"Just an Intern..."

~Isabel~

The next morning, the executive floor of Sterling Global was already buzzing with people rushing here and there.

I got there twenty minutes early. My thrifted blazer was pressed smooth, my heels polished until they gleamed. But the second the elevator doors slid open, Sophia was waiting right there, a nasty little smirk on her face.

"Grab a notepad, Mayfield," she said, not even looking up from her screen.

"The board is holding an emergency briefing in the main conference room in exactly one hour. You’re in charge of setting the whole place up."

I stopped by her desk, keeping my voice steady.

"The main conference room? Doesn’t the admin team usually handle that?"

"An intern does whatever needs doing. You’re here to learn, and I’m your supervisor," Sophia hissed, finally leaning forward to stare right at me.

"Seven billionaire board members will be here in forty-five minutes. You will wipe, arrange, and get every single thing ready. Every chair perfectly lined up. Every file laid out exactly like the agenda says. One smudge, one paper out of place, and you’re gone before the meeting even starts. Move."

She tossed a seating chart and checklist onto my desk. The other people nearby looked away fast, pretending to be busy.

I knew exactly what this was. She’d dumped this impossible job on me alone, hoping I’d panic or mess up so she could get rid of me right away.

"Consider it done," I said.

I hurried into the conference room, wiped the long table until it shone, checked every crystal glass against the light to make sure there wasn’t even a tiny mark or spot. My fingers ached sorting through stacks of papers. I measured where every water bottle went, making sure everything looked exactly right.

Sophia popped in twice rushing me on purpose. She checked her watch over and over, tapping her pen loud against her clipboard. Once she even knocked a whole pile of sorted files off the table like it was an accident, just so I’d have to pick them all up and start over.

"Ten minutes left, Mayfield," she sneered from the doorway. "The executives are already coming up the private elevator. If this room isn’t perfect, you’re finished."

I dropped to my knees, gathered the papers, stacked them neat again, and laid them out just as the big double doors opened. I stood by the door as everyone walked in, then slipped out and looked straight at Sophia. Her jaw was tight, her eyes burning like she couldn’t believe I hadn’t messed up.

"I have another task for you," she snapped.

"Actually," I said, smoothing my blazer even though sweat made my collar stick, "Mr. Sterling told me to report straight to him this morning for something important. I’ll wait in his office."

I didn’t wait for her to argue. I walked fast and didn’t look back.

When I got to his office, his secretary wasn’t at her desk, so I went right in. The room was quiet, looking out over the river. I sat in the chair across from his desk, crossed my legs, and tried to look like I belonged there.

Ten minutes later the door swung open. William walked in with three senior men right behind him. He stopped dead the second he saw me sitting there. The men behind him paused too, like they could feel the air shift.

"Mr. Sterling? Is something wrong?" one asked, glancing between us.

William’s eyes locked onto mine. That dislike from last night was still there, but underneath it, I saw real surprise. He’d probably expected me hiding at my desk or gone entirely. Instead I was right in his space, and I hadn’t broken.

"Nothing’s wrong," William replied. "Leave the papers here. We’ll meet again in twenty minutes."

The men hurried out fast. Once the door closed William dropped his briefcase on the couch... then he walked around the desk until he was standing right over me.

"I thought I made it clear you don’t belong here," he stated.

"You told me not to be late," I shot back standing up so we were face to face. "I’m here to work. You and Sophia can throw every trick you want at me, but I will be the best intern this place has ever had. If you want me gone, fire me for my work. Not my name, and definitely not my mother’s."

He leaned in closer his chest almost touching mine.

"You think sorting papers and setting a table, wearing a second-hand blazer, makes you my equal? You’re playing a game you know nothing about, Isabel."

"Then teach me the rules," I challenged. "Unless you’re scared I’ll get better at them than you."

A muscle in his jaw jumped tight. The heat between us felt thick, and I remembered how close he’d stood to me in the kitchen that night.

"Fine," he whispered.

His eyes flicked down to my mouth for a split second, then snapped back up. "A major press conference starts in less than an hour. You’re handling all the live questions from reporters."

I swallowed hard, but kept my face calm. "The live questions?"

"If one reporter walks out of here with a bad story, you’re fired. No excuses. No help from my father. Do we have a deal, step-sister?"

I held his gaze steady. "Deal."

I turned to leave, and his voice stopped me just before I touched the handle.

"Isabel?"

I paused, glancing back over my shoulder.

"Your shoes shine well," he said eyes dropping to my feet. "But don’t get comfortable. The press tears people apart… and you’re still just an intern who doesn’t know the ropes." He smirked.