" as Karen followed Mr. Fola through the halls.
.....
Alex's office was quiet when she entered.
He was by the window, hands clasped behind his back, staring out like a man with the weight of ten secrets.
He didn't turn immediately. "Didn't take long for the rumors to start, did it?"
Karen stepped forward. "Let them talk, we both know the truth."
Now he turned sharp, unreadable but there was that flicker in his eyes again, just for her.
"No," he said, voice low. "Only we know the full truth. And that's dangerous, Karen. Gerald may be gone, but there are people inside this company who were loyal to him. People who aren't happy you're back. People who might even want to silence you."
Karen's heart skipped.
He walked to his desk, pulled out a small black envelope.
It had her name written on it.
"What's that?" she asked.
He handed it to her, but his jaw was tense. "It was left on your desk. No fingerprints. No one saw who dropped it."
Karen opened it slowly.
Inside was a single typed note:
>"Some ghosts should stay buried. You're not safe yet."
She felt the chill wrap around her spine.
Alex's hand found hers. "We're not done fighting. But I swear, I'll keep you safe. Even if it means burning this whole place down."
And this time, he didn't need to kiss her.
The intensity in his voice, the promise behind those words?
It felt just as intimate.
Just as real.