Who: Maleficent and Aurora What: Aurora has a job interview at Maleficent's company. When: Today Where: Palvano Corporation's offices. Rating/Warnings: None. Status: Complete
Maleficent was on the look out for an actual intern. Palvano Corporation ran dozens of diamond mines and several oil fields. While much of the business was…nasty (blood diamonds and ruining the environment at the top of that list), her PR team was amazing. But she still needed an assistant.
Most of her association with Lina was related to the world of magic (and okay using Dragon Slaves to blow open new mines), so she needed someone to handle some of the less secretive parts of her business. And she liked to handle that personally. So with a glamour in place to make her appear human, she shuffled through papers and called out.
“Send the next one in.”
Aurora took a calming breath when she was told it was time for her interview. She knew she had a decent resume. For a recent high school graduate, at least. But she did want the experience, and she was never one to back down from something when she wanted a chance at it. She tucked her portfolio up against her chest and smoothed her skirt before stepping into the room.
She smiled at the woman in the room and held out her hand. “Thank you for seeing me today, Ms. Tamsin.”
She lifted up the latest resume to quickly glance over it (really, her people had already vetted, this was more of a personality test). Her eye caught the name, and when she glanced up at the woman's voice she could only contain her surprise by sheer force of will. Maleficent kept her tone even, but it was warm, and her smile well practiced. Habit. She'd always been good at the mask.
Beastie!
"Miss Irons." She took Aurora's hand in a firm grip, and gestured. "Please. Have a seat. I assure you that the pleasure is all mine."
Maleficent's smile was wide and toothy, but she felt like she'd been punched in the stomach.
Aurora made sure that her own handshake was firm as well--there was nothing worse, especially in an interview, than a limp handshake. At least it seemed to be going well so far. Even if it had only started.
She took the seat Ms. Tamsin indicated and placed her portfolio across her lap. She’d brought it in case there was something she felt she might need to take notes on. And because it hopefully added to her professional presentation.
The older woman glanced down at the paper in her hand, picking up the rest of the information there in an instant, before setting it down in front of her with all the grace she possessed. Her mind imposed the girl she'd watched grow up, with the slightly older one, crisp and professional in front of her. The face was the same, the eyes, the smile.
Will the curse follow her here, too? And could I possibly stop it?
"Tell me, what do you know of myself and my company?" Had Aurora done her homework? "And what do you think of it."
“I know you received your MBA from Stanford, and that Palvano Corporation hired you right after you finished it. You became CEO in 2001 after closing a very lucrative deal in South Africa. As of 2007, you have control of 75% of the company.” Aurora was so very glad she’d known doing her homework was a good idea. And after finishing the high points of Ms. Tamsin’s business career, it seemed a good time to transition to the company.
“Palvano Corporation focuses on diamond, oil, and gas production. The company runs mines in Australia, Botswana, Tanzania, and South Africa.” Aurora wasn’t so naive as to think any of these products didn’t also have a human cost attached. She was fairly sure none of her father’s holdings were squeaky clean, either, but if the learned to play the game, she might be able to change at least a little of that.
"Very good." She brought one well-manicured finger up to her lip and tapped it. All of her attention was focused on Aurora, and it seemed as though she was looking right through her. Or right into her. "We're in the process of expanding elsewhere, but I dare say you've picked up a few things that go beyond the Wikipedia article. I wonder...." Tap tap tap went that finger again, pale against red. Her gaze was almost predatory. "Where do you plan to take your career?"
Aurora could tell she was dealing with a fairly intense personality. She was pleased, however, that Ms. Tamsin could tell she’d gone beyond the company’s Wikipedia article. And there it was: the ‘where do you want to go’ question.
“I’m interested in business largely because of my father.” She paused, running through ways she could phrase things next. Irons, by itself, was a common enough name. Added to the context of business put it dangerously close to letting on who her father was, and she didn’t want that to impact her interview one way or another. “I don’t want to seem like I’m bragging or that I want to do anything but apply for this position on the strength of my own resume and merit alone. But my father is in business, and I expect that, as his only child, at least some of his holdings will someday pass to my control. As such, I have decided to begin preparing for that sooner rather than later. I’m starting at UC Irvine in the fall, and I plan to pursue a major in business administration. I haven’t decided whether I will pursue a minor or a second major, or what that would be.”
"Ah yes. Stefan Irons." Maleficent's lips twitched. "I'm familiar with him. We had some...dealings, many years ago." To snatch away his daughter and be the one to imbue in her business sense? Why that was something that Maleficent simply could not pass up. "However, I only hire based on merit. And ambition. I do admire ambition. Do you think you can manage the demands of both schooling and this position?"
“You probably know him better than I do, then.” It slipped out before Aurora could stop it. “He...never was home very long at a time.” Once or twice, years apart, and she couldn’t even remember exactly when, because he’d been around for so short a time.
“But yes,” she said. “I believe that I can manage both my schooling and the demands of this position. I will, of course, keep you updated with my class schedule if you choose to hire me.”
