"And so we met again, Mr. Ramos." Pagbati ni Nic kay France then he look at Kate. "And of course, Miss Valdepena." His face darkened as he gave emphasis to the word 'miss'.
Nagpapalit palit ang tingin ni Oliver between Kate, France and to his client, Mr. Nikolai Dawson.
"You know each other?" He asked.
Sabay na sinagot ni Kate at ni Nic ang tanong na iyon ngunit salungat ang kanilang mga naging pahayag. Nic said yes while Kate said the exact opposite. Ang mga naging sagot na iyon ng dalawa ay lalo lamang nagpalito kay Oliver.
Nikolai look at Kate with poker face. He even raised an eyebrow.
Makalipas ang ilang segundo ay muling nagsalita ang dalaga. "I-I mean, yeah, we met but we don't really know each other, MD." Pilit na ngumiti si Kate sa kanyang boss.
"Interesting!" Oliver said with a smile. "Maybe later after the presentation, we can sit in one table and talk about it!"
"We can do that." Nic agreed to Oliver's suggestion. There is a sly smile oh his face habang ang mga tingin ay nakapako kay Kate. Nic doesn't even recognize the existence of other two female employees on the same room dahil masyado syang focused sa iisang tao lang.
"Very well. Should we start, Mr. Dawson?"
"Whenever she's ready, Mr. Robles." Pahayag ni Nikolai. He was referring to Kate.
Oliver signaled Kate to start the presentation. She started the presentation by introducing herself, the other three designers, MD Oliver Robles and now, she is about to introduce Visionaries Abode.
"In 2023, the magazine Philippine Workplace released the top 100 companies to work in the country. Visionaries Abode ranked 36th in the list. This happened because here in Visionaries Abode, we uphold and practice our mission, vision and core values. We make sure that both employees and clients are satisfied to the quality of services being provided. Talking about mission--"
"Stop." Nikolai meddled in the middle of Kate's presentation.
Napalingon ang lahat kay Nic. Halata sa mukha nina Amy at Grace ang kaba. Kaba na baka hindi nagugustuhan ng kliyente ang presentasyon. Even France is uncomfortable to the whole situation. Who wouldn't? Their potential client and the presenter have a past. And the worst part is France somehow became part of that past. Ipakilala ka ba naman bilang husband and later on finding out they are not wed. The last thing that France wanted is to get into a rich man's nerve.
"Is everything okay, Mr. Dawson?" Tanong ni Oliver.
"Can we skip to the part where you actually showed me your previous designs, Ms. Valdepena."
Oliver let out a force laugh. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dawson, but I'm afraid my designers are not prepared for that. However, if you will give us another chance, we can set-up another meeting where my designers can present their previous projects."
Nanatiling nakatahimik si Nikolai. Makalipas ang ilang segundo ay tumayo sya mula sa kanyang upuan.
"Mr. Dawson? Should we reschedule the meeting?"
"No." Tipid na sagot ni Nic kay Oliver habang nakatayo at inaayos ang butones ng kanyang suit.
Kate saw Oliver's face. She can see disappointment and regret through Oliver's face. Kinuyom ng dalaga ang kanyang mga kamay. As much as she wanted Nic to leave, she cannot let her personal issues affect her work. Bukod doon ay ayaw nyang madisappoint si Oliver sa kanya.
After gathering her courage, Kate speak up. "I do have a digital portfolio where I store all my previous projects. If you wish to see them, Mr. Dawson, give me the honor to present it."
KAMU SEDANG MEMBACA
Our Invisible String
RomansaSummer is doing great. Even greater when Nikolai laid his eyes to an outstanding beauty sitting at the edge of the dock. Her eyes fixed towards the horizon where the sky meets the sea and the sun is slowly setting. She is a sight to see. She is so b...
