A Royal Internship | Complete

Chapter One

I stood at the counter making my breakfast while Josh fired questions at me.

"Can I please eat first?" I kissed his cheek on my way to the coffeemaker. "You've been preparing me for this interview for like three weeks."

"And you've been doing a magnificent job, but Mr. Thompson isn't known for his kindness," he sighed. "I just want you to feel prepared."

"And I do." I took my toast with me to the bedroom. "Being engaged to the last guy who had the job certainly has its perks."

I put my plate down on the dresser and sat down in front of it, getting ready between bites. My experience with this company was that they weren't the kind of place that would accept my natural black curls, even if I pulled them back off my face. So I'd already taken the necessary hour this morning to make my hair behave. Do you know how hard it is to convince my hair to straighten and slick into a large bun on the back of my head?

I took a big bite of my toast and finished securing my hair with yet another pin.

"I could pick you up with a magnet," Josh laughed. "How many pins have you put in there?"

I noticed another piece sticking up, and slid in another pin. "Clearly not enough," I sighed. This is like playing whack a mole. I stuffed the rest of my breakfast into my mouth and washed it down with some coffee.

"And what makes you think you're a good fit for the company?" Josh tried to engage me in more interview questions.

"Can you stop with the questions, please?" I snapped. "It's making me nervous."

I ignored Josh's attempts to question me further, finishing my look with a heavy coat of hairspray and sliding some light tinted gloss across my lips. I stood up and looked in the mirror, smoothing my dark green skirt and fixing the collar on the matching jacket. This is as good as it's going to get.

"I'm leaving now." I kissed Josh's cheek and slipped on my black pumps, adding three inches to my already tall stature. I picked up my briefcase and walked out the door.

"Are you still going out tonight for Janet's birthday?" Josh called through the door.

"Yes, she's my best friend!" I called back. "Are you still not coming?"

He didn't even bother to answer me. Probably so he could go play his video game or do anything else but actually clean his own house. I'm not dealing with that today. I pulled out my phone and sent him a text: Going to Janet's after the interview. Don't wait up. I'll be home tomorrow. After re-reading it, I added a kiss emoji to try to lighten the mood. I was always trying to lighten the mood.

I sighed. Determined to focus on what was in front of me instead of what was behind, I pulled my shoulders back and set off towards the office.

I walked the three blocks in under ten minutes, so I was a little too warm when I arrived. I hoped I could find a bathroom or something to cool off out of the public eye, but the second I stepped in the door, it was clear that wouldn't be possible.

"Name?" A short blonde with heels taller than I'd ever seen didn't even look up as I walked in.

I tried not to stutter and answered her question, "Genevieve Levin. I'm here for an interview."

She was silent, which made me uncomfortable, so I added, "It's with Mr. Thompson about the international law internship."

"Take a seat." She swept her arm toward a collection of very large black leather chairs sitting in a circle around a carpet that looked like a dead wild animal.

"Okay, thank you." I tried to smile, hoping the nerves wouldn't show on my face, and then walked over to the nearest chair and perched on the edge, making sure to sit properly. I resisted the urge to take out my phone, instead choosing to watch the people walk past on the sidewalk.

I couldn't have been sitting on the extremely uncomfortable chair longer than five minutes when another woman's high heels clicked their way across the floor.

"Miss Levin?" she asked the room. "We're ready for you now."

* * *

The interview itself was far more pleasant than the rest of the experience. Mr. Thompson - Peter - asked me questions about my background, my desire to do the job, and what I had learned through the interview process so far. That last one was a little tricky, but I was confident that my answers were all top notch.

Maybe all of Josh's questions weren't that bad.

"One last question for you, Genevieve." Mr. Thompson sat forward in his chair and looked down at my resume. "Can you tell me about someone who has been a mentor to you and what you learned from them? I'd also love to know what you're looking for in a mentor moving forward in your career."

He smiled and folded his hands on his desk, obviously waiting for my response. Only problem was, I didn't have one. In my whole twenty-two years, I had never found anyone to be an actual mentor to me. Everyone who ever tried to take on that role ended up slowly dropping out of my life.

Plus what kind of question is that? What am I hoping for in my mentor? I don't care about a mentor, I just want someone who will hire me.

"Miss Levin?" He looked at me expectantly from across the desk. "Do you need me to repeat the question for you?"

"No, I understand the question." I tried to smile, but it was hard to keep the fear out of my voice. "And as for what I'm looking for in a mentor..." I paused to take a breath and press my palms into my skirt. "I think I'm looking for someone who will tell me the things I need to hear to grow and learn. I want to feel supported, but also like I am learning and doing my best to create something the company would be proud of."

It felt like I was looking down on myself as I spewed out some things about support, kindness and guidance. I'm sure there were some other meaningless buzzwords thrown in for colour. Let's just forget this one ever happened.

He smiled. "Thank you. I don't have anything further. Do you have any questions for us?"

I asked him the few questions from the list I had made and then finished with the one that usually sealed the deal. "Is there anything about my resume or interview that worries you about my ability to do the job?"

He shook his head and smiled at me. "No, I have everything I need. Thank you, Genevieve. You'll hear from our office no later than next Friday."

I stood up, shook his hand, and left the room. I was halfway down the hall when a woman came chasing after me like I was an escaped convict.

"I have to make sure you are escorted safely out of the building," she said as she caught up to me. "All those confidential files and whatnot. You know the drill." She smiled and led me towards the elevators. There was something about her eyes that was unnerving, but I couldn't quite place it.