Chapter 10 Adeline
Adeline POV
Nothing," I snap. "Just family drama."
"You've been out here every night for a week. You got that internship starting tomorrow, right? Shouldn't you be resting?"
I freeze as the words hit me. In my desperation to get him out of my head, I forgot that I was starting my internship at his firm tomorrow.
"Yeah," I say, my voice tight. "I should go."
I ride home slower than usual because the dread in my stomach is not one I can outrun.
When I get home, I shower and lay out my outfit for tomorrow. I pick out a gray pencil skirt and a white silk blouse with a black blazer. It's regular and professional. Something that will help me blend in with the other interns.
I check my phone one last time before bed to find one voicemail from Mom.
"Adeline! Just checking in. We haven't heard from you in weeks. Percy asked about you again at dinner. He seems... distracted. Is everything okay between you two? Call me back!"
I delete the voicemail and close my eyes because tomorrow, there will be no hiding from him.
The Royal & Associates building is the largest building in the business district, and it's all made of glass. The building alone is a source of intimidation.
I walk into the lobby 15 minutes early before 9, which is when all interns were supposed to gather.
My badge is waiting for me at the front desk, so I wear it around my neck proudly.
"Welcome to Royal," the receptionist says with a practiced smile. "Orientation is in the Main Conference Room on the 40th floor. Elevators are to your left."
I take a deep breath and step into the elevator. I motivate myself and even tell myself that I might not see him in this building with literally hundreds of employees. He owns the place, what would he need with us lowly interns? He's going to be on the highest floor, bossing my own direct bosses.
"It's fine, Adeline, you might not even see him for weeks." I tell myself.
The elevator dings at the 40th floor, and I step out into a reception area that makes Richard’s island mansion look modest, but that's not my concern at the moment. Apparently, I was not the only one that decided to come early. Other interns are already milling around, so I seamlessly blend with the crowd.
A bubbly HR representative named Sarah starts the presentation. "Welcome, everyone! Out of five thousand applicants, you are the fifty sitting here today. You should be proud."
I tune her out to scan the room among the people in suits at the front. There's no sign of him, and I find myself relaxing a bit.
"Now," Sarah says, clapping her hands. "We’re going to do a quick tour of the partners' offices, just so you know where not to go unless summoned."
A ripple of nervous laughter goes through the room as we are herded like cattle down a long, plush hallway.
"Here is the Tax Department... over there is Intellectual Property..." My heart rate picks up as we approach the end of the hall and move upwards.
"And this," Sarah says reverently when we get to the 45th floor, "is Corporate Litigation. This department handles our highest-profile cases."
I notice that the biggest office up here is locked. I was about to breathe a bit when I saw that our group had stopped.
Sarah is talking to someone, and that someone is looking at me. That someone is Percy, and I forget to breathe.
He’s wearing a black suit that fits him perfectly. His hair is styled back, which makes him colder than I remember. There are dark circles under his eyes that weren't there on the island.
I watch as his eyes grow in shock, then confusion, before he slowly starts to connect the dots in his head. He must have realized that the firm that I will be working for is his. His expression darkens instantly and is replaced by anger so potent I can feel it from twenty feet away.
"Mr. Akilov?" Sarah chirps. "We’re just doing the orientation tour."
Percy ignores her and steps forward, the crowd of interns parting like the Red Sea until he stops a few feet in front of me. The silence is loud as everyone wonders what he's doing.
"Miss Volkov," he says. His professional voice is cold and terrifying.
"Mr. Akilov," I lift my chin and refuse to back down from our staring competition, which is a front for how nervous I actually am.
"My office," he says. "Now."
A gasp ripples through the interns.
"Sir?" Sarah stammers. "We haven't finished the..."
"I said now," Percy snaps, not looking away from me.
He turns and walks into his office, leaving the door open for me. My legs shake as I head into the confrontation I’ve been dreading for two months now.
I don't make eye contact with anyone as I enter his office. He slams the door shut behind me and presses a button that instantly makes the partial glass wall opaque.
He turns to face me, and the professional mask drops completely.
"You have got to be kidding me," he growls.
"I told you I had an internship," I say, trying but failing to keep my voice steady.
"You told me you had an internship at a firm. You didn't tell me it was my firm!" He runs a hand through his hair, destroying the perfect style. "Do you have any idea what this looks like? The conflict of interest? The..."
"I earned this spot," I interrupt him. "I applied months ago. Long before I met you, before our parents decided to get married."
"That doesn't matter!" He yells, pacing the room. "You ghosted me for two months, Adeline! I thought something happened to you. I thought I had... and then you show up here? In my lobby? Wearing that?" He gestures at my outfit, his eyes darkening.
"I’m an employee," I say coldly. "And you are my boss. So I suggest we keep this professional."
He stops pacing to look at me, really look at me. I saw the exact moment the anger drained out of him, leaving him exhausted.
"Professional," he repeats. He lets out a harsh, bitter laugh. "You heard me on the phone that night, didn't you?"
I freeze. "What?"
"The night before you left the island. You came to my room. You heard me talking, that's the only plausible explanation for your behavior these last two months!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Liar." He steps closer, crowding my space. "You heard me tell someone I loved and missed them, and you assumed I was talking to a girlfriend, didn't you?"
Since there was no point in trying to pretend, I stepped right into him. "Weren't you?" I challenge. "Who else would you be saying that to at midnight? The friend you visited for Thanksgiving was your girlfriend, no?"
He stares at me for a long moment, an unreadable expression on his face. Then, he shakes his head in disbelief.
"You idiot," he whispers.
"Excuse me? Did you just call me an idiot because I found you out for your lying and cheating ways?"