Santorini's intern

Chapterfour

Fidelia's POV

As I exited the conference room and headed to my office, I felt the weight of curious stares and whispers on the corner. Anna was right, the news spread like wildfire. It had barely been an hour, but everyone seemed to already have details about my encounter with Mr Santorini.

The moment I entered the office, I felt a feeling of scrutiny as people turned and whispered in my direction. “Look who's here”, one of the analysts murmured loudly enough for me to hear. “You've got guts, I'll give you that” another colleague said, though it wasn't clear if it meant as a compliment or a jab. Bold move, fidelia, another chimed.

I forced a small smile as I walked to my desk, pretending not to notice the judgmental glances.

As I sat down, Ruby, another intern, leaned over with a grin. “You've got everyone talking this morning”. She whispered, her voice tinged with amusement. “You stood up to Santorini himself in front of the whole board.” That was really amazing, Ruby giggled. I signed, I didn't stand up to him, Ruby, I just gave my opinion. Isn't that what we're supposed to do? Yes, but most of us know better than to do or say anything in front of Mr Santorini. He doesn't exactly take it lightly. Before I could give her a response, some of the colleagues passed by the corner and whispered loudly saying, “she had the guts to talk in a board meeting filled with executives and even to Mr Santorini directly”. “She did it for attention, which obviously won't last,” another added with a smirk.

I clenched my jaw but refused to look in their direction. Ruby, however, shot them a glare. “Ignore them” Ruby said firmly, “jealousy looks bad on them anyway.” I gave her a faint smile, but I couldn't shake off the effects their words had on me.

I decided to turn off the glares and comments given me by people and concrete on finishing the draft I am to show to Victoria by the end of the day.

I begin by reviewing notes I took during the meeting. I highlight key points such as suggestions made by others and the criticism Enzo raised. I dive into research for technical manuals, user feedback and competitor analysis to back up my proposal. After I am done with everything, I proceed to draft a rough outline.

Since Victoria is the intermediary, I tweaked the draft to make it polished and appealing, using headers and bullet points for clarity. I know Victoria will scrutinize it, so I double-check everything before I go to submit it.

I got to Victoria’s office, but she wasn't there at the time, so I had to wait for her to come back before I could submit my draft to her. I waited for over thirty minutes before she finally came in. “I didn't know you were waiting for me as I didn't expect you to be done with the draft so soon”, Victoria said as she settled down behind her desk. “I wanted to be done with the draft on time so that I could use your corrections as a guideline for the proposal”, I replied, “and I also want to start up with the proposal today so I can finish in time for the submission”. “That's impressive”, she commented “but finishing on time doesn't guarantee that Mr Santorini would accept or even like your proposal, so I will advise you not to get your hopes up”, she said these words with so much disdain that made me wonder if there was actually another reason why she had such dislike for me, but It turns out, there was none, and I've already been warned about her character, so I tried to not let it affect me.

Victoria reviewed my draft and scribbled things on it. “Fidelia”. She called, yes ma'am. I replied, “I want you to tell me the outline you used in drafting this”.

Yes ma'am. I followed a direct outline of: introduction, proposal details, benefits, and lastly, challenges and solutions. After I finished explaining everything to her, she made a few corrections and a lot of criticisms which I took note of. Although she didn't do them in good faith, I took them in with one. When I was done with her, I headed back to the office to start up with the proposal itself.

I began by breaking the problem into smaller bits. The product enhancement Mr Santorini had dismissed wasn't that bad it just lacked structure and I decided to start there.

. The problem - outlining where the product failed to meet the users' needs.

. The solution - innovative upgrade to make the product more competitive.

. Feasibility - costs, timeline and technical challenges.

. Benefits - increased user satisfaction, higher profits, improved brand reputation.

Satisfied with the structure, I opened my laptop and began typing. Each word felt like a tiny step forward, though I couldn't shake the pressure of Mr Santorini’s exacting standards.

As the clock struck 6 pm, the employees started leaving the office while I remained rooted at my desk. My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I reviewed my half-written proposal.

The over-headlights dimmed slightly, signaling the end of the regular work day. I could take this home, I thought to myself, leaning back in my chair, but as quickly as the thought came, I dismissed it. Home meant distraction and that was going to disrupt my thought process.“ Better to finish it here while I'm in the zone,” I decided.

Hours ticked by as the proposal began to take shape, I was so immersed in my work that I barely noticed the stiffness of my shoulders.

By 9 pm, I stretched my arms above my head and signed. My desk was a chaotic mess of sticky notes, sketches and printouts. I could feel the fatigue settling in, but I didn't stop. “ If I leave now, I will lose this momentum,” I whispered to myself. Briefly, the security officer began making his rounds. When he came into the office, he stopped at my desk, and asked with a smile "long night? " “Yes sir”, I replied, looking up from my laptop with a faint smile. “Good luck” he added, before leaving the office.

As the hours dragged on, doubt began to creep in. What if my ideas weren't bold enough? What if they were dismissed as unrealistic and impractical? I sat back in my chair, looking up at the ceiling. “No”, I said firmly, “I'm not going to spiral” I stood up immediately and headed for the break room for more coffee. After having a cup, I found renewed focus.

By 3 am, the proposal was starting to take shape. I have drafted a strong introduction, outlining the problem and framing my ideas as solutions that aligned with the company's goals. Mr. Santorini likes directness, so I kept the explanation concise, adding visuals and charts to support my claims.

By the time it got to 5 am, my exhaustion was palpable, but I still had to review my proposal one last time to check for errors. By the time I was done, the office was bathed in the faint blue light of early morning. I saved my file with a satisfied nod, finally alluring myself a moment of rest.