The Chairman’s Daughter Intern

On my very first day at the new job, a fellow intern heavily hinted that she was the Chairmans daughter. Instantly, the whole office was practically kissing her feet. Me? I got dragged through the mud, with rumors flying around that I was some old guys sugar baby. Furious, I dialed the Chairmans number. "Dad, theyre calling you a wrinkly old creep, and saying youre having an affair..."

Right after graduation, my dad waved his hand and tossed me straight into the lowest rung of our corporate ladder.

He called it character building. Said it would sharpen my edge.

I whined and complained to his face, but deep down, I was actually pretty stoked to finally spread my wings.

But barely an hour into my first day, I caught snippets of office gossip in the breakroom.

"Did you hear? Chairman Crawfords daughter is hiding in our batch of interns."

"Seriously? Thats kind of harsh for a billionaire dad. Youd think hed at least let his little princess start as a regional manager."

I froze, genuinely caught off guard. Who leaked my cover?

Luckily, the wild guessing game fizzled out quickly, and the vultures moved on to other topics.

That was, until the intern orientation. A girl strolled in fifteen minutes late and offered a sickeningly sweet smile. "Hi everyone, Im Tessa Crawford."

"Crawford? Wait, are you the Chairmans daughter?" The girl sitting next to her practically shrieked, slapping a hand over her mouth.

The entire conference room erupted.

It wasn't a hard sell. Tessa was dripping in designer labels from head to toe, and a brand new Cartier Ballon Bleu watch rested on her wrist.

She looked every inch the trust fund baby.

Tessa looked down, offering a coy, perfectly practiced smile that totally dodged the question. "My dad always taught me to keep a low profile. Honestly, Im just here to fulfill his wishes."

"Wow, you can just tell she was born with a silver spoon. That aura is totally different!"

"Tessa, please don't forget about us little people once the internship is over!"

I sat there, literally speechless.

Wasn't I an only child? When the hell did my dad adopt a second daughter?

I guess it was an easy mistake for them to make. I took my mothers maiden name, Bennett, to stay under the radar. Tessa was the only intern in the entire batch with the surname Crawford.

And just like that, she was crowned the queen bee of the office.

I watched her soak up the adoration, her smile bright and completely fake. I didnt rush to expose her.

The chaotic chatter only died down when the department supervisor walked in.

Right off the bat, I noticed something off. The way the supervisor looked at Tessa was noticeably... different. Sweeter. More indulgent.

Before the meeting was even over, he appointed her as the intern team lead, giving her full authority to delegate our tasks.

I wasn't about to swallow that kind of blatant favoritism.

I stood up, keeping my tone deadpan. "Shouldn't we keep things fair? A quick vote seems more appropriate."

"The company doesn't have time to hold elections," the supervisor snapped back. "Tessas resume is the most outstanding out of all of you. It makes perfect sense for her to take the lead."

I practically choked on a laugh.

Just last night, my dad had patted my shoulder in his study and told me, "Harper, your portfolio blew the rest of the applicants out of the water. I know youre going to shine."

Faced with the supervisors bold-faced lie, I bit my tongue. Just like I held off on exposing Tessa's fake heiress routine.

Some lies are way more satisfying to watch when the liar finally runs out of runway.

I really wanted to see what kind of "outstanding" skills Tessa actually possessed.

But before she could show off, I became public enemy number one.

A stack of folders halfway up to my chin was slammed onto my desk. Tessa stood over me, looking down her nose. "I need all of these digitized, sorted chronologically, and in my inbox before tomorrow morning."

She turned on her heel, pausing just long enough to throw a glance over her shoulder. "Oh, and grab me a coffee on your way back."

The sheer entitlement in her voice made my skin crawl.

"Are your legs broken?" I asked.

Not even my own father had the privilege of ordering me to fetch his coffee.

"Its on your way. Why are you being so difficult?" Gwen, another intern who had glued herself to Tessas side all morning, instantly jumped to her defense.

"Yeah, its just a cup of coffee. Don't be so petty."

Listening to them, youd think I was the one bullying the poor, defenseless rich girl.

I picked up the empty mug and shoved it right into Gwens chest. "If its no big deal, you do it."

Whoever wanted to play the maid could go right ahead.

Gwens face flushed an ugly red. "What the hell is your problem, Harper? Are you trying to start a fight on your first day?"

Before I could even fire back, Tessa gracefully stepped between us.

"Its okay, its my fault. I shouldn't have asked Harper for a favor. Please, lets not ruin the team spirit over me."

Look at her, playing the martyr.

I didn't actually care about making coffee. I just refused to bow down to her snobby, condescending attitude.

Gwen fanned her face, glaring at me like I was a piece of trash. "If you can't even handle basic teamwork, I have no idea how you passed the interview."

"I got hired to do my job," I shot back, "not to act as a glorified barista."

"You..."

