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Theo: Including our CEO.

Fucking great.

Nick: Sierra and I are coming.

Liam: I was actually wondering if you were coming alone.

Zayn: You know she’ll be okay without you for two days, right?

Nick: She’ll be. I won’t.

Nick: And I already leave her alone enough when I go to games.

Chris: Pretty obvious who’s doing the work around here and who isn’t.

Chris: Ethan, you need to fire some people. You’ll find the names in the previous messages.

Kai: A lot of meetings today.

Kai: I don’t have time for your gossip.

Kai: Theo, I’m coming.

Chris: If I come to your office, I’ll find you doing nothing.

Chris: You just want to avoid Ethan firing you like he will the others.

Noah: For a guy who’s so busy with work, you’re pretty active here, Chris.

Noah: You can count on me, Theo.

Chase: Off to practice.

Chase: Present, Theo.

Aiden: You know we’re supposed to start in five minutes, right?

Aiden: Also, I’m in.

Nick: Late again, Chase? If I have to do suicides because of you today, at the next game I’ll be the one pushing you into the Plexiglas, not the other team.

Theo: See you all Friday at 1 p.m.

Ethan: 1 p.m.?

Ethan: Is nobody working anymore?

Theo: Oh, shut it, Ethan.

Theo: You won’t die if you take half a day off.

I don’t have time to reply to Theo because someone is knocking on the door. I thought activating the privacy system was a clear hint to everyone about how much I want to be disturbed.

The answer—not at all.

I exit the group chat with the guys, even though my phone keeps vibrating on the desk, and decide to deactivate the privacy system and see what happens. No sooner have I pressed the button than I see the silhouette of a woman waiting at the door, and my blood doesn’t know whether to boil or run cold again. My chest tightens for a moment, and I feel a strange mix of irritation and something else I can’t name.

Thalia’s about to raise her hand to knock again, but…