"Maybe it won't be as bad as you think." Brian says casually with a shrug. As much as I'd like to believe him, this is highly unlikely. Justin is going to absolutely roast me.

"Yeah, probably not the case." I sigh, adding the finishing touches to my app design. "Ready to check this?" I ask.

He reaches over and takes the paper out of my hand and looks over it. I see his eyebrows raise as he reads it. Truthfully, I have no idea if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

"Oh God, it's terrible. Isn't it?" I ask, reaching for the file.

"Not so fast." He says with a laugh, moving away from me as he continues to read over my design. "It's really not bad, Nat. It's actually really good in my opinion. I had no idea you were so into fitness." He tells me.

"It's nothing too serious. I just picked up on it over the last year. I was wanting to create an app that is more than just a workout app. I want it to have personalized fitness as well as nearby workout classes in your surrounding area. Plus, I thought it would be cool to show nearby restaurants that offer healthy food items. It's so easy to go onto UberEats and find fast food near us, but how cool would it be to only be shown places with healthy items? Then, the user can just connect their debit or credit card to place the purchase and skip the line entirely. It would be like...a fitness guide and personal planner all in one." I say proudly.

"I really do love this idea, Nat. I think it's unique in it's own way. I would add a little more color to the cover page, but other than that you're good to go." He tells me with a smile. "Trust me on this. Grayson loves color." He informs me.

I pull my laptop out and begin to quickly redesign the cover page as Brian and I sit in silence. I wish that Brian could be my team leader. The fact that he is so willing to help by putting all competition aside is what a real leader should be doing. Justin clearly has no idea what it means to be a real leader.

"I wish I were on your team instead." I admit out loud.

"I wish you were, too. But hey, don't worry. Okay? It'll all be fine. Let me take care of Justin." He says calmly.

"Wait, don't say anything to him. Please." I say, shifting my body in my chair to face him.

"He isn't being fair to you, Nat. He needs someone to talk some sense into him. Listen, I'm not going to say any names. But it's going to be a lot better if I just talk to him about his behavior now. Otherwise, Grayson is going to get ahold of him and nobody wants that." He says with a laugh.

"How long have you known him?" I ask.

"Justin?" He asks.

"No. Grayson." I say.

"I don't really know him at all. I mean, he's my boss. We might have exchanged a few words in passing...but nothing too memorable. Keeping this between you and me...he's kind of an asshole." He says with a shrug.

"Really? You think so?"

"Yeah. I mean, he really walks around this place like he is so much better than all of us. Realistically, he is. I mean, he made all of this from the ground up. He didn't ask for any help from anyone. I hear he absolutely hates asking for help. He wants to do everything on his own. His best friend is Shane, and Shane works in HR. I'm sure you already knew that, though."

"I didn't know that. You seem to have forgotten that I've only been here for three months." I point out with a laugh.

"Yeah, but aren't you women supposed to be all about learning the gossip in the workplace?" He asks in a joking manner. "Kidding, of course." He laughs.

"Oh yeah, I'm super interested on all of the drama these guys have going on." I laugh, rolling my eyes. "If we're being honest, this is probably the worst job I've ever had in my entire life. Well, it's the best job...but it is one of the worst environments I've ever worked in. I only feel safe telling you this because...I guess I just trust you." I shrug.

"It'll get better. I promise." He assures me.

"I really do hope so. Because I don't know how much more I will be able to handle." I laugh.

"Who knows. Maybe I can talk Grayson into letting me transfer you over to my team. Or...maybe you can ask him. When you hand him your app design." He tells me.

"I don't know if I can handle much more of Grayson, either." I laugh.

"Why is that?"

"He makes me nervous. Something about him just...makes me feel weird." I mumble. I know it's terrible of me to even be saying something like this about my boss, but it's the truth. Although all encounters with Grayson have been kept to a minimum, I don't really anticipate anymore in the near future.

"Like I said, he's really not that bad. He's just...self centered, maybe. I don't know. Try and keep him on your good side, though. Grayson is definitely not someone that you want on your bad side." Brian says seriously.

"Why?" I ask curiously.

"Again, because he's our boss." He laughs. "Like I said, don't worry. Just keep doing everything that you're doing, and you'll be fine. I mean, he clearly sees some talent in you if he's willing to extend your deadline date. If it were anyone else, he would have just left it alone. He sees real talent in you, Natalia. I do, too." He assures me.

"Thank you, Brain. Really, you're the best." I say with a small smile.

"I do try." He laughs. "Okay, I've got to get going. I have a dinner date to attend." He groans, rolling his eyes.

"Don't have too much fun." I laugh. He gives me a quick pat on the back before leaving. When I turn around, I don't see anyone left in the office.

Something about working past five in the afternoon does not set well with these people. Everyone is in a rush to leave as quickly as possible. I'm always one of the last people to leave. If I had it my way, I would work late all of the time. I love how quiet it is once everyone leaves.

My phone goes off quickly, startling my in the dense silence.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Hola, love. Are you still coming to dinner tonight? Your brother is going to be home." My mother speaks into the phone.

"Si, mama." I reply, almost forgetting about our dinner plans completely.

"Bueno! Don't forget, hija." She instructs.

"I won't, mama." I repeat. "I'm at work right now. I have to run some things upstairs to my boss but it'll be over after, okay?"

