My phone's buzzing noise wakes me up from sleep as I reach out for it and in a sleepy state answer it, "Hello."
"Am I speaking to Ms. Lillian Vince?"
When the other person's professional tone hits me, my eyes shoot open as I sit up in bed, wrapping the sheets around me, "Yes?"
"You have an interview today at ten with Steven Fuller for internship program at Clark Enterprise. You're receiving this call because you did not acknowledge the mail sent to you yesterday." She explains and I slap my forehead for being so careless.
"I'm really sorry for the inconvenience caused. Thank you so much for the call, I will be there on time. Do I need to report early?" I ask, my eyes moving to the empty spot on the bed next to me and then to the clock, seeing that it's eight in the morning.
"Fifteen minutes prior is alright, Ms. Vince. You have to report to the front desk of the tenth floor." She informs and I thank her again before hanging up.
I go to my mails in the phone and immediately respond back to the interview mail. God! I've never been this careless with official things. I'm glad that the name she mentioned is someone James has never introduced me to. All I can hope now is that he doesn't recognise me either, which is really tough but I already applied under my maiden name so that the interview call I receive is not because of the name Clark.
The bedroom door opens and a very sweaty James steps in wearing a white plain t-shirt sticking to his body and running shorts. He looks at me in surprise, "You're up early for someone whose exams ended yesterday."
"And you're not dressed for office yet. Are you showing lethargic work behaviour, Mr. Clark?" I grin and he smirks, coming to stand by the bed as he removes his apple watch, keeping it on my bedside table before putting one knee on the bed and his hand on the headboard to lean forward and kiss me. I return the kiss, slowly making my peace with the fact that I don't mind exchanging a morning peck without brushing my teeth first.
"Someone kept me up all night, I wonder whose fault is that." He grins against my lips and I push him away, making him laugh. "I would ask you to join me in the shower but I'm already running late and I don't think we'll be done in ten minutes."
"James!" I exclaim in disbelief, facepalming and his laugh fills the air as he moves inside the bathroom. I would never get used to the way he teases me about such stuff.
I get up from the bed, sliding into my shorts and tank top from last night before moving out of the bedroom to go in the other room where all my clothes still are. I pull out cream button down and black skirt formals for the day before I go through my files to see that I have all the documents ready for the day.
Something tells me I should mention the interview to James but a huge part of me knows that he wouldn't let me sit for it. He'll just make a call to Hale who'll push my application through. I didn't tell either of them that I've applied through the general process of HR recruitment — Carrack is the only one to whom I mentioned and I don't think he'll ever state it in front of anyone.
"Lillian?" James peaks inside from the bathroom and I step out of the closet to see him. "You've got to stop disappearing in this room, I get a little freaked out when I don't find you in bedroom."
"Where else would I go? We're moving out soon anyway." I remind him and he smiles, nodding.
"Are you going somewhere today?" He asks before turning around and I bite on my lip.
"I might, not sure." I call out.
He doesn't respond to me so I assume he's busy getting ready in the closet. Since bathroom is empty, I take the chance to follow my morning routine and also take a shower. The interview is around ten, so I don't dress in formals because that will also save me a conversation with James.
I pull on a jeans along with a pink blouse. After I'm done getting dressed, I go to bedroom and James is fixing his tie in front of the mirror. When he's done, he turns to me and there's a frown on his face as he puts on his jacket.
"All okay?" I ask, still standing by the door and he nods. "Is it some business work?"
He nods again, "Yeah, never mind." He brushes it off before picking up his phone and wearing his silver watch. When he reaches the door, he gives me a small smile that doesn't reach his eyes and I wonder what could it possibly be that's upsetting him so much.
I don't say a word but we just silently make our way to the elevator and once in, I sigh, reaching my hand out to hold his and he doesn't pull away. "When are we moving out?" I ask, trying to lighten the conversation.
His face relaxes as amusement takes over, making my insides relieved, "When you finally give me a full model show of the lingerie you got a week after the honeymoon." He teases but I only frown at him in confusion as we step out and walk towards the kitchen.
Until it hits me that he's talking about the money he thinks I used from his card that actually Chloe spent. I don't know how to approach this conversation so I very hesitantly begin. "James, I didn't spend that money. I told you earlier also, I never used your card and I've never been a fan of fancy shit like that. It was Chloe."
