Chapter 4
664 Words
On the day of the final review, Chloe made me carry the document case.
She stood at the company entrance and looked me up and down with a frown.
"Why are you still carrying that old bag? I told you not to bring your junk today."
I slid the worn leather notebook into the inner compartment.
"The documents are inside."
Victor sat in the back row of the company car, his tone cold.
"Sienna, don't speak out of turn when we arrive. If a reviewer asks you anything, say everything follows Chloe's presentation."
Chloe added, "Especially the algorithm. Don't scare people with your backwoods methods and technical terms. It'll make us look internally inconsistent."
The business manager nodded.
"Right. Public-sector projects hate team conflict the most."
No one in the car mentioned that I had spent 6 months chasing this project alone.
When we arrived at the review center, several competing companies were already seated at the registration desk.
When Chloe saw one of the company leads, she immediately straightened her back and slipped into her Hawthorne-graduate act.
"Mr. Bennett, long time no see."
He looked at her badge.
"Your company changed the project lead?"
Chloe smiled naturally.
"Yes. I'll handle the core presentation. The earlier materials were prepared by lower-level staff and weren't polished enough."
The company lead's gaze fell on the document case in my hands. He nodded faintly.
"Then I wish you success."
After entering the waiting room, Chloe arranged for me to sit in the last row.
"Sit there. Don't come forward unless I tell you to hand me something."
Victor took out a new written undertaking.
"Sienna, sign it while we have time."
I glanced through it.
This undertaking was even harsher. It stated that if there were any omissions in technical materials, licensing defects, or false statements in this project, Sienna, the original project owner, would bear full responsibility.
I pushed the paper back.
"This isn't a handover document. It's a blame-shifting document."
Victor lowered his voice, and the threat beneath his polished mask finally showed.
"Don't forget that your employment contract is still with the company. If you don't sign today, I'll make sure you can't survive in this industry."
Chloe leaned closer. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for people from other companies around us to hear.
"Sienna, are you deliberately holding something back? Just because I'm the project lead now, you want to ruin 6 months of everyone's hard work? A high school graduate really is small-minded."
People in the waiting room turned to look.
The business manager immediately picked a side.
"Sienna, don't be so selfish."
Lily also whispered, "Just sign it. Don't embarrass the company in public."
I folded the undertaking back to its original shape.
"I won't sign."
Victor's face turned livid.
"Fine. After the final review, we'll settle this."
Soon, the staff called our company.
Chloe walked to the presentation table with the clicker in hand. Her opening was polished.
She spent a full 2 minutes on the first slide introducing her education, resume, and overseas exchange experience.
At the review table, some experts frowned and lowered their heads to flip through the bid proposal.
When she reached the technical core, Chloe raised her voice with blind confidence.
"This proposal uses our company's developed in-house Grade-A encryption algorithm. It has been verified across multiple projects, and both its security and compliance are industry-leading."
I sat in the back row, opened my bag, and took out the worn leather notebook with the coffee-stained edge.
Victor turned and glared at me.
"Don't move around."
I ignored him and pulled the patent registration receipt from inside the notebook.
Onstage, Chloe had just flipped to the final page. Her smile was full of certainty.
"That is our core advantage."
The expert seated at the center of the review table suddenly looked up and cut her off.
"Please present proof of patent license and the license key for the Grade-A encryption algorithm."
- Writer
