What If?

Chapter 6 - Is This a W or an L?

Ding!

The chrome elevator doors slid open on the twelfth floor, and Launa stepped out. Her eyes darted around, taking in the entire space with a spark of genuine awe she couldn't quite hide.

The place was massive way grander than she’d ever imagined. The Ellsworth Group’s open-office layout was total eye candy, featuring soaring ceilings and sleek, artistic glass partitions. The classic corporate buzz hit her instantly. Over in one corner, rows of long cubicles were packed with staff glued to their monitors, their fingers flying across keyboards in a rhythmic, clacking chorus.

But it wasn't all stiff and formal. Near a massive floor-to-ceiling window showcasing the Belmont skyline, a few senior staffers were huddling over files, laughing softly. Meanwhile, in the open pantry area, the sharp aroma of freshly brewed black coffee mingled with the steam rising from a mug of hot tea as an employee strolled casually back to their desk.

Everything felt incredibly professional and dynamic. For a split second, a wave of pride washed over Launa. The brutal grind and the sleepless nights she’d pulled to make the cut in an era practically built on nepotism had finally paid off.

"Excuse me, are you Launa?"

A friendly but firm voice broke her train of thought. Launa snapped her head around to find a young woman with a sharp bob haircut, wearing an ID badge clipped to a blue Human Resources lanyard.

"Oh, yes! That's me. I'm Launa," she stammered, trying to shake off the sudden nerves.

The woman gave her a professional smile, glanced down at the magnetic access card in Launa's hand, and checked it against her iPad. "Awesome. I’m Abby from HR, and I’ll be running your onboarding session today. Got your access card activated at the front desk downstairs?"

"Yes, ma'am. They logged it in," Launa replied politely.

"Perfect. Follow me," Abby said, turning on her heel.

"The rest of the new Corporate Internal Audit interns

are already gathering in the briefing room. We’ve got a pretty packed schedule today because management wants to make sure all new hires blend in without any hiccups."

Launa froze for a fraction of a second, her brows knitting together.

Corporate Internal Audit Division?

As far as she remembered, her acceptance letter had only mentioned a generic "Officer Division" placement a title that sounded totally basic and standard. She had no clue the actual department name carried that much weight.

Exhaling softly, Launa decided to just roll with it.

Whatever the department was called, she was already knee-deep in it now. She had to be ready for whatever was coming. Nodding obediently, Launa hurried to catch up, following Abby down a long glass corridor while her heart beat just a little bit faster.

But barely a few steps in, the vibe in the room shifted completely. Launa slowed her pace as a sudden wave of commotion swept through the floor. The frantic clacking of keyboards died down, replaced by a low buzz of whispers spreading like wildfire from cubicle to cubicle.

Ping! Ping! Ping!

A synchronized chorus of notifications chimed from phones and computer screens all at once. A second later, total chaos broke out.

"Oh my god, look! A company-wide email just dropped!" a female employee in the cubicle to Launa’s right gasped, her eyes glued to her monitor.

"Wait, seriously? I didn't get anything yet," another employee next to her chimed in.

"Ugh! Girl, C’mon.... Refresh your inbox. Your net is probably lagging."

"Whoa... our new Head of Internal Audit just got officially sworn in!"

"Shut up! Didn't the Board of Directors keep that a total secret until now?" Her coworker immediately rolled his office chair over to peek at her screen.

"Glenn Ellsworth! Simon’s only son!"

The moment that name dropped, the office split into two starkly different camps. Standing just a few feet away, Launa stayed quiet, keeping her ears wide open to process the flood of information.

Over by the pantry, a group of younger employees were nudging each other, their faces lighting up with excitement.

"No freaking way! Young Master Glenn is taking the wheel? Does that mean we’ll see him walking the floor? I heard he looks like a literal prince! Finally, I get to see him in person. I swear, since I started working here, I've never caught a single glimpse of him," one of them squealed.

But the reaction from the senior staff was a whole different story. A few middle-aged men exchanged looks, their jaws tightening with skepticism.

"Is his old man serious about appointing him? The kid is still so young," a guy with glasses muttered, crossing his arms.

"Right? He’s notorious for being reckless. Zero corporate etiquette. Our whole audit system is going to tank if a street punk like him runs it. It’s pure nepotism, honestly."

Launa frowned.

Glenn Ellsworth... a street punk? But he's the CEO's son?

Her head was spinning with questions. Based on the office gossip, this Glenn guy sounded like a bizarre mix of a crowd favorite and a privileged troublemaker despised by the older crowd.

"Alright everyone, let's get back to work, please!" Abby’s voice boomed, cutting through the mass gossip with authority.

She turned back to Launa with a tight, slightly panicked smile. "Come on, Launa. We need to hurry to the briefing room before the new Head of Audit comes down to inspect this floor."

"Right, sorry," Launa said quickly, pushing her curiosity aside as she followed Abby.

They arrived at a massive glass conference room tucked in the corner of the floor. Inside the air-conditioned room, about ten to twelve other interns were already seated around a long, polished conference table.

The atmosphere in there was thick with tension. The moment Launa walked in and found an empty chair, she could instantly feel the nervous energy in the air.

Once everyone was settled, Abby walked up to the front, turned on the projector screen, and turned around with a warm smile.

"Alright, hi everyone. Good morning and welcome to the Ellsworth Group," Abby kicked off the session. "I’m Abby Rose from the HR team, and I’ll be guiding you through your onboarding today. First off, congratulations! You guys are the chosen ones who made the cut for the Corporate Internal Audit Division."

Hearing that, a few interns nodded, though their smiles were still stiff and anxious.

"We don’t have a super heavy agenda today. I just want to run through some basic procedures so you don't feel lost when you start," Abby continued, clicking the projector remote to show the office guidelines. "First, let's talk about hours. We start sharp at 8:00 AM. There's only a five-minute grace period. Anything past that, and the system automatically docks your daily pay."

A male intern at the far end of the table tentatively raised his hand. "Um, Miss Abby? Quick question. For our daily task reports, do we submit them directly to the supervisor, or how does that work?"

"Great question," Abby replied smoothly. "You guys will be split into sub-teams. Every daily assignment needs to be submitted to your respective supervisor before 5:00 PM. From there, the supervisor will compile everything and report to the division manager."

Launa listened intently, her fingers busy scribbling down the key points in her notebook. Still, she could tell the interns around her weren't fully focused on the projector screen. Their eyes kept darting toward the transparent glass walls of the meeting room.

A female intern sitting right next to Launa leaned over, whispering in a voice barely audible over the hum of the AC. "Hey, did you hear about that email announcement? Word is the new Head of Internal Audit is the CEO’s own son."

"Yeah, I heard Simon's son is taking over the reins," another intern in front of them whispered back, keeping it incredibly low.

Noticing the muttering, Abby cleared her throat loudly, bringing an instant hush over the room. "Oh, and one last thing and this is crucial. Since there’s a leadership transition happening upstairs today, I expect all of you to just stick strictly to the playbook. Do not take shortcuts, do not get sloppy with data entry, and just stay focused on your supervisor's instructions. Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," the interns answered in unison.

Launa chimed in with them, though she couldn't shake the sudden knot of dread tightening in her chest again.

Calm down, Launa. It's not going to be as bad as you think.

*****