"Okay. See you soon." She says before hanging up the phone.

This dinner is going to either be amazing or completely wreck everything today. Nathaniel hasn't been home in over two years. I haven't seen my brother in almost as long. As much as I miss him, I know my parents miss him much more. He's been so far away that it's hard to find the time to come and visit. Even holidays have been pushed to the side. His wife, Grace, is something else. She's sweet enough, but she has a hard time bonding with our family. I get along with her, but I'm used to speaking to most everyone in English at all times. My parents don't believe the same. They speak very minimal English to her. They wanted Nathaniel to marry a Hispanic girl and keep our family true to their genes. As often as we have tried convincing them that we live in America now, and that there are many people to see and learn from, they refuse to believe it. They are just stuck in their old ways.

Trying my hardest to push my family to the back of my head, I gather up my bag and get ready to leave. I'll just drop my app design off before I leave. More than likely, Grayson has already left the office for the day. I'm sure he's in just as much of a hurry to leave as everyone else is.

As I enter the elevator and take the trip upstairs, I feel my growing paranoia. I can't explain why I get so nervous around this man, but I do. Brian is right. I think Grayson just comes off as...cocky. He's confident that he's the best. But can I blame him? He did create this entire place on his own. I would be self centered too.

When the elevator opens, I see a tall man a few feet down the hall.

"Hi there. Can I help you?" The man asks, approaching me with a bright yet confused smile.

"Oh, hi. I was just wanting to give this to Mr. Parker." I reply nervously.

"Mr. Parker? So formal." He says with a laugh, "Let me see what you've got here." He says, taking the file from my hand and looking over it quickly. "App design?" He asks.

"Yeah. Mine was a bit late and he told me to just get it to him as soon as possible."

"I see. Well, let's see if Grayson is still in the office. He should be. He tends to stay later." He says as he walks with me down the hallway. I have absolutely no idea who this man is, but given he is on this floor, he must be at least semi important.

"Thank you, sir." I say I follow him to Grayson's office.

"Are you new here? I haven't seen you around." He points out.

"Yeah. I just started about three months ago. I'm Natalia Zamora. I'm just an intern." I say.

"Just an intern?" He asks curiously.

"Yeah." I reply softly.

"Nobody is just an intern. Whose team are you on?" He asks.

"Team 4." I reply.

"Is that...Justin's team?" He asks as if he's trying to remember everyone's name. With everyone who works here, I would have a hard time remembering everyone, too.

"Yes." I reply with a smile.

"Justin is a really smart guy. He'll definitely have a lot to show you. You're in good hands." He assures me. Oh man, if only he really knew.

As we approach Grayson's office, he knocks on the door and opens is lightly.

"Knock, knock." He says playfully. "I found this one in the hallway. She said that she had something to give to you." He says.

"Come in." Grayson says, motioning for us to come in. The man next to me nods his head, giving me the OK to enter the office. I enter slowly, and the man closes the door behind me, leaving only Grayson and I in the office.

"How can I help you?" Grayson asks, glancing down at the iPhone in his hand.

"I just wanted to turn in my app design." I reply.

"Finished already?" He asks, reaching out to take the paper from my hand.

"Yeah. I sort of already had an idea. I just needed the time to finish it."

"Did Justin give you time to finish this today?" He asks.

"Yes." I lie. There is absolutely no way in hell I'm going to tell him the truth and have him go and say something to Justin. I can't do that.

"Good." He replies with a tight smile. He flips through the papers in my file and hums lightly as he reads in. I watch her carefully, waiting for him to show any facial expression that tells me he hates the idea.

"You workout?" He asks.

I must have completely missed the fact that he was asking me a question at first, because he slowly turns his head up to look at me with confusion.

"What?" I ask, just as confused as he looks.

"I asked if you workout." He repeats in that same deep voice as before. With little emotion behind his words, I can't tell if he hates this yet or not.

"Oh. Yeah. I mean, yes. I workout." I reply quickly.

He hums in reply, nodding his head and looking back down at my cover page.

"I like the cover page. Red is my favorite color." He informs me. He doesn't seem excited by this or displeased by this. He says this the same way someone would talks bout the weather.

It's cold outside.

It's raining.

There is little to no emotion indicating what he's thinking.

"Thank you, Mr. Parker." I reply quietly.

"Grayson." He replies in a flat voice.

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Grayson." He tells me.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I-"

"Why?" He asks.

"I...wait, what?" I ask.

"Why are you sorry?" He asks.

"I'm just...I don't know. I just am." I reply quietly. However I imagined this encounter going, this isn't it.

"Oh." He replies, shrugging slightly. "Thank you for getting this to me. Are you okay with the rest of the deadlines for the app?" He asks me.

"Yes, sir." I reply with a small smile.

"Good. I will be waiting to see your finished design." He tells me with a small nod.

"Okay. Yeah, thank you so much." I say, grabbing my bag and taking a step towards the door. "I'll see you soon." I say with a large smile.

He nods in reply and watches as I exit his office. As I close the door behind, I can't help but keep the smile off of my face. With the very little emotion he had offered, I was able to point out one thing. He said he would be waiting to see my finished design.

He has yet to announce which apps would be moving forward in this process, but I truly think with what he just said, I might be one of them.