The Intern

chapter 1

 I clicked open the lock of my door, pushing it in to see a plethora of green and black branded items all over the bed. "Holy shit." From behind me, my best friend Aria pushed past into the room, scrambling to go touch the items on the bed. "Besides this nice ass room, they got you enough shit to last you years!"

"You know you have the same exact things in your room, right?" I laughed, locking the door behind me.

"Yeah, but your room is front facing. Look at your view!" She pushed the curtains aside, showing a city view of central New York City during the afternoon. "My room faces a fucking brick wall! This is so unfair."

"Just sleep over every night dude." I opened my suitcase and began organizing my work clothes on the few available hangers that were there. "I feel like we're going to get so bored here."

"Are you kidding me Kiara?" Aria shot me a look before flopping onto my bed. "This is New York City. There's literally so much to do here. We're going to try so many new cute cafes and go to new restaurants and go clubbing every weekend. The possibilities are endless!"

"First- shoes off before you get on my bed- you rat. Second, I forget how much people that don't live in the tri-state worship New York. It's not all that." I kept forgetting that Aria in fact did not live in New Jersey with me, but rather in California, all the way across the country. While I grew up visiting New York with the occasional 40 minute train ride, to her, New York was a whole flight and hotel and multiple day trip.

"Nah fuck you. You're not ruining my Gossip Girl summer." She snorted, whipping out her phone. "Oh shit. It's 2:50. Do you want to go check in downstairs? We have one last meeting at 3 remember."

"Oh. Yeah. I forgot. Bless your soul. Let's go." I grabbed my ID and key card from the table as Aria put her shoes on and we left my room. "I'm surprised that they're paying for interns to stay at this nice ass hotel for like a whole 4 months."

"Isn't this hotel owned by the CEO though? I'm sure it's worth like a dime for him to pay for all of us." Aria shrugged it off, pressing the elevator button. I was thankful we were both on the 9th floor, but I did have to admit, I got very lucky with the placement of my room.

"Yeah I guess. I hate rich people." I muttered. We quieted down our conversation as other interns gathered near us to hop into the elevator. By the time we got off, the near empty hallways of the hotel were replaced with a bustling lobby. From interns younger than us to full-time employees, the lobby looked like a damn train station with how busy it was. "Do you know how to get to the meeting room?"

"No," She muttered, "Just follow the crowd of people." As we walked briskly with the hoards of people near us, I noticed that the meeting room wasn't a little room. It was huge. Almost like a basketball court. With hundreds of chairs lining the room, I also realized that everyone was walking into this room. I mean not just interns, but quite literally everyone. "What's going on?"

"That's a good question." I mumbled, trying to look around while taking a seat next to Aria. "What kind of meeting are we having where the entire fucking company is needed?"

 
"That's literally what I'm saying. Do you think something happened?" She gave me a look.

"You drama fiend. Nothing happened. This is probably like a meeting to set rules on living in the hotel or something." I rolled my eyes. Soon enough, everyone was seated, and a majority of the large room was filled up. In the middle podium, a young woman came up. She was quite pretty, with long blonde hair that was neatly tucked behind her ears, and an outfit that seemed ironed to the exact.

"Good afternoon everyone!" She called out, hearing an echo of responses from the crowd. "I know everyone must be tired from moving into your rooms and getting set up, so we'll try to keep this meeting short. I would like to start off by introducing myself. I am pleased to be speaking to all of you today, my name is Nicola Simone, and I am the Marketing Managing Director of Thayer Capital Corporation. Originally, this had been a meeting for just new graduates that were interning at our rotational program." Me and Aria exchanged glances, knowing we were the target audience. "Unfortunately." The woman took a deep breath before carrying on. "Something has happened regarding a very important member of our company family, and we wish to address this before any further information is spread to the public. We hope as employees or future employees of this company, you will do your best to keep this to a minimum and tackle this information in a respectful manner."

"Is she edging us right now? Like just fucking say what happened." Aria snapped.

"Aria!" I attempted to hide the laughter from the people sitting around me. She was not real.

"Andrew Thayer. Does that name sound familiar to anyone?" Nicola called out. Whispers and murmurs filled the large room as I frowned.

"That's the CEO of Thayer Capital right?" I looked at Aria as she nodded.

"Yeah. He was old as fuck though, I bet he died or something."

"ARIA!" I immediately whacked her shoulder and looked away from her. If anyone asked, I did not know her.

"It is with deep sorrow that I announce the passing of Andrew Thayer, at the age of 73." Before Nicola even finished, the room began in an uproar. I could see Nicola talking into the microphone to control the crowd, but the many conversations drowned her out. "Please- everyone, quiet down. Mr. Thayer was a visionary leader and a pioneer in the world of finance and investments. He pursued his undergraduate education at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where he graduated with honors. His thirst for knowledge and excellence then led him to Harvard Business School, where he completed his Master of Business Administration. After completing his MBA, he embarked on a career that would see him transform Thayer Capital Corporation from a modest family-run enterprise into a global financial powerhouse. Under his leadership, Thayer Capital expanded its portfolio to include a diverse range of investments, from real estate and technology to renewable energy and international markets. His strategic vision and adept decision-making not only ensured the company's growth but also earned it a reputation for integrity and innovation. Mr. Thayer was also a mentor to countless individuals in the industry, known for his wisdom, humility, and generosity. His legacy is not only one of business acumen but also of kindness and dedication to the betterment of society. We at Thayer Capital Corporation mourn the loss of a remarkable leader and a dear friend. Andrew Thayer's contributions to the business world and his impact on those who knew him will be remembered for generations to come." She gave a pause of silence to take a sip of water. The room still remained quiet for the time being. "But as certain doors close, new ones do indeed open. Tomorrow, your schedules will be changed to accommodate a meeting at 10 a.m., where we will welcome and crown the new CEO of Thayer Capital. In the meantime, we will release you all a bit earlier from the work day today to thank you for your time and generosity in remembering our former CEO. Once again, I thank you for your time and wish you a good day." Minutes passed by before people started slowly getting up and walking to exits.

"Let's get out of here fast or all the elevators are going to be mad slow." I mumbled to Aria as we shot out of our chairs and rushed to the doors. We managed to snag an elevator to ourselves and shuffled in it as the doors shut. "I didn't even know the man but I feel kind of sad."

"No I get it- me too. He was seriously so good at managing a whole company, that's not easy shit." She said.

"But also, who do you think the new CEO will be?"

"Good question. Maybe it'll be one of his sons?" She said as the doors opened and she stepped out.

"Wait, just come into my room. We'll find a place to go to for dinner too." I beckoned her to follow me. "Also, who are his sons?"

"I don't know exactly. He kept his life super private, but I know he has two sons. One's like 30 or something and the other's closer to our age, he's like 20 I think." She followed me into my room as we both flopped on my bed.

"So, will the older one take over? That makes sense." I pondered out loud. "Dude, imagine your dad dies and then instead of getting time to grieve, you're just given a day to be sad and then boom, you have to take over a whole company and talk to public media and pretend like you're chilling. That's wild."

"I KNOW!" Aria squealed. "I feel so bad, but also, like this is a family of billionaires. With that much money, I'm pretty sure they know the consequences of it. This is just a part of their actions."

"Yeah honestly, you're so right. I guess we'll just see how it goes tomorrow." I shrugged, slipping my work heels off. "Did you find any good spots? I'm starving."

"Yes! Look at this super cute bar, the vibes look amazing." She pushed her phone in my face.

"For dinner babe. Not to get drunk." I laughed.

"Ohhh, sorry. Let me look." She sheepishly pulled away before burying herself back into her phone.