His To Shatter by Haley Pearce Read Free Book Online Page A

his employees. The
three executive stared at me in wonder. I smiled gamely, but was
honestly mystified. What had I said to win Mr. Corelli over? We’d
just been joking around, trading pretty light banter. I took a seat
across from the impressive foursome and braced myself for a good
grilling.
    “Do you know why I like you so much Madison?”
asked Corelli.
    “I can’t say that I could pinpoint it,” I
replied, not wanting to sell myself short, but not wanting to be
presumptuous either.
    “I like you because I can tell that you are
utterly yourself,” he said. “You’re not trying to be anything or
anyone that you’re not. And because you’re not constricting
yourself that way, you can be at your very best. Very few people
are able to be wholly themselves, I’ve found, but it’s an excellent
advantage.”
    “Thank you very much,” I replied, stunned by
his praise. A little bit of cordiality in the elevator could go a
long way, apparently.
    “Do you all have questions for Madison?”
Corelli asked the other employees.
    “We do,” said one, the older of the two men.
“May we proceed?”
    “By all means, James” Corelli said, leaning
back in his chair. “I want to hear more from Ms. Clearly,
here.”
    “Certainly,” said the man called James. He
turned to me with a very toothy smile. “Hello, Madison. We’re glad
you could come in today.”
    “I’m very glad to be here,” I said.
    “You must have a lot of interviews for the
summer,” he went on. “What other firms are you interviewing
with?”
    “None,” I answered.
    “None?” the woman asked, surprised. “Most of
our candidates have put applications in at a dozen firms.”
    “I’ve only ever been interested in interning
at Corelli,” I said. “This really is the best international
marketing firm there is, and at this stage of my life I want to be
working with the best so that I can learn as much as possible.”
    “And you’re studying here in the city?” asked
the younger man of the trio.
    “Yes,” I answered, “At NYU.”
    “Are you finding grad school to be
rewarding?” asked the woman.
    “Absolutely,” I answered. “This is really the
only thing that I want to be doing. I feel like I’m at the exact
right place in my trajectory right now. It’s a good feeling.”
    “Why is international marketing the only
thing you want to do?” asked James. “Why do you think you’re suited
to it?”
    I took a minute to gather my thoughts. This
seemed to be the question on which the whole interview hinged. “To
me,” I began, “Marketing is about cooperation and connectedness.
It’s a way of making things happen all over the world that will
benefit everyone involved. The way that Corelli seems to operate,
only the most positive collaborations take place, collaborations
that help the world become a better place in some way or another.
Even if it’s the simplest of things. I want to work in a place that
deals in improvement, and innovation. I just think it would be the
most exciting way to go through one’s professional life. And I also
think that’s why I would be great at international marketing—I am
always looking for ways to better myself and my situation. I did
not grow up in a very positive environment, but I learned early on
that my destiny was in my control, as long as I was enterprising
enough to change my situation. I really do think that I am the best
person for this internship, and I hope that you choose me to take
it on.”
    There was silence in the room for a long
moment after I finished speaking. I looked back at my interviewers,
trying very hard to keep my breathing even. Finally, a huge smile
broke out across Corelli’s face.
    “Thank you, Madison,” he said. “We’ll be in
touch.”
    I remembered how to breathe and thanked them
for their time, the world around me was a rush as the adrenaline
surged through my body. As I made my way back to the ground floor
and back out into the real world, I was satisfied