CHAPTER 2 - THE INTERN
1138 Words
The second morning, Elena arrived early, determined not to repeat yesterday's chaos. She set her bag down, tidied her desk, and was smoothing out a stack of paper when Cameron walked in—another one of her colleagues.
“Morning, Elena!” he said.
“Good morning uhhmmm .... Cameron, right?”
He laughs.
“I'm sorry my memory is a bit poor”, she apologizes.
“Oh no no, you got it,” he gives a warm smile.
“So how was your first day yesterday?” he asks.
“Busy, but good. Jenna has really been helpful”
“Glad to hear it. So… I couldn't help but notice your accent. Are you British?”
“Well I'm American, I was born here in NYC and when I was 8, my family moved to London”.
“That's nice, what was it like growing up abroad and what did you miss from home?” he asked.
“Honestly I can't remember much of New York because I left at 8 and it was nice growing up in London, I lived in a close-knit block, you know, everyone knows everyone,” she said casually.
“And Hayes….your surname sounds familiar. Are you that popular judge on TV's granddaughter?”
They both burst out laughing.
“Ha! No, not at all.”
“Just teasing. Well, it was nice getting to know you a bit, but I've got a mountain of work to catch up on.”
He moved to his desk, leaving Elena's side.
Elena, smiling faintly, until her expression slowly faded.
Elena Hayes.
Not Whitmore.
Not yet.
The door swung open and Mrs. Ivy, the Head of Department, stepped in.
“Good morning Ma’am”
“Good morning, Mrs. Ivy”
“Good morning. Elena, come with me”. She said as she turned and headed to her office.
Elena got up quickly and followed her.
Mrs. Ivy got to her desk and picked up some files and handed them over to Elena.
“I need you and Jenna to compile these reports”.
Elena nodded. As they spoke, the atmosphere shifted— the man from yesterday entered.
Mrs. Ivy greeted warmly, “Oh, Mr. Adrian, good morning.”
“Good morning,” he responded calmly.
His presence was sharp, commanding, and mysterious. He looked at Elena, eyes cold and unreadable.
“This is Elena, the new intern.” Mrs. Ivy said.
“Good morning Sir”, Elena greeted.
Adrian nods slightly. He faces Mrs. Ivy.
“When you're done here, I need to speak with you regarding some documents”.
“Yes, I'm right behind you Sir”. Mrs. Ivy said as she faced Elena, “Once Jenna arrives, you guys get to work. I need the report by 3pm.”
“Yes Ma’am”
As they were heading out of the office, Adrian faced Elena, “I hope you don't bump into people much. Welcome to the company.” and he left.
Her jaw tightened. She already didn't like him.
As she went back to her desk, her thoughts were all over the place. “So arrogant, he bumped into me yesterday, he didn't even apologize, and now telling me to be careful? Why doesn't he be careful? Pffft.”
Jenna stepped in, alongside Hailey and Quan.
“Good morning guys”
“Good morning”
“Good morning Jenna”
Elena got up and handed the files, “Mrs. Ivy said she wants us to compile these reports and have them on her desk by 3 today.”
“I didn't even catch my breath, alright, let's get to work now”. Jenna put her bag and coat away and got to work with Elena.
The fluorescent lights of Whitmore Enterprises hummed with corporate energy. Elena and Jenna sat side-by-side working through the stock of reports Mrs. Ivy had handed them.
Elena leaned back from her monitor. Her eyes were burning from three hours of cross-referencing shipping documents.
The entire office hummed with quiet activity.
“Jenna,” Elena said softly.
Jenna stretched slightly, “Hmmmm”
“ I need a quick break. Restroom?” her voice, cool and steady.
“End of the hall, past the executive elevators. Don’t take much time, Mrs. Ivy wants these files by three.” Jenna said not looking up from her system.
Elena nodded and left. Inside, Elena washed her hands carefully after using the bathroom before stepping back into the hallway.
As she exited, she walked with a measured pace. Her heels click in rhythm on the marble floor. As she rounded the corner near the executive wing, she froze. Her eyes caught a portrait on the wall. A massive oil painting hung there, framed in heavy gold.
Sebastian Whitmore.
The CEO.
Her stomach tightened. She stopped staring at the image. She remembered her father, and the way the news had branded him a thief before his body was even cold, all thanks to her Uncle. Sebastian.
She stopped closer to the portraits, her voice a mere shadow of a whisper. “Sebastian Whitmore. You think you buried the truth with him. I will find the record of what you did. I'll clear his name.” she said softly under her breath as she looked at her uncle in the painted eyes.
Her gaze lingered, sharp and resolute, before a frantic sound broke her focus. A middle-aged man in a wrinkled courier vest was struggling with a stack of dusty folders. He had grey hair.
“Hey! You! You're the new intern right?” he gasped, leaning heavily against the wall.
“Yes”, Elena straightened her posture.
“Good good good, I'm gonna blow,” the man said, clutching his stomach. I really need your help. Can you take these down to storage?”
Elena blinked, visibly uncomfortable, before she could answer, he shoved the files into her arms. His hand brushed hers, it was damp.
“Storage, downstairs, left hallway, second door….” he whimpered, already springing toward the men’s room.
Elena stared after him, a look of profound disgust crossing her face. She immediately set the files down on a side table, pulled a small bottle of sanitizer from her pocket, and meticulously cleaned her hands.
Then, she looked at the files. The labels were faded: ARCHIVE - YEAR 2014.
The year her parents died.
She looked around. She picked up the files calmly and stepped into the elevator. She pressed the button and descended toward the storage floor. Her mind was already calculating. She had been asked to take them to storage; if she stayed down there an extra twenty minutes to “organize” them, no one would question her.
Old files meant old records. And old records might mean answers.
- Writer
