TEN
ANDREA
Day #21 of Company Takeover
“Andrea Stone.” I gave my name to the guard at the door and made my way to the elevator bank.
As soon as I rounded the corner, I saw Mr. Cross sipping a coffee.
Looking as perfect as he did yesterday, he eyed me as I neared.
“You’re here thirty minutes early today,” he said. “Do you plan on making that a habit, Miss Stone?”
No…
“I just figured I’d use the extra time to study.”
“As in studythe bindersI gave you?”
For my CPA exam, so I can escape you.
“Sure.” I forced a smile.
“Well, it’s a good thing you’re showing some work ethic,” he said. “You can get back to the binders later… Something important has come up that you need to focus on instead.”
He motioned for me to follow him down the hall, and I made a mental note to go straight to the employee lounge next time.
Leading me past another renovated area I no longer recognized, he ushered me inside our newly painted auditorium.
On the big screen, Mr. Lewis was sitting on theGood Morning Americacouch, giving an interview.
My heart ached as he smiled, as he followed all the instructions I’d given him after all our rehearsals.
“Employees are the heart of my success,” he said with a wink. “It’s why I treat them like family.”
“Ugh…” I felt bile rising up my throat.
“Something wrong, Miss Stone?” Mr. Cross suddenly stopped walking.
“No, not at all.” I looked away from the screen. “I’m fine.”
“Looks like there’s something in your mouth…” He eyed me. “Do you need to spit it out?”
“I can just swallow it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind for the future.”
“What?”
“I said, let’s keep walking then…” He smirked and walked me down to the front row, where a small table and a notebook were waiting in front of the center seat.
“MyMr. Manhattaninterview is coming up in a few weeks,” he said. “I need to make sure I come off more likable than I did in the last issue since…”
He didn’t finish his sentence.
I took a seat. “So, you want to do some mock interviews?”
“Not quite.” He picked up a remote and turned off Mr. Lewis, clicking on something else.
