His To Shatter by Haley Pearce Read Free Book Online

to be found,” I
replied. “Maybe you should keep one as a pet, so that you don’t
forget what they look like.”
    “I think I already do!” he grinned.
    We laughed together, and I turned back toward
the elevator doors. I didn’t want to take up his time with small
talk, but he seemed to be in a chatty mood.
    “Are you new here?” he asked.
    “Oh, I’m not even technically here yet,” I
answered, “I’m just interviewing for an internship.”
    “An internship?” he said, “Isn’t that just
slave labor?”
    “Some places it is,” I said, “But I’m sure
that’s not what it’s like here.”
    “What makes you say that?” the man asked.
    “I would just be really surprised, based on
Corelli’s reputation,” I said.
    “Ah. What is Corelli’s reputation, do you
think?”
    “Well...It’s the best,” I said simply, “There
isn't another international marketing firm that rivals it.”
    The man smiled broadly, nodding his head. I
had simply told the truth—I wasn’t aware of a single firm that
could possibly compare to Corelli. But it definitely looked as
though the comment had made his day.
    “What’s your name?” he asked me. “I
completely forgot to ask.”
    “Oh,” I said, holding out my hand, “I’m
Madison. Madison Cleary.”
    The man shook my hand firmly. “It’s nice to
meet you, Ms. Cleary. I’m Joseph. Joseph Corelli.”
    It felt as though the bottom of the elevator
had fallen out from under me. I started at him, my jaw hanging
open. Could I truly be speaking with the man who had started
Corelli from the ground up? My heart began to race, and I tried to
remember if I had said anything silly or offensive. While sweat
began to bead on my forehead, he let out a light chuckle.
    “Don’t worry. I’m really rather harmless,
unless provoked.”
    “It really is a pleasure to meet you,” I
said, the words falling out of my mouth. “I just can’t believe my
luck! I would have thought that you teleported into the office, but
here you are.”
    “Oh, no. I won’t have figured out teleporting
for at least another year or two,” he said. The elevator slowed and
came to a stop on the twenty third floor. The doors slid open, and
Mr. Corelli stepped out into his kingdom. I scurried after,
emboldened by having spoken with him. The office stretched out
before us, and I felt like Cinderella at the ball. Everything was
white and spotless, from the walls to the furniture, and even the
technology. The whole place looked like something out of the
Jetsons. I’d never seen a place that was so efficient and yet
glamorous at the same time. I was glad to have dressed up a bit for
the occasion, even if I was wearing black instead of white.
    “Good morning, Mr. Corelli!” said the young
man sitting at the front desk. He looked for the world like a
fashion model—you could have split a hair in those cheekbones.
Corelli nodded and made his way into the office. After a few steps,
he turned back to me and beckoned me forward. I stared dumbly at
him for a moment and then began to follow. It seemed that he knew
what was in store for me at Corelli much more than I did.
    We made our way through the gleaming white
office, and I tried very hard not to trip on my own feet as we
passed one high-tech wonder after another. Corelli turned down a
long hallway lined with doors and strode down it. He came to stop
in front of the farthest door and opened it without knocking.
Corelli strode into the room as if he owned the place—which, of
course, he did.
    “Mr. Corelli!” exclaimed a voice inside.
“What are you doing here?”
    “I thought I’d sit in on the interview,” he
answered. I stepped into the room after him and saw three very
attractive people sitting behind a conference table, two men and a
woman.
    “But, you’ve never sat in on an interview,”
said the woman. “You didn’t even interview me!”
    “Well. Let’s just say I’ve taken a liking to
Madison, here,” he said, taking a seat beside