"Tell you what!" Tessa clapped her hands together. "Ill treat everyone to afternoon tea later. Lets all just get back to work!"

With her audience appeased, Tessa took a step closer to me. "Harper, please don't be mad at me, okay?"

The sugary sweetness in her voice made me want to gag.

I brushed past her and walked away, a heavy knot of annoyance tight in my chest.

How could someone be this fake?

But the real shocker came later. Walking back from the rooftop terrace, I took the stairwell to avoid the elevator crowd. Thats when I stumbled right into Tessa and the supervisor.

"That Harper girl is such a bitch. Complaining about me being team lead this morning, and then totally disrespecting me in front of everyone."

"She did that?"

The supervisor had Tessa pinned against the concrete wall in the shadowy corner of the landing, his hands roaming dangerously low on her waist.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it. I promise you, Harper won't last till the end of this internship."

What followed was a symphony of breathy, explicit noises echoing off the cinderblock walls.

My stomach churned in disgust, but at the same time, I almost wanted to laugh.

I couldn't wait to see exactly how they planned to get rid of me.

Sure enough, the very next morning, I was summoned to the supervisor's office.

"Where are the digitized files I asked for yesterday? If you can't even handle the most basic data entry, there is absolutely no reason for you to stick around."

I had expected some sort of corporate mastermind move.

Instead, I got this lazy garbage.

I stared him down, my expression freezing over. "Did Tessa come crying to you?"

"She gave an objective report on your performance, and I am handling this impartially."

Impartially. What an absolute joke.

"Those files are case studies from fifteen years ago. Theyve been fully archived on the companys internal server for a decade. A simple search pulls them up instantly. Digitizing them again is a massive waste of company time."

I leaned forward, resting my hands on his desk. "Tell me, have you ever actually logged into our own intranet?"

"I... of course I have!"

Clearly not expecting me to have done my homework, his face mottled an embarrassing shade of purple. "I was simply testing your work ethic!"

He was desperately trying to save face, and it was pathetic.

I didn't push it further. I still wanted to spend this internship doing real work and proving my worth on paper.

The supervisor cleared his throat aggressively. "I also heard you were causing drama in the bullpen yesterday."

"I know you resent my decisions, but in the real corporate world, things don't always go your way. You are young, Harper. You have a lot to learn about respect."

If I hadn't literally caught him swallowing Tessas face in a stairwell, I might have actually believed his pseudo-mentor act.

Walking out of his office, I headed back to the bullpen. A large crowd had gathered right around my desk.

The moment Gwen spotted me, she raised her voice so the whole floor could hear. "Some people are just shameless! They act all high and mighty, but behind closed doors, theyre total lowlifes!"

Tessa tugged at Gwens sleeve, her eyes wide and innocent. "Gwen, don't be mean. We have to work together. Maybe Harper was just curious and wanted to try it on."

"Curious? Shes a thief, Tessa! Stop defending her."

What fresh hell was this?

I frowned and pushed my way through the circle of gossiping interns.

Gwen didn't back down. "You stole Tessas Cartier watch, Harper! How do you even have the nerve to show your face right now?"

I paused. A Cartier? I had a velvet display case full of those back at my penthouse. Most of them were too flashy for my taste anyway. Why would I steal one?

"Which one of your eyes saw me steal anything?" I asked coldly. "Keep your mouth shut if you don't have proof."

"Then open your drawer and prove us wrong!"

Tessa stepped forward, playing the gentle peacemaker. "Harper, look, if you really love the watch that much, I can buy you a brand new one. But that specific one was a gift from my late mother. It holds a lot of sentimental value."

They had rehearsed this perfectly. It was a flawless guilt trip.

A cold realization hit me. The watch was definitely inside my drawer.

There was no other way Gwen would be screaming with this much confidence.

Every interns drawer had a lock, but given Tessas intimate connection with the supervisor, getting a master key would take her two seconds.

Taking my silence as guilt, Gwen crossed her arms triumphantly. "Whats wrong? Scared, you little thief?"

I glanced up at the ceiling, making sure the small, black dome of the security camera was angled right at us. I let out a sharp laugh. "Whoever planted it knows exactly what they did."

I unlocked the drawer and pulled it open. Right on top of my notebooks rested a silver and sapphire Cartier Ballon Bleu.

But as I looked closer, my breath hitched. Etched right into the side of the metal casing were two tiny letters.

H.B. My initials.

Before I could even process the coincidence, Gwen snatched the watch right out of the drawer. "Look, Tessa! Is this the one you lost?"

"Yes! This is exactly the one my mother gave me." Tessas eyes welled up with perfectly timed tears. She looked at me, a picture of absolute betrayal. "Harper, how could you?"

The crowd murmured in sympathy for her.

I had to hand it to her. The sheer audacity was almost impressive.

"Your mother gave you a watch engraved with my initials?"

The office went dead silent. Everyone crowded in closer to look at the side of the watch where Gwen was holding it.

