CHAPTER 9

Sophie

.

.

I stepped into the office; the click of my heels against the marble floor echoed in the empty room. I settled into one of the seats and waited for the contractor.

A pang of anxiety gripped me—it had been a long time since I had done something like this. I had spent almost all night preparing questions I would ask and anticipating answers to questions they might pose.

Mr. Beckham,entered and greeted me. "Good morning, Sophia," he said as he settled into another seat.

"Good morning, Mr. Beckham," I replied, rising briefly before settling back into my chair.

Mr. Beckham took a few moments to praise my work as though he were seeing it for the first time.

"This is a significant project for our group. We've been searching for a designer with a creative vision, and we believe you're the one. We plan to allocate $500,000 for the interior design phase," he said, his tone turning serious. "However, the project needs to be completed within four months to align with our overal