He stops walking at my words, slowly letting go of my hand, "That's some pretty big accusation with no base, Lil. Why would she use my card to buy that stuff when she's got her own allowance?"
I understand how disgusting the entire idea must be to him which is why he's staring at me the way he is. "Why would I lie?"
"Frankly, I'm not sure. Chloe and you got off the wrong foot and you both should sit down to talk. But don't ever accuse her of stealing like that in future."
With that, he walks towards the kitchen, leaving me a little stunned and hurt that even after everything he thinks I could possibly lie about something like this. He's right about one thing though, I do need to talk to Chloe about the stunts she's been pulling off lately.
When I enter the kitchen, James is standing with a toast in his hand as he looks through his phone. I know I've upset him but he's done the same by disregarding my words when his sister has claimed that she's deliberately being a bitch to me.
"Mrs. George, has Dad left already?" He asks the woman who's pouring a glass of milk probably for me.
"Yes, Mr. Clark. Mark is waiting for you though, and Carrack mentioned that you're hiring a new driver? He wanted to remind you that Mark has gone through applications but needs you to look over the shortlisted people."
Wow, so much information I had no idea about. I don't say a word as I move to take the glass of milk from her hand and pass her a smile which she returns. She passes me a plate filled with fruits as I take a seat while James continues to stand.
"I think Dad needs to realise that you aren't his assistant." James teases Mrs. George who just brushes it away with her hand. "Anyway, thank you. Lillian mentioned you've agreed to work with us at the new apartment?"
His eyes momentarily flicker to me as I continue to stare at him and Mrs. George nods, "Yes, sir. It would be a pleasure."
"We'll see to it that you don't have problem commuting, either Mark will drop you to and from or the new person we hire." He reassures her and she smiles at him.
"Thank you, Mr. Clark."
I eat in silence and James finally moves towards the kitchen exit before he stops himself, turning back to look at me hesitantly. "I'll see you later?"
I nod, not knowing what else to say and he leaves, my mood turning even more sour with his absence. We had such an amazing day yesterday and this morning was ruined by Chloe's mention. That woman continues to haunt our relationship and her presence isn't even necessary.
"Would you like some toast, Lillian?" Mrs. George asks and I shake my head.
"Thanks, Mrs. George. I'll be heading out in a while though." I inform her in case she needs me for something.
After having breakfast, I make my way upstairs and dress in the formals I picked out. I step into appropriate footwear and tie my hair back before going through my folder again to check that it has my recent resume along with other documents. I look at myself in the mirror before rehearsing a few common questions that would be asked in any interview.
I look fine, I think. My nerves have started to kick in with each passing minute and James seems to cloud my mind too. I push my rings in small pouch in my bag before I decide to leave for Clark Enterprise.
The drive to the office is spent in anticipation and mentally practicing the answers. I'm sure he cannot ask me something that a new senior year student wouldn't know. After finding a parking space, I move inside the building. So far no one recognises me or stops to talk to me except the lady at the front desk who gives me her usual smile, assuming that I must be visiting like I usually do.
When I reach the tenth floor, I make my way to the front desk and immediately stop in my tracks when I realise that Amy is standing there. I ignore her presence but she seems surprised to see me here as she continues to talk to the man at front desk.
"Hi, I received a mail for internship interview with Mr. Fuller." I speak, trying not to be bothered by the way Amy is glaring at me.
"Your name, please?" The guy asks and I take in a deep breath, knowing that it won't be missed by the woman I've grown to dislike so much.
I want to offer him my first name only but that isn't very professional, "Lillian Vince."
My eyes momentarily flicker to Amy and there it is, the unnerving smirk as she hears me and then her eyes move to my bare hand. She looks at the guy, "Just push those files through, okay? I'll see you at lunch, Warren."
He nods at her, his eyes following her as she leaves the doors to follow the elevator and I clear my throat, catching his attention before he starts drooling. I just hope that Amy doesn't tell James about my whereabouts, but who am I kidding. Of course, she will. Instead, I hope James doesn't barge in during my interview.
"Please follow the corridor on right and you'll come across a waiting area. Shally, Mr. Fuller's assistant will let you know when it's time for your interview."
I quickly thank him before turning to the hallway on the right and following the instructions he gave me. When I reach the waiting area, there are three guys and two girls waiting already, probably for the same interview. It really doesn't help with my nerves, rather adds onto my anxiety and I slowly, without drawing attention practice deep breathing.
