Chapter 1

Avery Lloyd moaned as a man peppered her with kisses. She felt like a boat trying to stay afloat amidst crashing ocean waves.

It was hard to gauge how long it took for the sex to end. When it was finally over, Avery curled up in the man's warm embrace and fell deeply asleep.

The following morning, she flipped onto her side and rested a hand on a warm chest. The strange sensation woke her up. As she slowly opened her eyes, a handsome face came into view.

"Huh? Mr. Lavigne?" Avery's mind went blank for a few seconds. Then, the memories of the previous night's indulgence flooded her mind.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she bolted up. The sudden action tugged on a certain spot of her body, making sweat bead on her forehead from the soreness.

She felt like she'd been broken into pieces and put back together like a wooden doll. Every movement made her ache.

But that was nothing compared to the scene before her—she was in a large tent with messy sheets pooled around her.

Eason Lavigne was as naked as the day he'd been born, save for a blanket thrown over his waist. His long legs stretched out, and she could see scratches on his back as he lay on his side.

Avery felt like she'd been struck by lightning. She sat there, feeling like the world was crashing around her. Last night… It hadn't been a dream?

She was an intern who'd started working half a month ago, and she'd slept with Eason, her boss!

As she panicked, Eason's fingers twitched. It looked like he was about to wake up. This scared the hell out of Avery.

She hastily threw on her clothes before fleeing the scene. She didn't notice the pearl bracelet she'd left by the pillow…

The sky outside had yet to brighten fully; last night's bonfire had already been put out. Tendrils of smoke rose from it and into the air.

Several tents had been set up around the bonfire. Avery ran across the grass barefoot and shot into a pink and white tent.

As soon as she lay down, Summer Hall turned on her side to meet Avery's eyes. It made Avery's breathing hitch.

But Summer shut her eyes after giving her a look. She asked seemingly casually, "What are you up to so early in the morning?"

"I…" Avery felt like her heart was lodged in her throat. Her mind raced before she settled on an answer. "I went to the restroom."

Summer didn't question her any further. Soon, her breathing evened out.

Avery sagged in relief, but her heart was still racing. She stared at the tent's ceiling until her eyes felt dry and tired, but she forced them to stay open.

She remained in bed even after the sky had turned bright and almost everyone was awake.

Outside the tent, there was the sound of her colleagues' chatter and laughter. Avery cocooned herself in her sheets, only revealing her head.

Summer pulled the zip down and said, "It's time to get up, Avery. We're going to go hiking after breakfast."

They were on a team-building camping trip where they would spend a few days at a beautiful mountain.

Yesterday had been the first day of the trip. After the journey up the mountain, everyone had let loose and had some drinks at night.

Avery hadn't wanted to drink, but she was new at the company. Thus, she had forced herself to have some drinks so she could blend in with her colleagues.

And it was precisely those drinks that had gotten her into trouble. She didn't know how the hell it had happened, but she'd gone into the wrong tent and accidentally slept with Eason.

Her head started aching at the thought of that.

"Avery? Avery!" When Summer didn't receive a response despite calling Avery's name a few times, she took off her shoes and entered the tent. "Avery, are you okay?"

Avery sniffled, feeling a slight urge to cry. Her voice was muffled as she said, "I'm fine."

Summer felt her forehead. "Oh, no. You're burning up."

"I'm fine." Avery bit her lip and suppressed the urge to cry. "I'll be fine after a lie-in, so you guys go ahead. Don't bother about me."

That didn't reassure Summer. She got some medication to bring the fever down and made sure Avery took it before joining the others for the hike.

It was only after things had quietened down outside that Avery allowed herself to weep because of how horrible she felt.

Physically, she felt terrible. The remnants of last night's activities were still on her, and she felt like she could still smell Eason's scent. Was it because she was too sensitive?

That, coupled with the fever, made Avery feel like she was a pig being roasted over a fire. She felt so horrible that she wanted to die.

…

Meanwhile, the hiking group gathered at the foot of the mountain. When Eason got out of the car, all the women focused their attention on him.

"Oh, my God. Mr. Lavigne's so gorgeous!"

"I'm so used to seeing him in suits; I never would've thought he'd be so handsome even in casual wear!"

"Girl, you're practically drooling."

"God, I'm so glad I got to witness this!"

Eason exuded an air of dominance as he stood. Underneath his shades, his eyes swept over the crowd. He asked, "Did everyone have a good night's rest last night?"

"Yes, sir!" the crowd answered in unison.

He frowned slightly and turned to his secretary general, Xavier Jackson. Xavier took the hint and asked, "Did any of you enter Mr. Lavigne's tent last night?"

Everyone exchanged looks before shaking their heads.

They were all employees at Lavigne Corp. Even if some of the employees in the secretarial department lusted after Eason, no one would dare put their career on the line and sneak into their boss' tent.

Who would have the nerve to do that?

Eason's frown deepened when he didn't see anyone admitting to being in his tent. He held up a hand, from which the pearl bracelet dangled. "Whose is this?"

Everyone still shook their heads, indicating that they'd never even seen it before.

"If any of you know to whom this belongs, please inform me." Eason added, "You'll get a bonus for this."

He paused, then continued, "Also… your year-end bonus will be doubled."

The crowd was abuzz at his words.

"Doubled?"

"I got ten thousand dollars last year. If that's doubled, I'll have 20 thousand dollars. Think about that!"

"Whose bracelet is that?"

"It looks pretty nondescript. Is it that valuable?"

"Summer, do you know anything about it?"

"Huh?" Summer returned to her senses, looking a little odd. "No…"

"Alright, it's time for a roll call." Xavier started checking the attendance.

He was greeted by silence when he called out Avery's name. He asked, "Where's Avery Lloyd?"

Summer stepped forward. "She's sick. She's resting in the tent."

"Sick?" Xavier looked at Eason for his opinion.

Eason sat in the car as he played with the bracelet. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.

Xavier didn't dare to interrupt him, so he continued checking the attendance. Once he was done, he said, "Let's get going, then."

He closed his notebook and approached the car. "Will you be joining everyone, Mr. Lavigne?"

Eason didn't look too interested. He kept staring at the bracelet. After a while, he said, "No, I'll sit this one out. You lead the group."

"Yes, sir."

"What are you looking at, Summer?" Violet Jagger tugged on Summer's arm. "Come on, we need to make a move. The first ten at the peak get a bonus, you know."

"Oh, okay." Summer nodded. Still, she turned back to look at Eason. All she saw was his car twisting and turning down the mountain trail as he headed to the campsite.

She suddenly turned to Xavier and said, "I'm worried about Avery, Mr. Jackson. I think I'm going to sit this out and head back to care for her."

"Alright."