Serena Jones was late again. She could hear the words of her best friend floating into her head, "Serena you clod! What am I going to do with you!?" She smiled a quick smile as she focused all her energy on running to the Little Coffee Shop where Mina Atkinson waited for her. 'God, she really is going to kill me, I'm half an hour late!' Even for her, who was known to be tardy, it was a little ridiculous. She saw the sign of the little shop and smiled in triumph. 'Whew, I made it! Jeez, Sere, you need to get your ass to the gym, and pronto!' She finally reached the door, and yanked it open, throwing herself into the shop and earning a couple of shocked stares.

"SERENA! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN??" A pink faced blonde yelled from a corner booth, her brown eyes shone with irritation.

Serena ran to the table and plopped into the seat across from her best friend. "Honey, I'm so sorry! I have a really good excuse this time, promise! You'll never believe what happened to me!!"

"Does it have anything to do with you, oh I don't know, falling off the face of the earth, losing your cell phone in a fire pit, and knocking all common sense out of your brain?" Mina fumed.

"Ugh, I'm sorry! But seriously you won't believe this!" Serena exclaimed with a bright smile, slowly trying to catch her breath after the ten minute jog she took to get to the shop.

"Alright, what is it?" Mina asked, giving in to her best friend of 15 years. They had known each other since they were six years old, and had been inseparable. They were often called twins, which was due to their very similar hair color, and matching expressions. You rarely saw one without the other.

"I got a job!" Serena almost screamed. Mina looked at her friend awestruck.

"If this is the news then I'm going to be really pissed."

"I got a job at Shields Inc. I'm interning there this summer! Can you believe it?!" Serena could barely hold her excitement. Finally the reaction she was waiting for erupted within her best friend.

"Oh my goodness! How'd you land that one Sere? Shields Inc., really?" Mina was in shock. Shields Inc. was one of the leading businesses in the country. They bought and sold various companies and were leading the business world in the number of companies they acquired each year. Shields Inc. was the company to be in at the moment.

"Yea! Oh god, that's why I was late! They had a last minute interview and I just had to take it! I mean we graduate in a month, and I needed a job!" Serena was a bit down about graduating from college, she had endured the best times of her life along the paths of NYU. It felt a bit wrong to just leave it when there were hundreds of parties left to attend, and numerous classes to take. She felt a twinge of pain in her heart, but brushed it aside with her new opportunity.

"Sheesh Sere, that's amazing!" Mina had already landed a job as a starting lawyer in one of New York's leading law firms, but luckily for her, she wasn't going to be working full time. She also had a fashion dream to pursue, and would be spending the other half of her time attempting to design clothes and get them on the racks. "I wonder if you'll be working for the multi-million dollar sex god!" She squealed. Darien Shields was a well known ladies' man, and was the president of the company. It had been started by his great grandfather, and had been passed down ever since then.

"Ugh, Mina you know how much I hate guys, but if I do get to work with him, I mean that is a definite plus for my future résumé." Serena had very little to do with men nowadays, she was tired of the fuss they caused in her everyday life and loved to live it up with the girls. She was satisfied with enjoying her life while she was still young enough to embrace it. Serena was like that, independent, she had to be.

"There's nothing saying you can't meet the guy! Wait till Raye gets a load of this! She'll be so jealous! You know she keeps like half of his pictures, right?" The two blondes laughed at the childishness of their mutual good friend. They passed the rest of their time talking animatedly about graduation and what would happen when they were out in the real world, not having their parents to place blame on. It was going to be an adventure, thankfully they had each other.

At the end of their long, and seemingly pointless, conversation ended, both girls departed. Serena was longing for her bubble bath. 'I totally deserve one; I mean I got a job today! It's the least I can do for myself.' She smiled as she walked the eight blocks to her apartment.

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Graduation had come and gone, and as usual, Serena and Mina were ranked top of their class; Mina above Serena. Neither of them cared which of them had the higher ranking, just knowing that they had beat out the rest of their classmates (whom were not at all encouraging or friendly to either woman) was enough for them. At this very moment, Serena was silently wishing that her alarm clock wouldn't go off. Another three minutes later, a harsh ringing broke into the still morning air. 'I really could die right now, I hate having a job.' It was to be her first day at Shields Inc. and she already hated it!

