Chapter 6 All Eyes On Her
1125 Words
Meanwhile, Adelyn had secretly taken over A&C Studio and spent several sleepless nights crafting their bid proposal.
On Monday, she arrived at the meeting hall with her team and their proposal in hand.
Five years ago, St. John's Church was nearly destroyed by a fierce fire. As one of Austin's renowned historical buildings, the restoration was a challenging task that deterred most teams, leaving only two companies brave enough to bid.
One was the well-known Barnett Construction.
The other was the relatively unknown A&C Studio!
The crowd was abuzz with skepticism about A&C Studio's capabilities.
Suddenly, a side door of the hall swung open!
Adelyn entered, clicking across the floor in her high heels, followed by her team!
She removed her sunglasses, shook out her hair, and revealed a radiant face adorned with fiery red lips and a subtle smile.
Her deep blue eyes seemed to draw people in, akin to the depths of the ocean.
The audience was taken aback, murmuring among themselves in surprise.
Everyone was shocked about the fact that the head of A&C Studio was such a stunning and glamorous woman!
Adelyn, however, remained composed. She led her team towards where Randal was seated and took a spot right beside him.
She offered him a wry smile. "Hi, Mr. Barnett, we meet again."
"Adelyn?" Randal's voice carried a tone of disbelief as his eyes flickered with astonishment.
He had never seen this version of her before!
Normally, she dressed in simple clothes and never got all dolled up like this.
Yet, she was now clad in a black V-neck dress that accentuated her shape, drawing everyone's gaze irresistibly.
Seeing Adelyn like this, a sudden and irrational possessiveness surged within Randal's heart.
At that moment, he had the urge to take off his suit jacket and drape it over Adelyn to shield her from the gaze of other men!
His brows furrowed deeply, and without regard for the setting, he leaned in and grasped her wrist to pull her closer!
"Adelyn, what game is this again?"
"Game?" Adelyn arched her brows. "Mr. Barnett, I'm fine if you treat the bid like a game. But I'm serious."
Her tone was assertive and challenging.
The once docile little girl had become a rose with thorns!
"Don't tell me you're actually here to bid." Randal was inexplicably irritable.
"Isn't it obvious enough?" Adelyn said with a shrug.
Randal scoffed. "You are overreaching yourself!"
Deep down, he couldn't believe that Adelyn had the capability to handle this.
Adelyn gave a confident smile. "So, in your eyes, having the support of the Eaton Enterprise is considered overreaching?"
Randal was instantly provoked, and his jealousy nearly drove him mad at that very moment.
"Have you thrown yourself into Carl's arms now?!"
Adelyn chuckled, deeming the question too distasteful to warrant a response.
Randal's eyes darkened as he observed her disdainful demeanor, and his gaze fixated intensely on her elegant features.
He warned her, "Eaton is a common surname. Just because you two share the same last name doesn't mean you can claim any connection with him! He's not that simple!"
Adelyn retorted, "Mr. Barnett, are you tipping me off or something? Who are you to say that? As an ex-husband?"
This remark instantly pricked up the ears of the surrounding gossipmongers. It seemed that this striking beauty was Mr. Barnett's much-talked-about ex-wife?!
Adelyn continued to say, "I didn't realize you enjoyed playing father to others so much and still like to meddle in your ex-wife's affairs."
At that, Randal's gaze slightly trembled. His expression softened as his grip on Adelyn's wrist loosened a bit.
"Adelyn, I can explain."
Adelyn scoffed at the thought of his explanation.
She pulled her hand away, rubbing her slightly reddened wrist, and turned to tell her team, "The bidding is about to start."
Randal's hand lingered awkwardly in the air. As he retracted it, his movement appeared unprecedentedly clumsy and stiff.
The bidding soon commenced, and the bidder made his appearance. Adelyn fixed her gaze on a man around forty years old.
She was somewhat surprised. So this was the man who owned St. John's Church?
To own such a property, one must possess immense power and likely connections to the most secretive and established family in the elite circles!
The man introduced himself, "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am Liam Lynn."
Adelyn observed his distinguished appearance and demeanor, which indeed were extraordinary, yet she felt something was amiss.
Soon, representatives from both parties took the stage in the order determined by the draw. Barnett Construction went first, followed by A&C Studio.
This renovation of St. John's Church was highly anticipated, and a successful bid would solidify their reputation in the architectural world!
Barnett Construction took their bid very seriously, which was why Randal personally led his team onstage.
Their proposal, displayed on a large screen, was a conservative one that aimed to restore the complex Baroque architecture and frescoes of the church with the highest fidelity possible.
Except for some complicated structures, they aimed to achieve a 90% accuracy in their rendition.
The audience applauded after their presentation. It seemed Barnett Construction was set to win.
Randal believed it, too. His confidence was palpable because he knew their restoration team was top-tier!
Calm and composed, Randal stepped down from the stage, seeing Adelyn, who was getting ready to go onstage, walking towards him.
As they brushed past each other, Randal whispered, "Adelyn, let's have a talk after the bidding."
He had planned well. He knew Adelyn was not well-versed in architecture and expected even if A&C Studio failed; they could still be involved in the project somehow.
But Adelyn acted as if she hadn't heard him at all, not even sparing a glance. Instead, she walked straight to the stage.
Randal was in disbelief. Could Adelyn really be that confident?
Standing on the stage, Adelyn glowed radiantly with a confident smile under the limelight.
In her view, while Barnett Construction's proposal was almost perfect, it just wasn't enough.
As she displayed her team's proposal on the big screen, everyone was stunned.
If Barnett Construction's proposal was nearly perfect, then A&C Studio's was flawless. Each detail of the frescoes was meticulously analyzed on the screen. They even adjusted the lighting to enhance the 3D renderings, making the church look even more magnificent and sacred.
Adelyn began her speech, "What A&C Studio aims to do is not just to refurbish St. John's Church but to perfectly represent the sacred church as it exists in the hearts of all people in Austin."
Her eloquent closing remark won a round of applause from the audience.
Adelyn smiled, radiating confidence and beauty.
At that moment, it seemed as if the world's light shone just for her.
- Writer
