The Lovestruck Intern

Chapter Four

Max really had to get a grip of himself. It was a perfectly looking Monday morning and he had a ton of work on his to-do list. Mia, the receptionist had informed him of an impromptu meeting with the Vice President of Google slated to hold in a few hours. Yet, there he was with his mind clouded to the brim with the new intern.

He swiveled mindlessly in his office chair and drummed his pen on the desk. Running a mega tech company in the Big Apple was no small feat. It took years of dedication, discipline and determination. Yes, the 3 D’s. He never played around with them.

Being the first son and child of The Porters brought too much responsibility from a young age. Max remembered his not-so-regular childhood with his power and money obsessed dad, Gerald and eccentric mom, Veronica, who loved hosting parties with friends more than anything else. His younger brother, Ryan, was what the family called a pain in the ass. Ryan didn't care about anything related to the family business, and wanted nothing to do with it.

‘You’ve got to take more responsibility and plug into the family business. Look at your brother, Max, he might have gone astray from the winery industry and found himself in that technology junk, but at least he's cashing in big time. What do you think, son?’ Gerald often chided his second son, but it was no use. Ryan had made up his mind to do nothing and everything at the same time.

A year before his graduation in college, he attempted walking up Mount Everest. Then, he started a vegan life YouTube channel, urging people to stay away from meat and dairy, repeatedly saying that it was a trick by the government to control people’s minds through their diet. His YouTube journey only lasted a month before it was taken down. After that, he viciously scammed Veronica, taking some money from her and refusing to pay back after investing in a crypto scheme that crashed and all the money was gone and nowhere to be recovered.

Max earnestly wanted the best for his baby brother, and influenced him to be a part of Max Group, but he declined and said he had his own path to follow. A path of no return, thought Max.

As for his little twin sisters, Lavender and Lily, they were the most adorable and well behaved teenagers in modern American history. They were both in high school and maintained a simple life even with Veronica’s constant bugging, trying to get them to splurge Gerald’s money on fancy fashion and gadgets.

Lavender was the athletic twin, excelling in sports and earning trophies left, right and center. Her dream was to compete at the Olympics and she wasn't going to stop until it finally happened. As for Lily, she was the bookish type that would rather camp in her bedroom, dissecting literature books than having a decent conversation with an actual human being. Together, they were a dynamic and special duo, and Max loved them passionately.

His family came first, then his business. As a young adult, he had pitched the idea to his college mate and back then, it seemed like a long shot. With Gerald’s massive loan, he created a website that helped with cyber security lapses and in three months, it was the hottest thing on the market. That was how his career started with the birth of a tech empire.

With contentment in his heart, Max took a deep breath and as if on cue, his desk phone rang.

‘It’s time, Mr. Porter.’ Mia’s voice filled his eardrums. As much as it was necessary for him to explore more opportunities for partnerships to make some more money, he wanted nothing than to just chill for a little while.

‘On my way downstairs, Mia. Call Ivan to get the car started. I don't want to be late for my meeting.’ He said curtly, even though he was more exhausted than irritated. He picked up his work bag, mobile phone and was on his way to Washington D.C for yet another official duty.

Jesi’s office was huge. Palatial was more of the word to describe the massive office she was given for her Lead of IT Operations role at Max Group. She had earned her accolades and she took every opportunity to gloat, even the slightest.

Whenever her days of struggle came to mind, she had no other choice than to be complacent. She had worked really hard to get to the top spot and she would do anything to never go back down. With a drug addicted mother, and a father who abandoned her ever since she was little, she was left to care for herself all by herself.

Jesi, a native of Boulder, Colorado, was constantly moved from one foster home to another, until her long distant aunt took absolute responsibility for her wellbeing. Together, they relocated to New York and that was when things started to look up for Jesi.

People had the wrong impression about her. Some called her, a b***h or a t**t but who cared? She was making it big in the city and she had everything she wanted — a profitable job and a wonderful apartment to call a home. She was also a proud mama of her two puppies.

The only thing missing in her seemingly perfect life was a leading man in her love story. Her love life was almost non-existent. She wasn't into one night stands and flings. The men she met were jerks anyway, so it was best she stayed away from their beds. One had deceived her with ‘the best head’ she ever had and before she could register what was going on, he had moved into her apartment.

New York men were total s**t. Except for one. The one who was her boss, and didn't seem to be interested in her.

Max was the epitome of a perfect gentleman. Someone who could make her feel like a woman and together, they would run Max Group to the skies. A total power couple. But as expected, it was business strictly with him. He didn't even acknowledge her in his presence. Like, that time she bought a new dress for $800 at Bloomingdale's and showed off a little too much at the office.

Everyone else complimented her style, except Max. Instead, he complimented the old pair of shoes she was wearing that day. That same night, she called off a date and ditched her Tinder account for weeks. She was miserable and craved Max in her arms, or she in his arms. Whatever the equation was going to be, she didn't mind.

Jesi could smell a rat from a mile away. It was one of her superpowers that she never took for granted. She wasn't heavy in making or keeping friends, because she knew the majority of people were climbers — social climbers, finance climbers or emotional climbers. So, she kept her guards up. ‘If you don't want to get trampled like trash, then get off the damn floor,’ her mother would always say. The crack w***e was right after all.

In this case, it was the new girl, the intern, Monica. She knew something was up with her but she couldn't tell. At least not yet. The internship programme was a privilege to aspiring tech savvy graduates who desired a soft landing in the tech world. Monica, was the lucky winner for the year. To Jesi’s surprise, Monica didn't look like someone who was fit or qualified for this huge opportunity. It was only an internship role, but it was a big deal to everyone who knew about it.

Earlier at the meeting, she had observed her closely. Monica was unsettled and out of place. It was common for new employees but something else was underneath her shady behaviour. What could it be?

Jesi’s iPhone chimed with the alarm tone interrupting her thoughts. It was her lunch break and the little noodle shop across the street was calling to her all day. She would handle the Monica Anderson problem later, just after she put some food in her raging belly.