Emily Meyers stormed into Campbell's office, her cheeks flushed with fury. She slammed the door behind her, cutting off the distant sound of ukuleles and the hum of conversation from the "Hawaii Day" chaos outside.
Campbell sat at his desk, utterly unbothered, sipping leisurely from a large pineapple smoothie. He didn't even look up when she entered.
"We need to talk," Emily said, planting her hands on his desk.
"About?" Campbell asked, finally glancing up, his expression calm and detached.
"About Luke. Again," she snapped. "This time, he's turned the office into a luau. There are hula dancers assaulting people, surfer dudes wandering around like it's a beach, and my productivity has officially hit rock bottom."
Campbell leaned back in his chair, taking another long sip of his smoothie. "You really need to loosen up, Emily."
Her jaw dropped. "Loosen up? My desk is sticky from someone's pineapple smoothie, I was hip-checked by a hula dancer, and I can't focus because the entire office smells like coconut and Spam!"
He shrugged. "It's good for morale."
"Morale?" she repeated, incredulous. "How is any of this good for morale?"
He gestured vaguely with his smoothie. "People seem happier. It's fun."
Emily stared at him, her frustration boiling over. "This isn't a hedge fund anymore. It's a theme park!"
Campbell chuckled, clearly amused by her outrage. "You're overreacting."
She threw up her hands. "Of course I am! Because no one here takes anything seriously!"
Before she could continue, the door opened, and one of the surfer dudes stepped in. He was tall, tan, and undeniably attractive, with tousled blond hair and a laid-back grin. He carried a surfboard under one arm, as if he'd just strolled in from the beach.
"Uh, hey," he said, looking directly at Emily. "I just wanted to say... I think you're, like, really cool."
Emily blinked, momentarily thrown off. "What?"
"You're super intense," he continued, leaning against the doorframe. "It's kind of hot."
Campbell stifled a laugh behind his smoothie, clearly enjoying the moment.
Emily's face turned red—not from flattery, but from sheer exasperation. "Are you serious right now?"
"Totally," the surfer dude said, flashing her a dazzling smile. "You've got this whole 'don't mess with me' vibe. It's rad."
She turned to Campbell, her voice sharp. "This is what I'm talking about! Why is he even here?"
Campbell shrugged again. "Luke hired him. He's part of the experience."
Emily turned back to the surfer dude. "Look, I don't have time for this."
"Cool, cool," he said, holding up his hands. "But, like, if you ever want to chill... you know where to find me."
With that, he left, leaving Emily standing there, her frustration reaching new heights.
Campbell sipped his smoothie again, smirking. "You've got an admirer."
"I don't want an admirer," she snapped. "I want a functional office."
Emily stormed out of Campbell's office, her blood boiling. She knew exactly where to find Luke. He was standing by the buffet table, chatting with one of the hula dancers and holding court like he owned the place.
"LUKE!" she yelled, marching toward him.
He turned, his face lighting up. "Ah, Emily! Aloha!"
"Don't 'aloha' me," she snapped, stopping a few feet away. "This is the last straw."
Luke raised an eyebrow, his grin widening. "What now?"
"What now?" she repeated, her voice rising. "You've turned the office into a circus—again! There's a surfer dude hitting on me, and Campbell doesn't care because he's too busy sipping on his damn pineapple smoothie!"
"Sounds like a good day to me," Luke said, shrugging.
"It's not a good day!" she yelled. "It's chaos! And you're the ringleader!"
He laughed, clearly unbothered. "You're so predictable, Emily. Always finding something to complain about."
Her fists clenched at her sides. "You know what, Mertle Edmonds?"
Luke froze, his grin faltering. "What did you just call me?"
"You heard me," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "Mertle Edmonds. You know, like the annoying little brat from Lilo & Stitch who thinks she's better than everyone else."
Luke stared at her, momentarily stunned. Then he burst out laughing. "Wow. That's a deep cut."
She glared at him. "You're not denying it."
"Why would I?" he said, still laughing. "Mertle's iconic. Just like me."
"You're insufferable," she muttered.
"And you're predictable," he shot back, his grin returning. "Always trying to take the fun out of everything."
She took a step closer, her voice low and dangerous. "One day, Luke, this is all going to backfire on you. And when it does, I'll be there to watch."
He raised his coconut cup in a mock toast. "Looking forward to it, Wahine."
Later, as Emily sat at her desk trying to focus, her phone buzzed with a notification.
Luke Edmunds: Instagram Story
She groaned, opening it.
The video showed her yelling at him, with the caption: "Breaking news: Wahine Meyers takes on Hawaii Day. Spoiler: She's still not a fan of pineapples. #AlohaEmily "
Her blood boiled as she typed out a reply:
"You're unbearable."
His response came almost immediately:
"And you're predictable, Wahine. "
She threw her phone onto her desk, glaring at the faint pineapple stain that still lingered there.
The feud wasn't over—not by a long shot. But as Emily sat there, plotting her next move, she vowed that Luke—and his surfer entourage—would regret underestimating her.
Because if he thought this was the end, he was sorely mistaken.