Chapter 8 – The Weekend Escape
769 Words
Friday afternoon arrived with a rare surprise.
Adrian walked out of his office carrying only one folder.
No laptop.
No phone pressed to his ear.
No stack of contracts.
Amelia looked up from her desk.
"Are we... leaving early?"
"We are."
She smiled.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"I have a business retreat."
"That doesn't explain why you're leaving early."
"It starts tonight."
"Oh."
He paused.
"You'll be coming with me."
She blinked.
"I will?"
"You'll be handling my schedule."
Daniel appeared as if he'd been waiting for that exact moment.
"Poor Amelia."
She laughed.
"Why?"
"Because Adrian treats retreats like military operations."
"I do not."
"You once gave me a color-coded itinerary."
"It was efficient."
"It included designated coffee breaks."
"They were necessary."
Daniel looked at Amelia.
"See what I mean?"
───
Two hours later, the company car pulled through the gates of Ashford Manor, a grand country estate nestled among rolling green hills.
The air smelled of fresh rain and wildflowers.
For the first time in weeks, Amelia took a deep breath.
"It's beautiful."
Adrian glanced out the window.
"I suppose it is."
"You've been here before?"
"Every year."
"And you've never noticed how pretty it is?"
"I come for meetings."
She shook her head, smiling.
"One day I'm going to teach you how to relax."
"I already know how."
"Oh?"
"I finish work by midnight on Sundays."
She laughed so hard she nearly spilled her tea.
───
That evening, after a formal dinner with investors, Amelia escaped to the gardens.
Moonlight shimmered across a quiet lake.
The noise of the ballroom faded behind her.
"This is where you've been hiding."
She turned.
Adrian stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets.
"I needed some fresh air."
"So did I."
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The silence felt... comfortable.
Not awkward.
Just peaceful.
"I used to come somewhere like this with my mother," Adrian said quietly.
Amelia looked at him.
"There was a small lake near our home."
He smiled faintly.
"She insisted every problem looked smaller reflected in the water."
"Was she right?"
"I didn't believe her then."
"And now?"
He looked at the moonlit lake.
"I'm beginning to think she was."
───
The next morning, the retreat organizers announced a surprise team-building challenge.
Each executive would be paired with a partner to solve clues scattered across the estate.
Daniel clapped his hands together.
"This is going to be fun."
Adrian looked horrified.
"It will be unnecessary."
"Same thing."
The organizer smiled.
"Mr. Blackwood, your partner is..."
She checked her clipboard.
"...Miss Carter."
Daniel grinned.
"What a coincidence."
Adrian gave him a suspicious look.
"You arranged this."
"I may have made a suggestion."
───
Their first clue led them through a rose garden.
Amelia read the card aloud.
"'Find the oldest tree on the estate.'"
She looked around.
"Any ideas?"
Adrian pointed toward a giant oak standing alone on a hill.
"That one."
"How do you know?"
"I came second in this challenge five years ago."
"You came second?"
"It still bothers me."
She laughed.
"You really do hate losing."
"I dislike avoidable failure."
"You make everything sound like a board meeting."
"I've been told."
As they reached the oak tree, Amelia slipped on damp grass.
Before she hit the ground, Adrian caught her.
One arm wrapped securely around her waist.
The other steadied her hand.
For a heartbeat...
Neither of them moved.
They were close enough for Amelia to see tiny flecks of gold hidden in his dark brown eyes.
Close enough to hear his heartbeat.
"You alright?" he asked softly.
"I think so."
"You almost fell."
"I noticed."
Neither of them let go.
A voice suddenly called from across the field.
"There you are!"
They stepped apart so quickly it was almost embarrassing.
Daniel jogged toward them, trying very hard not to smile.
"I've been looking everywhere."
"You found us," Adrian replied.
"I certainly did."
Daniel's grin grew wider.
"And judging by the timing..."
He looked between them.
"...I interrupted something."
"We were discussing oak trees," Adrian said.
Daniel nodded dramatically.
"Of course you were."
Amelia burst into laughter.
Even Adrian couldn't hide a reluctant smile.
For the first time in years, the sound of his laughter echoed across the quiet countryside.
And though neither of them realized it...
Someone else heard it too.
From the upstairs window of the manor house, Evelyn Hart watched them together.
Her expression was unreadable.
"So," she whispered to herself.
"It has begun."
She turned away from the window and reached for her phone.
"It's time to put the next part of the plan into motion."
- Writer