She slowly picked herself up and got out of bed to get ready for her first day of work. As she got out of the shower, she turned on her stereo in her room to get her excited for the day. The energetic music soared through the air as Serena danced around picking out an outfit. She finally settled on a high-waisted black skirt with a light blue button up. She went through the usual morning routine, blow-drying and styling her hair, applying her small amount of make-up and finding pieces of jewelry to add to her wardrobe.

Serena looked at the finished product in the mirror. The button up shirt she had chosen brought out her bright blue eyes. She smiled to herself and approved of the image looking back at her.

"It's time to live in the real world!" She said a bit nervously, but mostly her voice was filled with excitement. She ran out of her bedroom and to the kitchen where she grabbed a low-fat muffin, her car keys and her small black purse.

Serena pulled up to the massive building that was thriving with life and movement. It seemed as if everyone was trying to get into said building. She parked her silver Volvo in the lot beneath the building, and sighed. She felt her excitement ebbing away at her with each step towards the door of the office. 'You can handle this Serena, you can do anything.' With those encouraging words, she smiled and ran towards the entrance.

Serena had been in the fifth floor office for three hours, mainly filling out mindless paperwork. She was sitting at the grand oak conference table tapping her foot lightly on the floor, a nervous habit she had recently acquired. After another ten minutes of waiting, a knock came to the door. Serena instantly stopped her tapping and sat straight up in her chair as a man walked into the room.

"Serena Jones? Hi, I'm Andrew Gifford vice-president of Shields Inc., and I'm here to show you around." He said with a bright smile. Serena smiled at the man named Andrew and took in his features. He seemed like a gentle man, with dirty blonde hair and gorgeous soft brown eyes. With the smile on his face, his brown eyes sparkled with humor and excitement. 'Wow, he's gorgeous' she said to herself. 'What? I haven't thought about a guy this way in years! What's going on with me?' Serena brushed it off and stood to shake the young man's hand.

"Hey, yea that sounds great! I've been cooped up in this room for hours!" She said with a bright smile of her own. 'Wow, this girl is gorgeous, I never expected our intern to be so attractive,' Andrew thought to himself. He held the door and motioned her to step through.

The two walked around the entire 20 story building. Andrew showed her that each floor was designated for certain purposes. He introduced her to several of the company's important heads of departments, and numerous other people. She was shocked that Andrew had known all of their names, and could tell by the way they interacted with him that he was very well liked by all the employees.

"Wow, everybody here seems to love you, how do you remember them all?" Serena asked, a little more bluntly than she had intended. Andrew laughed at her, smiling that brilliant smile.

"It's really simple actually. I just treat them the way I would want to be treated. Just because I'm the Vice President doesn't mean I work harder or am more important." He said simply.

"But you are more important, you're the Vice President. I mean you overlook everything!" She exclaimed, not really understanding why this man was so humble in his extraordinary state.

"Well, yes I do overlook everything, but that's my job. They all do their jobs as well." He said with a glint in his eyes. "They work hard, I work hard. We're equal. I just get paid a little more than they do." He said laughing. Serena laughed as well. They finished out there tour and were on the elevator to the top floor.

"This is the top floor, where you'll be working. A few warnings though," he said with a smirk, "Mr. Shields is not too excited about having an intern, but it looks good to the press. You'll be working with the both of us, doing various jobs. He's an interesting man to say the least." He finished smiling, reminiscing about their past together.

"He sounds intimidating." Serena said with a small voice, her hands were beginning to tremble. She was never good with meeting people, especially somebody who wasn't excited to have her there.

"Oh he is, but trust me, underneath his nonchalant demeanor, he's a true softy. I would know I've known him since we were 4 years old." He said as the elevator came to a stop on the 20th floor. Serena was incredibly nervous, but she was strong.

Serena walked off the elevator and was surprised at how comfortable this floor looked, as opposed to the other floors. It was a big open floor with two offices on either side.