Half a month ago, for my birthday, a social-climbing frenemy from college had custom-ordered this exact watch to suck up to me.

But since I already owned three variations of it, I tossed it up on Poshmark for a fraction of the retail price.

I remembered the buyer vividly. She haggled with me in the DMs for two hours straight. I finally got bored and knocked an extra hundred bucks off just to make her go away.

I never in a million years thought the cheapskate on the other end of the screen was Tessa Crawford.

"Who says H.B. stands for Harper Bennett? Youre delusional!"

Gwen was grasping at straws now. "Stop trying to change the subject! We caught you red-handed with stolen property. Youre done!"

"You're right, I'm done talking," I said, pulling out my phone. "Lets just pull the security footage. You guys do realize there are cameras right above us, right?"

Judging by their suddenly pale faces, they had absolutely no idea.

"Should I call the cops now, or wait until security brings the tape up?" I hovered my thumb over the keypad. Gwen looked like she was going to throw up.

"What is going on out here! This is a workplace, not a playground!"

The supervisor stormed out of his office right on cue.

Tessa immediately pivoted, looking at me with big, apologetic eyes. "Oh my gosh, someone must have just placed it in the wrong desk by mistake! I am so sorry for the misunderstanding, Harper. Please be the bigger person and don't hold this against us, okay?"

She orchestrated a literal frame-up, and now she was asking me to be the bigger person?

Buying my second-hand cast-offs and acting like royalty.

I scoffed, tossing the watch back onto the desk. I wasn't going to waste my breath arguing with them right now.

But the battle lines were officially drawn.

The next evening, the entire department had to work overtime. Tessa took charge of ordering dinner for everyone with the intern budget.

But when the takeout bags were passed around, my desk remained empty.

"Oh no, I swear I counted thirteen people when I ordered! How could they forget one?" Tessa frowned, her voice dripping with fake concern.

My name was right in the middle of the roster. It wasn't at the top, wasn't at the bottom. But somehow, mine was the only one skipped?

"Tell you what, Ill just order you a fresh one from my own pocket," she said, pulling out her phone. "Oh... wait. Delivery won't get here until seven, and we have the big strategy meeting in ten minutes."

I smirked. This kind of middle-school bullying was genuinely embarrassing.

"Simple solution," I said loudly. "Whoever messed up the order gives up their meal. Ill take yours."

I didn't even want her cheap takeout. I just wanted to see her squirm.

Before Tessa could say a word, her loyal lapdog Gwen bared her teeth. "Are you insane? First you try to steal her luxury watch, and now you want to steal her dinner?"

Gwens voice practically echoed through the bullpen. Everyone stopped eating and stared at us.

I kept my voice icy and level. "First of all, I didn't steal anything. The camera footage is sitting right there if you ever want to test that theory. Second, who exactly is stealing food?"

Gwen stuttered, clearly not expecting me to push back so hard in front of an audience.

Tessa swooped in to play the angel again. "Harper, don't take it to heart. Gwen just speaks without a filter. She doesn't mean any harm."

I looked at the two of them, absolutely disgusted by the synchronized routine. I grabbed my notes and walked straight into the conference room.

Out of sight, out of mind.

But by nine o'clock, my stomach was roaring, and my vision was practically blurring.

Under the table, I aggressively texted my mom.

[I am starving! I need a massive dry-aged Ribeye, creamy lobster mac and cheese, loaded truffle fries, and a whole chocolate lava cake! Oh, and extra carbs!]

By the time we finally dragged ourselves out of the building, it was nearing midnight.

Everyone was exhausted, shuffling toward the subway station in dead silence.

Suddenly, a sleek, jet-black Bentley idling by the curb caught everyone's attention.

"Oh my god, Tessa, is that your familys car? Your dad is so sweet, sending a driver to pick you up so late!" Gwen practically drooled over the shiny hood.

Tessa tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled demurely. "Oh, stop it..."

I ignored them. The driver stepped out of the Bentley, locked eyes with me, and gave a small wave. I picked up my pace and walked straight toward the car.

"Wait, what is happening? Why is she getting in?"

I heard Gwens confused shriek right as I closed the heavy car door.

I didn't even bother looking out the window. "Just drive, George," I told the chauffeur.

When I got home to the penthouse, the dining table was covered in a feast fit for a king. I completely forgot about the miserable day and dug in like a wild animal.

My dad walked in a few minutes later, loosening his tie. Seeing me inhaling a ribeye, he sat down and asked how my first couple of days were going.

I paused, a piece of steak hovering halfway to my mouth. I almost spilled everything.

But I swallowed it down. "Its going great. Just wait, Im going to blow them all away."

Tessas pathetic little parlor tricks weren't worth my dads time.

I wanted to wait for the absolute perfect moment. I wanted to watch Tessas fragile house of cards collapse while she was standing right inside it.

Calling in the airstrike now would ruin the fun.