A kiss

When Madelyn arrived at the studio, the stark emptiness struck her immediately. At that moment, she understood how Rowan had managed to set everything up overnight.

She fr

figured that the office must have belonged to a previous company. It was elegantly decorated, but it was almost completely bare aside from a few desks.

She wandered around until she found someone in an office labeled “Vice President“. Jessie Carter, seated in a large executive chair, was dressed in a sharp white business suit.

Hearing a knock at the door, Jessie looked up at Madelyn with a piercing gaze.

“Are you here for the interview?” Jessie asked.

“Yes, I am!”

Madelyn snapped back to reality.

Relief washed over her when she saw someone greeting her. It was unsurprising that Andrew had mentioned at breakfast that no one knew her here. After all, with just one person around, who could have? Jessie closed the folder and said, “Résumé, please.”

Madelyn was taken aback at the mention of a résumé Andrew hadn’t mentioned anything about needing

one.

She had expected to dive right in, not to start from scratch. Embarrassed, she fumbled through her bag. “I’m sorry. I must have left it in a hurry. Can I fill one out now?” she asked, trying to sound apologetic.

Jessie frowned, clearly displeased. Showing up for an interview without a résumé wasn’t ideal, but Madelyn had no choice but to continue.

‘I’ll be quick.”

Despite her irritation, Jessie handed Madelyn a blank résumé form. Madelyn quickly filled it out with neat handwriting, and within a minute, she handed it back.

Jessie glanced over it and raised an eyebrow when she saw Madelyn’s alma mater.

“You graduated from the Architecture Department at Klago University?”

“Yes.”

Madelyn nodded.

Jessie checked her graduation date and noted that Madelyn had finished at 19 years old.

“Did you graduate early?”

“Yes, Madelyn confirmed.

Jessie’s impatience vanished. Completing school ahead of schedule indicated intelligence, but she was surprised when she read Madelyn’s work experience section.

“You’ve never had a job before?”

I haven’t had a formal job before, but /

taken on freelance projects, Madelyn answered.

Jessie wasn’t too worried about her lack of experience. The studio was only just getting started, and she wasn’t expecting too much from her initial hires.

She had assumed Madelyn was applying for a receptionist position, but her résumé, while lacking work. experience, highlighted several design awards from school.

Jessie couldn’t yet gauge her practical performance.

So, she decided and said, “You can begin as an intern in the design department. There might not be much work for the next couple of months, but we’ll see how you do and consider making you a permanent employee based on your performance.”

“Sounds good,” Madelyn agreed without hesitation.

Despite being the only one there, Jessie handled everything with impressive efficiency.

Madelyn could see why Rowan had stayed with Andrew for so long. Everything he touched seemed to turn out perfectly. By midday, Jessie had already managed to organize and staff all the departments.

The design department only consisted of Madelyn and no one else at that moment. Despite that, she understood that experienced designers might overlook a new studio, and interns often preferred larger firms.

By noon, Madelyn still didn’t have much to do when she received a call from Andrew.

“Come downstairs. I’m waiting for you.”