林薇盯着桌上那个印子，指节因为用力敲击有些发白。 internal recommendation, she scoffed silently, what a joke. She'd believed it was a surefire way to get a foothold in the marketing department, but Kevin just waved her off like she was nothing. Like always.

"Need me?" Her assistant, Maya, slipped into the office, holding a fresh pile of reports. "Mark told me you've been staring at that file for hours."

林薇扯了扯嘴角，算是笑。 "Yeah, thinking about the quarterly campaign. Got any ideas?"

Maya hesitated, glancing around before lowering her voice. "Mark asked if you're still planning to attend the mandatory team-building retreat next week. Said it's important for... bonding."

林薇's stomach tightened. Bonding with Kevin? The thought was nauseating. She considered ignoring it, just like she'd been doing with everything else regarding him. But the retreat was also an opportunity. An opportunity to network, to show her worth. If she missed it, she'd be even further behind.