After ten minutes when it finally is ten, Shally enters the room and looks at everyone, a smile on her face. She's a short asian woman with pixie cut.
"Hello everyone, congratulations on being shortlisted. Your interview will begin shortly, however I hope you know that there are only two positions available at the moment, so do your best. Mr. Fuller will start now, the first person on the list is Adam Todd."
The guy stands up and gives her a smile before she leads him away. Oh, god! Deep breaths, Lillian. Deep breaths. The interview goes on for quite some twenty minutes before he returns and Shally takes another applicant with her. After what seems like more than hour of waiting, Shally finally calls my name.
I stand up with my folder in hand and turn to her with a small smile. "Follow me, Ms. Vince."
She leads me to a door on the left after the long corridor and I honestly wonder how huge this entire company is, and how does James manage everything. My respect for his work increases a little. Shally opens the door for me and I confidently walk inside.
"Good morning." I greet the man Steven Fuller and along with him is a woman with black short hair, wearing a gray suit.
They both give me a small smile, "Please take a seat. I'm Elena Fernandez currently operating as Financial Controller, and this is Steven Fuller, HR Manager. We'll both be conducting the interview. Good so far?"
Her name sounds too familiar, I know James mentioned her the other day but I try to keep my nerves away. Worst case scenario, I'll not get an internship here and apply somewhere else.
"Yes, thank you." I smile at her before handing over my folder document which Steven takes hold of.
"Very basic questions, Ms. Vince. Introduce yourself and why are you interested in the internship?" Steven asks, his eyes roaming around my file.
I give my basic introduction to them before meeting Elena's eyes. "I believe Clark Enterprise offers one of the best internship programs where it's not just one way path with you trying to exploit your interns to get the work done but rather focuses on the professional growth. That being said, everyone wants in but I would like to focus on how I've got previous experience and can contribute effectively to your operations. The training program offered in the beginning of the internship is going to help me focus on the increasing wealth — and how much really depends on the liberty you provide your interns to operate under."
Steven nods, looking at Elena who doesn't break my eye contact. "You've gone through the details quite well, Ms. Vince. In your resume you've mentioned a meta analysis you carried out on the economic rate of Atlanta's topmost enterprises, was our company a part of it?"
"Yes, of course."
"Please share your insights." Steven gestures for me to continue.
Fuck. I did that paper a year ago. I take a beat as I try to recall everything I could muster up in the moment about Clark Enterprise. "First, that's a trick question because your company's investment reports aren't public information, as they shouldn't be. I had to make use of whatever little knowledge I could gain from internet. Since you're majorly operating as a holding enterprise while keeping the real estate aspect aside, if we consider Atlanta's statistics, currently you're operating at top 3% of the strongest market demands for businesses going under."
I continue to share my findings, whatever I can recall from the top of my head. I fumble once with a statistical figure but mostly get it correct and when I'm done speaking, Elena's look makes my confidence boost.
"Very well, Lillian. Did you carry out a SWOT analysis?" She asks.
"With very little public data it wasn't possible, but I'm sure once I have access as an intern I would love to follow through."
Steven smirks at my response and I know how confident I sound while Elena smiles. "Let's talk about the previous internship experience you have."
The interview goes on for another fifteen minutes with Steven and Elena taking turns asking questions but mostly the lady handles the interview. I'm really lucky to be doing this today with my knowledge super fresh from the finals I gave.
"Great, Ms. Vince. Thank you so much for coming in for the interview. You will receive a response regarding your application within next two business days. Please make sure to acknowledge the mail, whatever the result may be."
I nod, standing up and Elena pushes my folder towards me on the table. I greet them with a smile before leaving the room. As soon as I'm out, I let out a huge breath and almost run into Shally who's waiting outside.
"How did it go?" She asks, all smiles and I can't help but find it relaxing.
"Good, I guess. Results would tell. Can I leave or is something left?"
"No, all's good. You'll receive a mail probably by tomorrow itself, or maximum two days."
"Alright, thank you."
I smile at her one last time before moving along the corridor to reach the front desk lobby to leave before I run into someone I know. I push my folder in the bag as I reach the front desk but my steps falter immediately when I look at a very pissed off James entering the premises.