Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Early morning, Murray was resting in the VIP lounge at the airport, mindlessly scrolling through his social media.

With half an hour left before his flight, time seemed to crawl at an agonizingly slow pace, wishing he could teleport onto the plane.

Suddenly, he froze, straightening up as something caught his eye. A post from Corley from the day before showed a beautiful beach scene with the perfect blend of blue skies, turquoise waters, and the golden hue of sunset.

The caption read, [The weather on Maldor Beach is nice, but the best part is meeting someone special.]

Comment from A read, [Is Corley hunting for romance on his vacation?]

Corley's reply: [I'm not casting a wide net. I'm fishing with precision.]

Comment from B: [Sounds like Mr. Sullivan's caught something interesting?]

Corley's reply: [Grinning with teeth.]

As Murray scrolled further, his mood darkened. With too many mutual friends, the update had caused many speculative comments about Corley's love life.

news while he sneaked off to

Beach to board, prompting Murray to grab his coat and head out of

about to enter.

guard, Murray got embraced tightly, standing

never been to the Maldor Beach, and you took it to heart." She straightened up, waving her boarding pass. "I've heard about their amazing overwater bungalows, where you can fall asleep to the sound of the waves and wake

Murray muttered an excuse about visiting the restroom and quickly

called his assistant, Maurice, with a

the phone, wondering if Murray

you don't

in. "Mr. Sherwood,

I recall correctly, I only

,٧٢

handing it to Millie.df there's a problem with your hearing, you should get it

try to excuse himself. Instead he apologized, "I'm sorry, Mr. Sherwood. I failed to give clear instructions and didn't double-check. It won't happen

softened slightly.

...