Chapter 4 - The Presentation
The conference room at Lou Development Group was massive, smelling of expensive leather, mahogany polish, and panic.
Adrien sat at the head of the table, surrounded by his vice presidents and board members. He looked exhausted, his tie pulled loose, a stack of financial reports sitting in front of him like a threat.
"Where is the Sterling-Vance team?" Adrien snapped, looking at his assistant. "They were supposed to be here ten minutes ago. If they back out of this bid—"
The double doors of the conference room opened.
Julian Sterling walked in first, tall, imposing, and exuding an aura of effortless power. But it was the woman behind him who caused the entire room to fall into a dead, suffocating silence.
I walked in wearing a tailored emerald-green trousers suit. My notebook was tucked under my arm, my heels making a sharp, rhythmic sound against the marble floor. I didn't look like the girl who used to cry in the corner of his apartment. I looked like a woman who owned the room.
Adrien froze. His pen slipped from his hand, rolling across the mahogany table and clinking against his glass of water. "Luna?"
"Good morning, everyone," I said, ignoring his gasp as I took my seat directly across from him. "I am Luna Vance, Creative Director and partner at Sterling-Vance. This is my partner, Julian Sterling. We are here to present our vision for the Hudson Riverfront."
"Luna... what is this?" Adrien stammered, his eyes darting from me to Julian, and then to his board members, who were looking at him in confusion. "You're... you're Vance?"
"If we could focus on the presentation, Mr. Lou," Julian said, his voice dropping into a cold, commanding register that made Adrien’s vice presidents sit up straighter. "We have a tight schedule."
For the next forty-five minutes, I took control of the room. I walked them through our blueprints, showing them a revolutionary, sustainable design that blended luxury apartments with public green spaces. My delivery was flawless, my answers to their technical questions sharp and authoritative.
The board members were practically drooling over the proposal.
"This is incredible, Ms. Vance," one of the senior investors said, clapping his hands together. "It's exactly the kind of high-concept design that will secure the city permits. We want to sign the letter of intent today."
"I have one condition," I said, leaning back in my chair and looking directly at Adrien, whose face was a pale, sweating mask of disbelief.
"Name it," the investor said.
"I want absolute creative control," I stated. "And that means all design approvals go through me. No interference from the executive suite. If Mr. Lou tries to alter a single line of our blueprints without my written consent, the contract is nullified, and Sterling-Vance withdraws with a full kill-fee."
Adrien’s jaw tightened. "Luna, you’re trying to squeeze me out of my own project."
"I am protecting my intellectual property, Mr. Lou," I replied coolly. "A concept you’ve historically had trouble respecting."
The board members looked at Adrien, their expressions clear: Sign it, or we fire you.
May you like
With a shaking hand, Adrien reached for his pen and signed the letter of intent. As he slid the paper back across the table, his eyes pleaded with me.
"Meeting adjourned," I said, standing up and closing my folder. "My team will send over the contract drafts by tonight."
