In the lobby, candidates gathered, a mix of anticipation and tension thick in the air. They exchanged wary glances, sizing each other up, while murmured conversations filled the room. Some leaned against the walls, arms crossed, while others paced nervously back and forth. A few whispered amongst themselves, their voices hushed but animated. We waited and were gathered in the lobby. Not much happened until we noticed a man approaching. He had a confident stride and wore a serious expression. As he neared, the room fell silent, all eyes turning towards him, curious and expectant.I observed the man approaching, and I couldn't help but think about how he would address the candidates about the second challenge. I considered the importance of acknowledging our efforts and offering encouragement, while also maintaining a sense of focus and determination for the challenges that lay ahead.He was also probably here to give an account of the results, and announce those who would be elim
I calmed myself down and I looked up to see Jake approaching me. I felt a surge of tension building up inside me. I knew he was cunning and manipulative, but I couldn't let his presence unsettle me. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to stay calm and composed, steeling myself for whatever conversation lay ahead.He finally walked up to me, accompanied by his partner Mia, I couldn't help but notice the confident smile on his face. Despite my suspicions about his tactics, I returned his smile with a polite nod, determined not to show any signs of weakness.He grinned slyly and he leaned in and whispered, "Checkmate, Damon. Hope you know what comes next." His words sent a shiver down my spine as I realized there was nothing I could do to stop whatever he had planned.I remained calm and I looked him in the eye and said, "Don't underestimate me, Jake, like I did to you."He laughed mockingly at my words. "You're just trying to prolong the inevitable, Damon," he said with a smirk. "
[Eleanor’s POV]The day had flown by pretty quickly, and soon the twenty four hours were over.I’d never seen Damon like this before, he had looked like he was at his wits end, was utterly tired and had given up.He’d been working hard since the first challenge, and I appreciated this, but I wasn’t going to let myself get eliminated due to his negligence.I’m sure he knew this too, we all had something to lose or gain, and we would all stop at nothing to get what we wanted, no matter what the cost.Before the challenge, I had a goal coming here, and I wasn’t going to let him be a distraction.I needed this internship program, if I couldn’t get this role, I would be forced to go back to Oxford. I didn’t want this for myself, I didn’t want to be controlled for the rest of my life, like a leash was on me. I wanted to be free! Free to explore! To live my life! To make friends, to fall in love.My goal weighed heavily in my mind, and I had everything to lose if I was eliminated.I had to
[Damon’s POV]A small smile played across my names as I went through the names of the teams who had passed the challenge.Right at the very bottom, “Team Tom and Heavens,” lay there, passing through by only one vote.‘So the plan did work. It’s good, that was a close call,’ I thought to myself.I scanned my surroundings and saw Jake and most of the other candidates scanning the screen, desperately trying to find my team name among those who were eliminated.It was a pitiful sight, somewhat laughable in a sense.But the person who experienced the greatest shock was Eleanor, standing right next to me.She was shaking, and the look of confusion was evident in her eyes.‘She probably went through the list of those eliminated to see our fate. When she found out that our team name was not there in fact, she saw a glimmer of hope, and was probably happy that we made it through. She was then shocked however, that our team name wasn’t among those who passed as well. I can understand she’s prob
“Tell me, we’re a team, remember?” She said.“Of course, well I won’t go into all the details but…after you left the lobby to go find some help, or people who could vote for us, it got me thinking. Every rule had to have a loophole, and I was sure that this wasn’t an exception. And I was right, the one loophole they had was to vote for other teams, using team names,” I said.“Go on,” she responded.“Now I’m sure you’re aware that if you manage to get even a single vote asking you to go through to the next round, and none voting for you to be eliminated, you can progress. And there was no specific rule about team names, so I went and asked an official to change our team name. He was skeptical at first, and informed me about how changing team names could potentially result in us being eliminated, as we would have to find new votes from scratch. I already had that covered, and told Kevin to vote for us, granting us the single vote that pushed us to the next round. Now I’m sure you’re pro
As we waited in the lobby the man who often addressed us mounted the podium to speak to us.“Okay candidates, settle down. I’m aware most of you are surprised as to how the results turned out. I congratulate those who managed to avoid elimination, and to those who were eliminated unfortunately, we have to ask you to return to your rooms, pack your bags, and vacate the building immediately. Once again, congratulations to those who made it this far, I commend your efforts, and the organizers of The Corporate Assessment Gauntlet wish to commend you as well, as such, you have been given the rest of the week off. You are free to move about as you place, and leave the premises as well. All candidates should ensure that they are back Saturday night, as the next challenge will begin the next week. Thanks for your cooperation and have fun candidates,” he said.The cord went wild, and everyone began screaming loudly and jubilating.I looked at Eleanor and she was also beaming with excitement.I
****The next day.I was in the lobby looking for an official. I had a certain I’d sure I wanted to address, and basically needed permission for something.After searching for a while, I finally found a man standing at a desk, operating a computer.I walked up to him and spoke.“Good day Mr?…” I paused for a moment as I looked at his name tag. “George, Mr George Whitmore,” I said.“Good day candidate, how may I help you today?” He asked and smiled.“A lovely morning isn’t it today?” I responded.“Why of course, the weather is certainly very inviting,” he responded.“Back at my old house I would spend mornings like this in my pool, basking in the early morning sunlight,” I said.“Sounds like you have a lot of fun Mr Damon,” the man said.‘So he knows who I am? Well I’m not surprised given that Anon is here,’ I thought to myself.“So you do know who I am?” I asked.“Why of course sir,” he responded and we both laughed.“Either way I’ll cut to the chase Mr George. I like permission to go
****Pineapple Headquarters, Silicon Valley.About two hours later we finally arrived at our destination.From the helicopter, Michael and I could see the sprawling, ultra modern skyscraper complex, which had the pineapple logo largely engraved on the front.As we got closer to the rooftop, we could see the pilot being guided down by some men as he skillfully landed the helicopter on the helipad.We disembarked from the helicopter, and brushed ourselves off.Standing right there in front of me, was the head of pineapple himself, Stephen Johnson, along with a small group of his high level executives.As we approached him and the executives, i extended my hand for a firm handshake and said, "Good afternoon, Mr. Johnson. It's an honor to meet you and your esteemed colleagues. Thank you for welcoming us to Pineapple Headquarters. We're very excited about the possibility of working together." Stephen Johnson, a charismatic man in his mid-fifties with a warm smile, grasped my hand firmly,