Chapter 3
"I've done a ton of research. I swear I won't be a bother," I said.
I gripped the edge of my shirt, gazing at him with sincere, pleading eyes.
Getting an internship at the company wasn't the hard part.
The real challenge was making sure Robin didn't lose face.
Russell had played the bad cop, so now it was my turn to be the good cop.
Robin looked genuinely satisfied with how submissive I was acting.
The corners of his narrow eyes lifted a bit, and even his tone softened.
"Tina, make sure she gets onboarded as an intern tomorrow," he said to the girl beside him.
He called the girl beside him Tina.
He added, "She's my secretary.
"Just get in touch with her tomorrow."
I glanced over at the girl again.
She greeted me with a warm smile, her presence elegant and refined. She looked so familiar, like I'd seen her somewhere before.
I noticed the name tag pinned to her chest.
Her name was Tina Cummings. It was a pretty name.
But I remembered her having a different name.
The next day, Tina was waiting for me right on time downstairs.
She was still dressed plainly, and from a distance, she looked just like a naive little wallflower who hadn't seen much of the world.
She said, "Let's try to finish up quickly, okay?
"Mr. Floyd is still waiting for me."
She was busy on the phone and didn't even look at me.
But I didn't care.
Anyway, I got what I wanted. I made it into the company.
The receptionist's attitude flipped instantly, her face practically stuck in a grin.
"Who is she?" someone asked.
"No clue, but if Mr. Floyd's personal secretary is here to pick her up, she must be someone important," another replied.
The employees behind me were whispering to each other.
They were in for a letdown.
I wasn't anyone important, but Tina was seriously impressive.
She'd landed the job as Robin's personal secretary in no time.
Honestly, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
The elevator took us up to the 18th floor.
As the doors slid open, a vast, open office space came into view.
Tina greeted the department manager and then motioned for me to follow him through the onboarding process.
The manager acknowledged her and, in no hurry, handed me my employee badge and laptop.
The badge read: [Archives Department - Intern - Barbara Floyd.]
I watched Tina walk away, feeling a bit out of it, and asked the manager blankly, "Does Tina work on this floor?"
"Oh, no, she's up on the 22nd," he said.
Later, I found out Robin's company only had five floors.
Each floor had its own job.
So once again, my wish to see him was crushed.
Luckily, work in the Archives Department was pretty laid-back.
No one here seemed the least bit interested in who I was.
After all, if I really had any powerful connections, they wouldn't have dumped me in a cushy, dead-end spot like this.
They'd gossip about all sorts of office scandals right in front of me, especially the rumors swirling around Robin and Tina.
Robin was surrounded by stunning women, but out of nowhere, he fell for an innocent-looking girl. It was the kind of cliché I'd find in a dime-store romance.
But ironically, Tina was actually a total snake.
Whenever Robin was around, she acted all sweet, thoughtful, and never tried to stand out or cause trouble.
But as soon as Robin left, it was like she'd been possessed. She'd start picking fights and stirring up drama everywhere.