Is this destiny?

When she realized that she is facing a young woman who is after Aiden, the shameless one who wants to jeopardize her baby sister's happiness… Sophia's eyes lit up coldly and a faint smile appeared on her face.

"Don't worry, Mr. Turner. It's normal for young ladies to be motivated by passion. Some ladies find that their drive can be increased by music, or a scent, or a sunny day… and some are motivated by love.", Sophia told Mr. Turner and turned to Madison.

"You will be happy to hear that Orion Enterprise has a very close collaboration with White corp. We are in negotiation process of sharing space. If this comes true, then you might end up working from White corp. HQ building even though you are doing internship for Orion Enterprise."

"Oh, that would be amazing!", Madison exclaimed.

"Yes, yes. We think so too." Sophia confirmed. "Now, since you are already here, we can discuss about the program and your eligibility. Our internship program is objectively one of the best, and it opens many opportunities for professional advancement. In your case, there might be some personal advancements as well."

Madison's eyes sparkled. She thought how this CEO lady is amazing! She totally gets it! Everything about this is amazing! She wanted to hug Sophia! And she wanted to hug her father too and to thank him for not giving up on getting her an internship, because this is just… amazing!

Sophia's smile widened when she saw how excited Madison is.

"Our program is geared toward young and talented individuals, and based on just one glance at you, Miss Turner, I can tell that you are young and talented. I have a good sense for these things. How old are you?"

"23 years old.", Madison responded with a big smile.

"Oh…", Sophia's smile faded. "Maybe my sense for judging people is not so good after all…"

"What? Is there a problem?" Mr. Turners brows furrowed.

Sophia sighed. "It's just that… our internship program in computer science field is geared toward people who are 21 or younger. Miss Turner… you are, unfortunately, too old."

"Old? I just graduated!" Madison could not believe that Sophia called her old.

"I know you did… and the fact that you got your degree at the age of 23 is… disappointing."

Madison didn't know how to respond to this. "But, but… don't people usually graduate at this age?"

Sophia shook her head. "Not really. There are many who take advantage of extra credits to speed up their studies. Let me use as an example future Mrs. White."

Sophia saw that Madison's face contorted and she laughed lightly. "Don't worry, I'm talking about the woman who will become Mrs. White today. The one marrying Jeffrey… Where was I? Oh, yes… Do you know that she is your age, and yet she is already a practicing surgeon? She completed medical studies and all her residency requirements at the age of 22. Also, as another example, her sister got a degree in Computer Science at the age of 20… and by then she completed her internship as well, at White corp. What I'm trying to say is: that young lady was in the similar field of studies as you, but the difference is that she was 19 when she started her internship at White corp."

Sophia looked at Madison's confused expression and patted her hand, trying to comfort her. "You see? There is always someone better, someone faster… someone who already has what you believe belongs to you, and it will never be yours because your qualifications are lacking… But let's put your age aside. If your academics are good, I'm sure we can work out something."

Sophia gave an encouraging wink to Madison and got her phone. She checked Madison's resume. The more she read, the sadder her expression became.

"Oh… Miss Turner. Unfortunately, your resume does not reflect the image of an outstanding student. Your grades are OK, but not awe worthy. Besides projects which are in line with standard coursework, I don't see anything else listed. Do you mind telling me in person about your extra courses or credits you earned which you forgot to include in your resume? In what way you stand out from your classmates? How many additional projects can you show me?"

Madison's eyes were growing wider by the second. She was staring at Sophia and thought how is it possible that even though Sophia's words seem normal, she is embarrassed?

After few seconds, Sophia nodded knowingly. "I see… maybe you are not so academically oriented. It happens. Some people are just more committed to solving real life problems."

Sophia looked at Mr. Turner whose face was unreadable. "Mr. Turner, because of our relationship, I am willing to consider other ways in which your daughter stands out as a good candidate for my company."

She turned to Madison. "Miss Turner, can you confirm if you were involved in any projects outside your University? Maybe helping your father at his company? Or some charity work? Anything?"

Sophia enjoyed watching Madison lose color from her face. "Oh… I'm sorry if all these questions seem too much, but I only want to know what makes you exceptional so that you believe you can stand above others?"

Madison stuttered: "I… I… I never said that I stand above others."

"Oh? You didn't? You should be aware that for every open position, we find dozens of qualified candidates among the applicants. If you want to get an internship at Orion Enterprise and are even considering White corp. that implies that you are one of the best… or delusional. Considering your background and that Mr. Turner asked me directly to meet with you, I assumed that you have skills and achievements necessary to join my company. Or did I misunderstand? Do you want to say that you are just an average woman without the ability to stand out?"

"That is not what I said either!" Madison snapped.

"Then, what did you say? Let me think…" Sophia rubbed her chin. "Ah! I remember. You said that you are 23 years old, you want to stay in Los Angeles, and you want to be matched up with Aiden White. Did you say anything else? I don't think so. Unfortunately, that sounds more like a dating profile than a professional one."

Sophia turned to Mr. Turner with a sad expression. "I'm sorry, Mr. Turner. I know you mean the best for your daughter, but sometimes a bitter drink of reality needs to be swallowed. You know that as leaders of our companies, we can't allow ourselves to make conscious decisions which are bad for business. And getting your daughter into my company is… bad for business. I'm saying this without any bad intentions, believe me. I just want to prevent you from having hopes for something that will not happen.. Like this, you can look for some less-reputable companies who might be OK with at best mediocre staff."

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