8. The Meeting

♛

Aurora:

The car came to a stop in front of a massive enterprise. Before my chauffeur could step out to open the door for me, I had already done it myself.

Bonnie stepped out of the passenger seat and walked over to my side as I made my way inside the building.

“What's the name of this big investor?“ I couldn't help but ask.

Bonnie glanced down at her tab, “There are supposed to be up to eleven investors on the list. But I could only find the names of ten of them.” She explained, and muttered to herself, “I wonder why.”

Despite how ridiculous it was that the meeting time had been abruptly changed, I had no choice. My hands were tied, and I was forced to attend, regardless of my displeasure.

Bonnie and I had wrapped up everything that needed to be done, and I came prepared with what I had.

As we reached the reception area, I skimmed through the work I had to submit while Bonnie conversed with the receptionist.

After a moment, she returned to my side and muttered, “The meeting room is on the 12th floor. Office 3.”

I nodded, and without another word, we made our way to the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, I let out a quiet breath and rubbed my eyes before handing the tablet back to Bonnie.

“Have you reviewed the speech again? And the files to be submitted?” I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. Everything is in place."

Minutes later, we stepped out of the elevator and walked toward the meeting room. We stopped in front of a door with a sign above it that read Office 3.

“Are we late?” I asked, glancing at the door.

Bonnie exhaled softly. “Yeah. Five minutes late.”

She pushed the door open, and I stepped inside. The meeting room was already occupied, with investors seated around the long table. Their conversations came to a halt as I entered.

I immediately recognized Mr. Lancaster at the head of the table. He looked up, met my eyes, and I gave him a brief nod. His lips curled into a smile. He was a middle-aged man, likely in his forties, and I had heard that he was one of the investors who had supported my appointment as the consultant for this charity project.

“Ms. Smith,” he greeted, gesturing for me to take a seat. “Thank you for making the time to meet with us despite the short notice.”

“It's alright,” I replied, forcing a smile. “The success of the project is the priority.”

I took one of the empty seats, setting my files down as Bonnie stood behind me. Smoothing my blazer, I arranged my documents on the table.

I had reviewed the investor profiles before arriving, but I couldn’t immediately match names to all the faces. There were Six men and four women present, most of whom were likely representatives from organizations contributing to the charity project.

“You can start.” Mr. Lancaster urged.

After setting my files, I nodded and met their gazes. “The goal of this project isn’t just charity. It’s long-term impact. And I’m honored to have been chosen for this.”

Bonnie distributed documents to each of them.

A man in a navy suit flipped through my proposal before speaking. “Your plan suggests focusing on local workforce development. How do you ensure it’s effective?”

I didn’t hesitate. My response was at the tip of my tongue. “By investing in skill-building, not just funding. If we train locals, we create sustainability. If we build dependency, we fail.”

One of the women nodded slightly, but another investor raised an eyebrow. “That sounds good on paper. What about oversight?”

I slid a document forward. “Every dollar spent will be tracked. We’ll have independent audits and transparent reporting. If something isn’t working, we pivot.”

Lancaster tapped his finger on the table. “Efficiency is key here. Delays cost money.”

“I don’t do delays,” I said simply.

For a moment, silence filled the room. Then, one of the men chuckled under his breath. “Confident. I like that.”

Lancaster exchanged a glance with another investor before nodding. “Alright. Your approach aligns with our objectives. We’ll review everything in more detail, but from what I’ve heard and read so far, your strategy is in line with what we want to accomplish. There are still a few areas we need to refine, but we can work on that in the coming weeks as the project begins.”

I exhaled slightly, relieved. Their expressions told me we were off to a strong start—they were impressed.

I scanned the faces present, wondering which investor had requested the last-minute schedule change. After a moment, I couldn't help but lean toward Mr. Lancaster and ask quietly, “Are all the investors here?”

He looked up from his files and glanced around, a small frown forming on his face. “Oh no. There’s still one more. He requested that we start the meeting before his arrival.”

"Oh."

Lancaster checked his watch and muttered more to himself than to me, "He should be here any moment now."

As if on cue, the room fell silent as the door suddenly opened.

I turned to Bonnie. "You still have two more documents with you, right?"

She nodded.

Mr. Lancaster straightened in his seat. "Ah, you’re just in time, Mr. Rossi."

My fingers stilled. My heart dropped to my stomach.

Mr. what?

I forced myself to look up, and as soon as I did, a pair of dark-rimmed eyes met mine. His lips curved faintly before he turned to Lancaster.

"Apologies for the delay," he said smoothly.

I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening around the file in front of me. Trish’s words from earlier echoed in my mind, and suddenly, it all made sense. This had been planned.

"No problem at all," Lancaster said. "We’ve just gone over Ms. Smith’s proposal."

Adrian’s gaze flickered back to me. Something in the way he studied me made my fingers tighten further around my pen.

He took the empty seat across from me, settling in as if he had all the time in the world. "Then let’s discuss the numbers, shall we?"

One of the investors, a woman in a gray blazer, nodded. "The projected costs for the first phase are outlined here." She gestured to the documents in front of them. "We need more commitment from our investors before finalizing."

Adrian leaned back in his chair, skimming the pages lazily. When he looked up again, I could feel his gaze burning through me.

"It’s a substantial investment," he remarked.

Lancaster nodded. "Which is why we’re ensuring full transparency and a clear execution plan."

Adrian nodded slowly, flipping a page before shutting the file. "I’ll invest. More than planned. But only under one condition."

I tapped my thigh absently as Lancaster raised an eyebrow. "And what condition would that be?"

Adrian’s gaze returned to me. I forced myself to ignore it.

"I want Ms. Smith to personally oversee my involvement in the project," he said smoothly.

Silence settled over the room.

I kept my expression neutral, but I could feel every pair of eyes shifting toward me.

Lancaster cleared his throat. "Aurora is already leading the consultancy. She’ll naturally be involved—"

"No," Adrian interrupted. "I don’t mean general involvement. I mean directly. If I’m investing at this level—more than originally planned—then I want direct collaboration with her. Meetings, updates, decision-making. She’ll meet with me first."

I inhaled slowly, my fingers tracing the edge of my pen. "I appreciate your interest, but this is a team effort. We have a plan in place, and—"

"I’m aware," he cut in, exuding calm confidence that irked me. It was clear Adrian had orchestrated this from the start. "But my investments are personal. I don’t make them blindly. If you’re as capable as everyone claims, then this shouldn’t be a problem."

I said nothing. I had no idea what to say. So he was the one who had the meeting time changed?

"And if I refuse?" I asked.

His lips curved slightly. "Then I reconsider my investment."

Mr. Lancaster interjected, "Uh… Mr. Rossi, I don't think you can simply back out at this point. Your investment in this project is crucial. If you withdraw now, it will cause significant disruptions."

Adrian’s assistant leaned in, whispering something to him. After a moment, Adrian nodded, and his assistant stepped back.

"Then I suppose you have a choice," Adrian said casually. "Either you agree to my terms, or you find another investor to cover my contribution."