Blind Trust with the Don

Chapter 7: New Girl.

Olivia's POV.

“Shit." Pauly cursed beside me. “This place is bigger in person."

Carmichael and Philips towered over us. Its steel and glass infrastructure shimmered in the still early morning light, rendering us partially blind. Like a proud mom dropping her child off on their first day of school, Pauly had remained nauseatingly optimistic the entire car ride from my apartment on the outskirts of town to the main offices of the firm I would work at for the foreseeable future. It would be now that he chooses to catch the first day jitters. Right when we approach the expansive glass doors.

Carmichael and Philips would, of course, have doormen. To those who were unaware, they would write them off as just normal doormen, but it didn't take more than a trained eye to take in a full account of who they were, really. Armed guards. Carmichael and Philips had a reputation in the city for taking on high-profile cases to prosecute the big bads of the city. Their win to loss ratio was impressive, only adding to their prestigious status. But with that, they had earned an expansive list of enemies.

The lobby was just as intimidating as the building itself. They knew exactly their clientele and want to ensure they were making the correct first impression they chose to keep the decor cold, uninviting, harsh and limited by mirroring the steel on the outside of the building to the interior, it not only reflected their intention but also paid homage to the city's vast history.

As if to flaunt their vast amount of success, Carmichael and Philips hung a wide variety of news articles on the exposed brick walls, as if they were expensive art renderings. Bright lights illuminated their triumphs. There was no room for anyone who entered the building to question their integrity, but the reminder wasn't just reserved for their potential clients. It was a glaring reminder to their associates and employees. An expectation with an ever-moving bar of success that will never be met by the predecessors is a challenge to participate in a race that had begun decades ago.

“Remind me again." I vaguely mumbled to Pauly, snagging his arm.

“What?" Pauly asked quietly as he looked around the expansive lobby. A few people walked in, passing us with barely glancing before hurrying off to wherever they were going.

“The plan. Tell me again."

I pulled him in between two steel bars that were bolted to the floor before they shot up to the ceiling. Pauly looked at me confused before he looked down at the grasp on his arm. He gently eased my fingers out of their death grip on his dress shirt. The mere sight of him this morning dressed in a blue pinstripe dress shirt and navy-blue dress slacks caught me completely off guard.

My reluctant friend, who preferred a ratted zipped up sweatshirt that had been worn so much the once red color had bleached out to a pale pink and the zipper had long since broke. Pauly always proffered to wear the same style if not the same exact pair of jeans when working. He didn't seem to fit in the business casual lifestyle, nor did I like to see him having to change himself for a job he didn't ever want.

“Are you feeling, okay?" Pauly's eyes filled suddenly with concern.

To his credit, Pauly had never seen me flustered. Never had I allowed him to see me this vulnerable. Pissed, sure. Crazed? Yes. But Nervous, flustered, or even slightly scared. No. Not even when someone held a gun to his head while pointing one at me did I let him see anything but an unbothered b***h. It was my armor. To show weakness to someone like Pauly meant I was willing to let him see the other things that and I wasn't sure if I was ready yet for Pauly to see all of that yet.

“I'm fine. Just a bit…"

“It's okay to be nervous, Olivia." Pauly's voice softened.

“I'm not nervous."

“You might be a great attorney. But you're a horrible liar."

“Fine. I'm a little nervous," I admitted. “I just need to know the plan again. It was fine in theory when I wasn't standing inside the building when the people weren't flesh and blood but now it all seems so…"

“Real?" Pauly finished my sentence.

I nod my head and swallow around the lump forming in my throat. My palms were growing sweaty the longer we stood in the lobby of the firm.

“The firm thinks that I am an intern. I'll be working in the clerical department, assigned to intern under the secretary that works outside of the office you'll be working in…"

“…They're never going to believe you're a clerical intern" I interrupt. “They'll get one look at you and they'll suspect something."

“Take a breath, Olivia. The application states that I was a high school dropout, which isn't too far from the truth to be unbelievable, and that in order to get my GED, as well as, college credit hours at the same time, I need to have an internship. This one was available, and I have been nothing but overly appreciative of the opportunity to better my life that they haven't suspected a thing."

“You've already met them?" I asked, shocked at his admission.

“I came in yesterday for a brief orientation and got my keycard for some doors that a normal intern wouldn't have access to, but because I'll be working with Senior and Junior associates, they thought it might be beneficial to me to have access to everything."

“Let me guess, you helped persuade them?" I asked.

“Let's just say Ms. Norma is so thankful for someone other than some pimple face intern helping her, she was keen on agreeing to practically anything. Her words by the way. Not mine." Pauly said, before nodding his head to the elevators, urging me to follow him before continuing speaking.