Interesting. That seemed like the Stefan she knew, always driven by ambition and greed. He'd stepped on everyone in his path, including her. She took a great deal of pleasure in knowing she was much, much more powerful than he was. A way of rubbing it in, she supposed. She'd felt that way about Varda (including the bitter Ex thing). "He was always a driven man." She could say 'but he still loved you' or some other thing to make Aurora feel better, but Maleficent didn't believe such a lie was beneficial.
"If your performance is exemplary, we do offer tuition assistance, should you need it."
It was a forgone conclusion she was going to hire this girl. Manipulate her, turn her into a weapon against the other share holders and the competition….
Driven was probably the nicest way it could be said, Aurora thought, based on what the occasional article on her father had to say.
“I don’t expect I would need it, but thank you for telling me about it. I received a very good scholarship.” And her father’s money was available. That’s what was paying for her apartment at the moment.
Maleficent nodded her head. "Making your way on your own merits, are you? Often times we who are stripped to nothing are best able to understand having something. Remember that. Everything I have I have earned through hard work." And the exploitation of others.
And she would dearly love to strip Aurora to nothing....
“I want to, yes. I don’t want people catering to me just because of who my father is or how much money he has,” Aurora said. “And I will remember that.”
“Very good.” The older woman got up, and crooked her finger at Aurora. “Come with me, I wish to give you a proper tour.”
Aurora stood obediently. This seemed to be going better than she’d expected. She’d hardly expected to get a tour.
Palvano owned the entire building. Each floor, Maleficent explained, handled different aspects of the business. Her office was on the top floor, of course. She led Aurora into a glass elevator in the back. It was her personal elevator. “The glass is one way. We can see out but no one can see in. I’m going to show you the tenth floor.”
Aurora did her best to hide her surprise. That was an impressive approach to making a glass elevator. This was not how interviews generally went, which meant she must have made a fairly big impression.
As they went down (her office was on the twentieth), Maleficent studied Aurora. She was even more beautiful in person, and ... instincts were kicking in that were difficult to ignore. She didn't know if they were mothering, or otherwise. It was confusing.
The tenth floor was expansive, with a large display on one wall that showed a map of the world with red dots that indicated holdings. There was a bank of computers with technicians working on them. "This is an experiment we're running, to centralize control of many of our sites remotely. There are managers on site, of course, for day to day operations, but the idea is overall control from this floor. Part of your job would be to gather reports from here, and the other floors, for me."
Aurora gazed at the map of holdings. That alone was impressive. Controlling worldwide operations from the corporate headquarters was also impressive. Collecting reports was definitely an important job, because it meant reminding people that certain things were due at certain times. This would definitely be a good place to start if she were won day to run her father’s company.
It was precisely what Maleficent was thinking. And very long term too. Mentor Aurora, guide her, and then absorb her and her father's company into her own.
The employees who noticed them immediately started working harder. The CEO giving a tour was somewhat unusual, but they were used to a hands on approach.
The 8th and 9th floors were off limits, and only employees with the right key card could even go to those floors. The 7th was the only other floor she showed Aurora - a world class gym facility, along with a 5-star restaurant for employees to eat at - completely free. "There's also a pool on the 19th floor, but that's just for me." She winked.
The employee facilities were amazing. Aurora felt just a little overwhelmed at it all. After all, it did seem like she must have a pretty big shot at actually landing the position if the CEO was taking time out of her no doubt fairly busy schedule to show her around personally.
She smiled slightly at the comment about the 19th floor having a private pool. “I can’t say I blame you.”
"Let us head back up. You are actually my last interview for the day." She guided her back to the elevator, hand hovering just above the small of her back but without actually touching her. "If you're wondering about the tour."
“Ah! I had wondered a little about that,” Aurora replied. “I expect it was good for you to get out of your office after a day of interviews.” The guiding was a little unexpected as well, but it wasn’t bad.
Maleficent rolled her shoulders, wishing she could unfurl her wings.
"I need to stretch my wings, sometimes." The elevator took them back up, Maleficent with a secret smile on her face. She liked watching without being seen, it was one of her personal joys in life.
Aurora could understand that feeling. She was stretching her own wings, as it were. She was, for the first time, truly living on her own, even if she’d often felt that she was living on her own when she’d had...less than ideal nannies and housekeepers. And when she’d been at school. She sighed softly. She’d felt alone at school, too, sometimes, even when she’d been surrounded by other girls her age with parents almost as rich as her father.
"Are you all right?" Maleficent's voice was surprisingly gentle.
Blinking, Aurora nodded. “I’m fine. Really. I was just...thinking about how lonely a place can be, even if you’re not the only person there. I have my own apartment now, and it doesn’t feel all that different from before.”
“I’m sorry. But Palvano is like a family sometimes, and we watch out for our own.” The world was a cruel place, and while Maleficent was ruthless to the world, she did at least look out for the people underneath her.
“I think your chances are good.” She winked again.
Aurora smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “And thank you again for meeting with me today.”
Maleficent stepped out of the elevator and waited for Aurora, before leading her back to her main office and the desk. “I think that will be all today. Aurora.” And the name rolled off her tongue like she was caressing it. “You will hear from us within the week.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Aurora said. And she would.