"We're the only ones on this floor," Andrew laughed. "It really is ridiculous, but how can you refuse Darien?" Serena smiled, and wondered when she'd meet the supposed softy. From what she had read, he wasn't a soft kind of person, not in regards to his cut-throat business tactics, or his relationships with the many women he had been spotted with.

"You're going to be here at this desk. But I must warn you, you may get bored. Very little happens up here." Andrew smiled. He bent down towards her ear and whispered, "Sometimes I go down to the other floors for a bit of fun. I can't stay cramped in an office but for so long." He laughed, as he moved away from her. "Trust me, you'll be begging to leave after a few hours."

Serena laughed, "I'm tough, I can handle a few boring hours."

"So you're telling our new intern how boring it is to work for me, huh?" said a cool voice from behind her. She immediately stiffened and turned around to face the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen in her life. It was like she couldn't breathe, but she wouldn't trade oxygen for anything if she could stare at this black haired god standing in front of her for the rest of her life.

Andrew laughed, "Darien, you know how boring you are, and it's my job to inform her of what she's getting into."

"Ah, your job, huh?" Darien said grinning. "You've got a hell of a job then."

"And it's all thanks to you, D." Andrew said with a smirk. "Serena, this is Darien Shields, my best friend, and the big boss."

Serena snapped out of her trance, and smiled at the man who stretched his hand out towards her. "Hey, nice to meet you," she said softly, taking the man's strong hand and shaking it.

'She seems so nervous, but she is gorgeous. Maybe having an intern isn't that bad of an idea.' Darien thought to himself. "And I, you. Now, don't let Andrew taint your picture of me. I'm a nice guy, I suppose." He said as he walked towards his office, knowing good and well that most people thought the complete opposite. He wasn't like Andrew, who was carelessly nice and admirable. Darien was a loner, and at most times cared for nothing but himself and his company. How Andrew and he had become friends, and for this long, he had no idea, but it was the one thing he was truly thankful for. He was the kind of guy that had gotten accustomed to being alone and liked it like that. He wasn't happy, however he wasn't unhappy, his life had taught him to be indifferent to anything that happened around him. He supposed that was why his father had given him the company so early in his life. As a 28 year old man, he was the face of a billion dollar company, pushing the boundaries just as his father had done, and his father before him. Darien sat in the chair behind his huge desk, basking in his glory. He was the king of his world, and nobody would change that. A soft tap on his office door brought him out of his gloating mood, and he scowled.

"Come in." He said flatly. His new intern walked into the office and stood there awkwardly, looking at the floor.

"Yes?" he asked. She had interrupted him in his glory, which was unheard of.

"I-I was just wondering what it is that you wanted me to do." She said timidly. His image was indeed intimidating, and Serena was already a small girl to begin with. Even as he sat at his desk, his broad shoulders and dark blue eyes made her feel even smaller than her five foot three frame allowed her.

"Nothing." He said simply. 'If I wanted something I would have told you, duh.' He said in his mind. Normally he would have gone ahead and said his thoughts aloud, but something was keeping him from relaying the harsh thoughts on the young woman.

"Okay, ummm, alright. Then I guess, I'll just be outside." She said looking up into his eyes. He nodded as he felt something deep within him, a something he had never felt before. He shrugged it off, and went back to doing anything but looking at the girl in front of him. He heard the door close and looked up and saw she was gone. He felt even more alone than he had before she walked in. 'Weird.' He commented then went to do some work.

Serena was so out of place, but Andrew had warned her, she didn't know why it felt so bad to be calmly rejected by the gorgeous man. She went to the desk and simply sat there, not really knowing what to do with herself. She got up after a couple minutes and knocked on the second office door.

"Come in," said another flat voice. Serena was beginning to think she was going to be a nuisance to both men. However, as soon as she entered Andrew's office, a smile spread across his face, making her feel welcomed.

"Bored already?" he smirked. "Come in, I'll show you what I'm doing. I mean, you are here to learn about the business industry, right?" He said as he motioned for her to sit in the chair in front of his desk. She smiled and sat down with him as they went over reports and various other things.