H

ello.” I nervously smiled towards the sea of people around me. “I’m Serena. I’m majoring in International Business, and this is my first semester here.” Adding the last bit before taking my seat, I noted how bored the rest of the class looked. This was my first day studying at the University in London, and I wasn’t sure what to expect.

After the rest of them welcomed me, the teacher then went to the next victim. I thanked my lucky stars I didn’t look like a timid idiot. I hadn’t realized how anxious I was until I had entered the classroom.

Back home, I didn’t really have any anxiety issues. I supposed acknowledging I was far from home and away from my comfort zone brought it home today. Teachers and the staff were friendly enough, but there were little things that I still had to get used to.

I had two classes scheduled for today. The last on the roster, Egyptian Mythology, ended at two in the afternoon. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be late to my internship. Margery had given me the address and reassured me that whatever time was fine as long as it wasn’t past five so they could put me in the system.

Elliot Corp. was located in the City of London, and since I was already short of time, taking the tube would delay me even more. The easiest way to get there without wasting time would be taking a cab.

The city was basically littered with cabs everywhere, so it wasn’t a hardship getting one. With added traffic, I ultimately got there thirty-five past two. Perusing Margery’s instructions, I trotted towards the building then straight to reception where I was greeted by a well-poised woman who introduced herself as Charlie. After giving her my name, she handed me a temporary pass and told me my destination was the top floor.

Once I thanked her for helping me, I was on my way to the banks of elevators when I abruptly halted after noticing how everyone was dressed.

I knew it was my first day, so instead of worrying about what to wear, I had been more consumed about my encounters with Cruz, and I had chosen jeans and white, fitted cami. Embarrassment filled me as I looked up, staring at the floor while walking, avoiding the people around me who were sprinting to wherever they needed to be.

My journey felt as if it was going to take forever. The elevator that was jam-packed earlier left me all to my lonesome as they gradually exited as it travelled upwards.

Once it reached the top, I carefully took a step out of the elevator and onto the cool, black marble floor. I was instructed to seek Denise, who was apparently the main assistant I was going to be working under.

“Hello, how may I help you?” a tall, blonde, blue-eyed woman greeted me.

Composing myself, I tried not to let her cool demeanor intimidate me. “Hi, I’m the new intern, and I’m looking for Denise.”

“Oh, hello, Serena. I’m Steph, the second assistant.” She extended her hand that had engine-red manicured nails. “Denise should be in her office. Welcome aboard Elliot Corp. If you need anything—anything at all—don’t hesitate to ask.” Her friendliness overwhelmed me in a good way.

“Thank you, Steph. It’s great meeting you.”

After giving me the directions for Denise’s office, we parted ways. The nervousness I felt earlier on ebbed away as I reassured myself that everything was going to okay, and I had nothing to worry about.

Ever since I was sixteen, I had always worked in retail, so this was a big step for me. Though I was anxiously apprehensive, I was also ecstatic. I felt as though I was working towards my goal. Whatever experience I gained from here would be applied in the future.

It wasn’t a hardship locating her office. After quietly knocking on her door, I was warmly greeted as she ushered me in. With the quick introduction out of the way, she then invited me to take a seat.

At first, I found it nerve-wracking as she probed into my past employment history and what other qualities had driven me to choose this specific career. She also asked about my hobbies and passion and my overall perspective as to where I was at in my life. The grilling session took about half an hour. Then, thankfully, Denise handed me a folder containing all the paper work I needed to fill in then requested a copy of my passport and the other essential documents the company needed for hiring an intern. I was surprised she didn’t direct me to HR, but hey, I wasn’t going to complain. Instead, I fervently handed her my passport and began to work on the information they needed. Once done, I handed it all to her, and she gave me a glimpse before dropping her eyes back to information I had supplied.

“So you can work Monday to Friday. Thursdays and Fridays are regular hours, and Monday to Wednesday for two hours. Is this correct?”

“Yes, you have that right.”

