Out of Office and Over the Edge
By @john1208
At her department head’s funeral, Marenka Voss mathematically calculates that a spontaneous breakdown is her most efficient option. Fleeing severe corporate burnout and crippling depression, the notoriously cold strategist books a one-way ticket to Kovalen - a sprawling, anonymous foreign metropolis. But when her attempt to locate a silent urban retreat goes horribly wrong, she finds herself lost in the treacherous wilderness bordering the city limits. Enter Bram Kinsey, a rugged, exasperated outdoor guide who saves her from a ravine while she’s trying to professionally negotiate with a wild dog. Told in alternating third-person perspectives, this laugh-out-loud comedy follows Marenka as she applies ruthless corporate efficiency to wilderness survival, while Bram forces her to confront her buried emotions. Despite their profound connection, a bittersweet, unspoken love keeps them silent. They part ways, convinced their lives are incompatible - until months later, when Bram walks into her boardroom as her company's new experiential consultant. Now she’s his boss, their feelings are strictly undocumented, and her former corporate nemesis is about to reveal a shocking, sympathetic secret that caused her burnout in the first place. Can Marenka finally optimize her way into a happily ever after?
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