The admin of the firm sent me most of my paperwork prior to my first day, allowing me to bypass checking in with the front desk so I headed directly to the elevator. I mimicked Pauly and scanned my access card to the elevator and waited for the doors to open before continuing to ask my friend questions that spiraled through my head. The doors opened and we tucked ourselves inside the steel box. Pauly quickly pressed the close door button before anyone could join us on our assent to the fourteenth floor.

“I'm supposed to act like I don't know you?" I asked for clarification mostly.

“Well, that originally was the plan, but seeing how we will be arriving together, we can use this as our introduction. Listen, Olivia. I know that this is awkward and different for you. I know this isn't how you imagined your first day of your dream job. But I promise you that I'll make it as normal as possible for you, but in the same breath, I take my job seriously. So, work with me. Literally and figuratively. Okay? If I say we need to leave, don't fight me."

“I trust you, Pauly."

My admission of trust impacted Pauly more than I had anticipated. Dark blonde eyebrows were so expressive shot up to his hairline, his blue eyes changed colors with his emotions lit with happiness.

“Thank you," he responded, still stunned as the elevator dinged landing on our floor. “I won't let you or Boss down."

The doors opened to the fourteenth floor and all the feelings of nerves clamored for purchase around my body as I stepped out of the elevator, taking in the practical mirror image of the lobby downstairs.

“Take a breath, Olivia. You're not in this alone," Pauly whispered to me, squeezing my arm before he left me alone to stand awkwardly in the entry of what would be my workplace.

“Hello? Can I help you?" A kind older lady, who I assumed by my brief conversation with Pauly, was Ms. Norma.

“Hi. I'm Olivia Linwood."

“Oh, my word!" She exclaimed “Yes! We were expecting you! This way, I'll show you to your office."

I silently followed the elderly lady, who was dressed pristinely in a white blouse and a black pencil skirt, passing by offices with nameplates of some of the city's best prosecutors. Large wooden doors closed off I caught, brief whispers of voices as I passed by a few until we stopped in front of three doors wide open.

One revealed a masculine large wooden desk littered with papers scattered around the desk in a variety of disarray the lights were off, but it didn't stop me from trying to see faces in photos on the wall. With two other smaller ones to the side. I gauged how I should react purely based on Mrs. Norma, she was unaffected by everything, so imitating her posture I was as well.

“Carmichael and Philips pride themselves on their Junior Associate program. I'm sure I don't need to gloat about that to you," Norma said as she flicked on the light in the middle office, though the bright light of the sun shined bright enough to illuminate the room perfectly. “You'll be paired with a Senior Associate while you're here with us, as well as, given a secretary to help you with admin work. But we currently are shorthanded at the moment so we will be assigning an intern to help you with clerical duties."

“This is my office?" I asked her stunned, walking into the modest space.

“It's beautiful, isn't it. I swear it has the best view in the entire office. If you don't like the brightness of the sun, the shades are automatic. There's a remote on your desk. Your intern, Paul, will be around in a bit to get your lunch order, as well as, Tolbert, I assume."

“Wait? Did you say Tolbert?"

“She did." A new voice boomed through the open door, rounding from the unoccupied office beside mine.

It took him no time to show his presence, however, Norma winked at me before scurrying out of my office before Tolbert Handover walked in, taking up every single ounce of space left.

“Tolbert Handover," he said, taking two steps to close the space between us. His large hand extended and the smell of his crisp cologne made me instantly dizzy the closer he got.

“Olivia Linwood," I responded, eagerly shaking his hand.

Tolbert Handover was a legend among us young law students. He was practically a superhero in our industry. His first five years as a prosecutor was impressive. He had risen among the ranks, earning attention from, not only his peers but respect from judges, both districts, to supreme.

“I know. I asked to be assigned to you specifically."

Tolbert sat down in the basic office chair across my desk, slinging his ankle across his knee, smoothing down his burnt umber tie before brushing his hair back. Tolbert had a good decade on me, though the only indicator of his age was the light brushing of grey at his temples, giving him a charmingly handsome spice.

“Wait. You… You asked to be assigned to me?" I stuttered like a complete i***t, freezing up like a love-struck teenager that the popular boy picked me.

“You're impressive, Miss. Linwood and just the right person I need for the cases we will be working on. I think. No, I know we'll make quite the team."

“We already have an assigned case?" I leaned forward, automatically hooked.

“Our cities sick, Miss. Linwood and it's our responsibility to purge men who are infecting it. I'm the best man on the team to do so. I'm the only man who will get Petrov put away and sentenced to the fullest extent. Together we will rid this city of the men who are killing it."