*song that goes with the chapter Nose on the Grindstone- Tyler Childers

Staring at herself in her apartment's full-length mirror, Ryan fixed and tugged at her outfit, making sure there were no wrinkles. She sighed, taking a lint roller and guiding it all over her skirt. Emma, her roommate, stood behind her, fixing the collar in her blazer. 

"Ryan, you're going to do great today. Take a deep breath," she said as she exhaled through her mouth. "Everything will be okay; you have all the tools you need to be the law firm's best intern. Please don't stress." Emma said as she grabbed Ryan by the shoulders and turned her face to face. Ryan was usually never nervous and always confident in her abilities.

However, today was different; today was her last semester of law school and her first day as an intern for one of the most prominent law firms in New York. 

"Leone is not just any law firm, Emma; this is the cream of the crop when it comes to immigration; the Leone family came from Italy and built an empire, for Christ's sake!" Ryan said as she threw her arms up in the air dramatically. 

"You know, I felt the same way when I started my residency at Mount Sinai, but eventually, you make friends with other interns, and your bosses seem less scary the more you're there, so I know you'll do great. Don't stress, you're going to sweat through your shirt," Emma said with a laugh, trying to make light of the situation, but that only made Ryan grab the deodorant sitting on her dresser and put a little more on. 

"Okay, I can't be late. Will you be home tonight, or are you on call?" Ryan asked as she looked at herself again in the mirror before grabbing her purse and keys. 

"I am on call the rest of the week, but text me when you get home; I want to hear all about your day, and if there are any hot guys at the office, slide them my number," she said with a chuckle as she walked Ryan to the door. 

"Yeah, yeah," Ryan said with an eye roll, looking at Emma again.

 Emma grabbed Ryan's shoulders, holding her at arm's length and giving her an encouraging smile. "You are going to do great things, Ryan. You are amazing, and you've worked so hard to get here. Don't let your nerves get the best of you." Ryan smiled back, thanking Emma for being such a good friend before turning around and walking to her car. "Go get 'em, tiger!" Emma exclaimed before Ryan got in the car.

*******
"Here we go," Ryan said as she got out of her cherry red 1977 Ford Bronco, which Ryan, her dad, and her younger brother Edwin had rebuilt the summer before she left for college. She was old and didn't have air conditioning, but she was reliable, and Ryan was forever grateful to have her, especially with the memories attached. As Ryan approached the door, a tall man, probably about 6'3, with salt and pepper hair and light brown eyes, reached the door first. 

"Ms. Martinez correct?" He asked in a heavy Italian accent; his eyes never left the girl as he motioned for her to enter the building. Ryan walked through the door. She took a moment to examine the man standing behind her, and she realized it was none other than Lorenzo Leone, the man who came from Italy when he was 23 years old and built this law firm from the ground up. 

"Yes, sir," Ryan said as she turned around and looked up at him with a confident smile. He motioned his hand, directing her to walk with him.

 The building was beautiful. The lobby had crystal chandeliers hanging from the tall ceiling, floor-to-ceiling windows made it vibrant and filled with light, and the green marble floors partially covered with Persian rugs and oversized leather chairs reminded her of something she would have seen in a 1950s mafia movie. It was a breathtaking sight.

 "Enjoying the office?" Lorenzo said as they reached the big elevator. 

"Yes, sir, it's beautiful here," Ryan said as she stood beside the man.

 "I've heard good things about you, Ms. Martinez. I hope your internship goes well because we will have a position open at the end of your semester. I'm not trying to pressure you, but it's on the table if you want it." He said that as we reached the 3rd floor, he smiled at her as he walked out of the elevator and disappeared into the office. Ryan stood there stunned, not knowing what to do next. She took out the paper she had written on with all the instructions.

Find Alice at the front desk.

get situated,

remember not to fuck up

Ryan took a deep breath and headed to her right, where she saw a line of people; her heart ached a little as she remembered being in an office like this as a little girl. Her mother had gone on a trip back to Mexico to visit her dying abuela, but on her way back, she got stopped at the border and wasn't able to come back home even though she had her green card; her father fought the system for two challenging years, paying the immigration lawyers to try to get her back home, that's why Ryan fought so hard through school and her first four years of college because she wanted to make sure something like that wouldn't happen to anyone else.

 "Can I help you?" An older lady with long, fire-red hair and black cat eyeglasses said, knocking Ryan out of her trance. 

"Uhm, yes, I'm looking for Alice. I'm Ryan Martinez, the new intern." The lady gave Ryan a sweet smile.

 "Well, here I am; it is nice to meet you, Ryan. You are just in time for the morning meeting, and then after that, I will introduce you to Sophia, who will be training you on your duties for this week," Alice said as she started walking in the opposite direction of where they were standing.

 The office wasn't as extravagant as the lobby but had the same lovely green marble floors and floor-to-ceiling windows. Alice told her where all the bathrooms, break room, and different department heads offices were on the way to the conference room. 

"Here is our stop." She said as she opened the door for Ryan and motioned her inside. There was a long table with ten office chairs on each side, each taken except for one next to Mr. Leone; he gave her a nod to motion her to sit. 

"You're not leading the meeting today, sir?" She asked as she sat down, opening her new notebook to the first page. 

"No, I'm stepping down as head honcho around here in a few years, so I thought I'd leave it up to my daughter to take care of the meetings for a while, just to see how she does." He said with a grin.

 I knew much about the Leone family and have heard a lot about Alexandra Leone; she was a shark in the business, never took no for an answer, and had a 98% success rate. Ryan had met her once when she was 15. Her father had brought her into the office to help translate, but he had exhausted all his money from dealing with other lawyers, who didn't work out. Ryan was lost in her thoughts again but instantly came to her when she noticed everyone standing up, and the room was silent.