“Brilliant.” She nodded before directing an intense gaze at me. “You’ll be working under me. Steph, the second assistant, does most of the business scheduling, flight and hotel bookings, emails and the phones, etc. I take care of the personal and business essentials. I’m on call all day, every day, twenty-four hours a day. I’m at his beck and call. Mr. Elliot is a very private person, so you will have to sign a confidentiality agreement. Anything regarding his life, his work, and family is strictly off limits.”

Every day? Twenty-four hours a day? Was I expected to work the same hours since I would be working under her? Jesus, what had I signed on for?

I tried to appear undaunted as I said, “I understand,” in a curt manner.

As tempting as it was to ask about what my job entailed, I should keep it to myself, just in case that gave her the wrong impression. Anyone who had seen The Devil Wears Prada should know not to piss off the assistant in command.

“Perfect.” She beamed at me. “Mrs. Elliot called in this morning to make sure I know you should be well taken care of, so whatever you need, feel free to come to me. Also, I want to be clear about dress code. If you go through the packet I gave you, it should outline what is and what’s not proper.”

My argument was at the tip of my tongue, but I changed my mind the last minute. I didn’t want to seem as if I was making excuses.

“Yes, will do.” In the business world, there were no excuses. There were only actions and outcomes. That was all that mattered.

Since I was going to work for less than an hour before the workday ended at five, I was basically acquainting myself with my own personal desk that came with an iMac. Thrilled about my new job, I barely noticed how Denise seemed frazzled as she came to and from the office, and when the clock struck at five, she seemed even more agitated.

Concerned with her well-being, I looked away from my computer screen and gave her a tentative gaze. “Is everything okay, Denise?”

She paused, frowning down at me. “I’m running late. My boyfriend’s parents are in town from Australia, and I’m supposed to meet them for dinner. I haven’t even gotten around to what to wear yet. This is the first time I’m meeting them, so it’s a massive deal. I just want to look my very best.”

It was understandable. I had been there, done that.

“Can I help you with anything? Anything at all?”

“Could you please?” she asked, grinning at the prospect of me taking on some of her burden. “I’m waiting for a fax from Hong Kong. Make sure to separate different sections of the contract in different folders. I believe there are three separate ones. Lastly, you need to personally drop that off to Mr. Elliot’s home. There will be a driver waiting downstairs. Make sure you don’t utter a word about what you have in your hand. This is pretty hush-hush, and normally I don’t trust just anyone, but since you’re basically a family friend of the Elliot’s, I’m trusting you with this.”

I nodded, jotting down everything she told me, trying in earnest not to react to the fact that I was supposed to go over to Cruz’s place. What if his fiancée was there, too? Fuck. Whatever; it was too late to change my mind now. Besides, Denise needed my help. As a result, I sucked up my pride and just dealt with it.

She repeated the instructions several times before I reiterated everything to her, just so she could leave me be and head off to be with her boyfriend and his family. Although Denise was firm and efficient, I was pleased to see she could be easily ruffled just like everyone else when meeting their significant other’s parents.

While waiting on the papers from Hong Kong, I took a moment to stroll around, scanning the now empty office spaces. As I did so, I wondered where Cruz’s office was. There was only one set of black, double-doors on the floor, and it didn’t take a genius to guess it was the boss’s office. For a moment, I contemplated if I should go and scout into his space, but as easily as the thought came, I immediately scolded myself that there was no point in that. After all, I would feel downright awful after what I had done.

He was engaged, and hopefully he didn’t hate me for being aggressive the other night.

Retracing my steps back to my desk, I was glad to find the kitchen along the way. In there, I took a bottled juice, a banana, and a granola bar before retreating back to my post to man the machine.

The fax beeped at thirty past seven, indicating that the long-awaited files were being sent over. The mere sound of it almost made me want to dance because I was starting to get tired, and the last thing I needed was for me to fall asleep while the driver waited for me downstairs.

As carefully as I could, I followed Denise’s instructions to a T. Once finished, I held on to the folders for dear life as I headed towards the elevator and in search of the driver who would take me to Cruz’s apartment.

Oh, Lord. First assignment, here we go.