Chapter 13 Adeline
Adeline POV
My alarm goes off at 6:00 AM, but I’ve been awake and staring at the ceiling since 5:30, thinking about all the unexpected things that happened on my first day of internship.
I touch my lips, half-expecting to still feel the ghost of Percy’s kiss. “Outside, you’re mine.” That's what he said. I keep replaying it in my head, that's how dreamy it was.
If I thought yesterday was tough, then I have no idea what to call today because today is the real test.
Today, I have to walk into his building and pretend that the man who owns it didn't kiss me senseless at a cute restaurant after having dinner with me.
And worse, I have to pretend that the man supervising me isn't the ex-boyfriend who knows exactly how to destroy me.
This morning, I don't choose an outfit that helps me blend in, I choose something that can protect me. A blue sheath dress with a blazer to make it corporate and heels high and sharp enough to be considered a weapon. I style my hair to make sure there are no loose curls.
I step out of my house when I'm satisfied with my reflection in the mirror. The lobby is already bustling with life and energy when I get there at 8:30, and I'm not surprised, seeing as it is a law firm.
I smile to myself when I glimpse the firm's signage at the reception. He had told me last night at dinner the reason for choosing Royal. It was his adoptive mother’s maiden name, and he kept it to honor her, which was really thoughtful of him.
I reach the 40th floor and head straight to my cubicle to get started on the mountain of files Mason dumped on me yesterday. I was glad I had already spent the night working on the merger summary he asked for. I went over it several times to make sure it's perfect for the form's standards.
My nose wrinkles of their own accord as I walk over to his office. He looks relaxed, and I want to knock off the smug look on his face when he sees me.
"Good morning, here's the liability summary you asked for."
"Morning, Addie. You look... tired. Late night?" He asks with a wicked smile that makes me think he knows about my date last night, but I quickly dispel that thought. There's no way he knows.
"I was working," I say. "Like you asked."
"Good girl." He picks up the file and dumps it without looking at it. "I’ll look it over. Grab me a coffee while you’re up? Black, two sugars."
My jaw clenches. "I’m an intern, Mason, not your assistant."
"I'm your mentor, so you're whoever I say you are. Unless you want to discuss your disrespect with HR, you will get me my coffee."
"Fine," I snap, knowing I have no footing in this company yet.
I fumed as I poured his coffee and thought about spitting in it when I noticed that the chatter of the office around me slowed down. Interns and employees quickly get to work and put their phones away.
I turn around to find the cause when I see Percy. Of course, his mere presence will make everyone act right.
He looks different than he did last night with me. He's in a full suit this morning, making him look terrifying in the bright morning light.
He doesn't notice me, not with the two junior partners that are talking to him at the same time while they struggle to keep up with his long stride. I'm glad he didn't see me because he heads straight to Mason’s office and flings the door open without knocking. It's his building after all.
Mason jumps up so fast he nearly knocks over his chair. I should have known men like Mason quickly become submissive in the face of true power. "Mr. Akilov, sir. I didn't know you were coming down here."
"The Henderson merger. Where are we on the liability assessment?"
I freeze near the coffee machine as what Mason did dawns on me. He gave work he was supposed to do himself to me, a mere intern. It had to be very important if Percy knew about it.
Mason clears his throat and adjusts his tie nervously. "Yes, sir. I was just reviewing it. I stayed late last night to finish it up."
He picks up my folder and hands it to Percy. "I think you’ll find everything in order. I flagged the environmental risks in subsection C."
He just stole my work and took credit for it right in front of me. I take a step forward, but he catches my eye and shakes his head subtly. He silently dares me to take another step. I stay rooted in my track because there's no way I don't look like a difficult intern trying to backstab her mentor if he take credit for my work, so I bite my tongue and hang back.
We both watch Percy flip through the file.
"This is thorough," Percy says without looking up. "Detailed analysis of the violations."
"Thank you, sir," Mason beams, puffing out his chest. "I wanted to be sure we covered all bases."
Percy closes the file, then looks at Mason. He looks at me so quickly that it is unnoticeable to anyone.
He looks back at Mason with a smirk. "It is interesting because this analysis cites the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, but it uses the updated 2024 amendments regarding industrial runoff."
"Yes, sir," Mason nods eagerly. "Like I said, thorough."
"The thing is, Mason," Percy continues, his voice dropping to a dangerous purr, "I recall asking you about those specific amendments last week, and you told me they weren't relevant to this case. You argued against including them."
Mason’s smile falters. "I... well, upon further review, I decided..."
"And," Percy interrupts, tapping the page, "this summary uses the Oxford comma."
"Thank you, sir. I only wanted to impress you."
"You never use the Oxford comma, Mason," Percy deadpans. "I remember telling you to redo a brief last week, and you used it incorrectly."
At this point, everyone has dropped what they are doing to see the drama. Mason is sweating now. "I... I had some assistance with the formatting, of course, to save time."
"Assistance," Percy repeats. "From whom?"
Mason hesitates as I watch him look for a way to spin this, but there’s no way he won't look lazy or bad.
"The new intern," Mason mutters, gesturing vaguely in my direction. "Volkov, I had her type up my notes to familiarize herself with the firm standard."
Percy seeks me out as if he hasn't noticed me at all.
"Miss Volkov," Percy says. "Step forward."
I walk out of the break room and into the office with sweaty hands still clutching Mason's coffee.
"Yes, Mr. Akilov?"
"Did you type up Mr. Bernard’s notes?" Percy asks. I'd be scared if I was nothing more than an intern to him.
I look at Mason, who's glaring at me, silently daring me to claim credit, and then back at Percy.
"No, sir," I say clearly. "I didn't type up his notes. I researched and wrote the liability assessment myself. Mr. Bernard asked me to handle it last night."