BLEACHED

8: three sixty change

THE NEXT DAY

"As you can see, it's already proof enough that it's hundred percent going to work, in the short run and by shifting our assets to a more long lived asset, we'll be having sells rocketing through the roof each year. It's a model I can't easily manipulate. After I prove it can work in these few weeks." She smirks when her eyes fall on Domen who is sitting amongst the other men and women around the meeting table as they watch her presentation.

The gaze on Domen's face is priceless, knowing he couldn't have predicted what she was doing the previous night from the simple questions she asked him. He gave her a mocking gaze when she interrogated him to improve her sketch, and when he hears about it now, how those silly questions have led to such an impossible result, he can't help but stare in shock.

"That doesn't look stable though." A woman says as she clicks her pen and folds her arms to her chest as Jasmine, who is amongst them, glances at her with raised brows. "I don't think we can trust it. I mean, it's coming from a minor and this sounds too unreal. How will she rewrite our principals from scratch and claim it would boost the sells up by 5% before next week? It's a risky thing to rebuild what the company has been operating on from scratch by someone who was in the communications department."

The others slowly begin to mummer and nod to each other as they also feel the same. Lavender has never been in the meeting because of her very low position which makes her invisible to the big people in the company. People like her boss and Domen wouldn't have known she existed if she wasn't told to hand it to them directly.

"I'm keen to detail, and when I spoke with most of our high clients, I knew what they want and what they didn't want. That's why I know this will work." She says as she points to her presentation screen. "You need to trust me on this."

"It's too risky, I object to this." The woman says as she fixes her glasses to her eyes as Jasmine rolls her eyes.

"I propose. Mostly because it sounds like a really good idea. And I doubt Sarah understands half of what you just said. You have the potential of making it work, it's a risky move but I know Lavender and her reports, I know she can rebuild the system we worked on from scratch." Jasmine says as Sarah, the woman in the glasses glares at her.

"I wouldn't expect any less from the communications manager such as yourself Jasmine. But I work in the marketing structure department. I know the market better than anyone and I say it's risky." She says as she glances towards the boss who doesn't know what to say except glance at Domen who is now officially the biggest person in the company after getting the biggest share, more than the main boss himself.

Domen remains seated, still trying to understand how Lavender came up with this when he tried to predict all the possible things she could come up with from the little questions she threw at him the other day.

"Mr. Southren?" The boss asks as he knows he will have to give his opinion sooner or later if Domen decides to keep quiet.

Domen slowly shifts his eyes to the boss and sighs out as he straightens his back and grabs the notepad he had scribbled on a few moments ago and stands up. He slowly makes his way to the front as his eyes remain glued to the screen, staring at the numbers. He makes it to the front as Lavender clenches her fists, praying he doesn't try to get her fired just because they are on bad terms.

He tears off a page in the notepad and stretches it out to her. She glances down at the note as she reaches for it only to feel her heart sink into her chest.

She snatches the note from him and stares wide eyed in shock as she rereads the note.

"T-t-two million!?" She nearly faints at the numbers on the check that she thought was a note. A whole two million check!?

She glances up at him in shock as he is barely staring at her but still at the screen with a now horrified expression on his face.

"Did you write two by accident?" she asks as she walks to him to show the check. "You wrote-."

"This devil of a model you just made isn't worth two million, Lavender..." Domen says as he walks to the monitor and stares at it with wide eyes. "I'd have to sell the entire company to get this. But since you're working for that promotion and the extra pay, I'll offer you an updated version of it. I'll increase the bonus to two years, I'll offer you triple your salary and you'll be promoted to become one of the company's system designers. You'll be at the very top of the food chain in this company. That almost makes you a board member."

The entire meeting room gasps in shock at the news. Everyone taken aback except for Jasmine and the boss who both smile and nod in agreement, knowing the presentation seemed out of the world, but it wasn't a model anyone could come up with.

"Since you're now promoted, we'll spend the entire afternoon telling me how you came up with this. I need to know how you did this. No one could have in one night... Its sounds almost impossible." Domen mutters as Lavender smiles and glances to the monitor as she feels a sudden excitement fill her body. "You're the least person... I'd think who would make such a money beast."

"It's fair for me." She chuckles as she winks playfully with a wide grin. "I can redesign any system because of my great attention to detail. People see the small pictures in the bigger picture. I see the fine fabric strands, the texture of the paint and the broadness of the brush. It's the only talent I have. I had to amplify it when you gave me the opportunity. I can't say I'm smart, I just know how to put details together."

"I hate to admit but... I'm really impressed... it's almost scary how smart you could actually be." He mummers more to himself than to her.

Lavender chuckles and turns to face Jasmine who gives her a thumbs up with a wide smile on her face as Lavender shows her the check, getting Sarah who looked away in anger and out of embarrassment.

Domen reaches down to the laptop that Lavender had connected to the monitor and skips to the slides before, trying to understand her report, still mesmerized. He crosses his arms to his chest as he starts to read the notes in her presentation, one by one.

"If you're that impressed, let me be the host for today's lunch and dinner. I want to celebrate. Nothing this good has happened to me before." She giggles out as she stands next to Domen who doesn't glance at her with his wide eyes staring straight at the monitor.

"Why would you want to host your own celebration?" He asks as he finally peels his eyes from the monitor and glances down to her. "Why didn't you want to be sponsored for a celebration? I mean, this is the company's best thing yet."

"I want to buy it with my money. I'll feel really proud of it." She smiles as she turns her gaze to the monitor. "It will make me feel like I've achieved something I didn't know I could."

"Well, no one could have guess you'd be this smart." He sighs as he shoves his hands into his pockets and slowly closes the laptop, disconnecting it from the large wall monitor. "If you insist on celebrating. I'll attend, just to show my respect."

"It's so odd how you've done a whole three-sixty attitude change now that you've seen my presentation." She chuckles as he slowly raises his brow and shakes his head in denial.

"I tend to respect people with a little high IQ." He says with a small shrug of his shoulders as she widens her eyes in disbelief.

"So you thought I was annoying because you thought I had a low IQ?!" She asks with a small chuckle of disbelief. He simply smiles and shrugs his shoulders. "You're so rude."

"You're still annoying and irritating, but at least I have a reason to try to withstand it." He says, getting her to chuckle out, a bit too happy to even get annoyed.