Santorini's intern

Chapter three

Fidelia's POV

The conference room buzzed with conversations by the executives already present as Anna and I came in and took our seats at the far end of the room. I was seated behind Anna on the seats set aside for the secretaries and interns.

It was a few minutes before it clocked 8am and every one of the executives was already seated and waiting for the CEO to enter and the meeting to commence.

At exactly 8am, the quiet hum of conversation was slid cleanly in half as the door to the conference room swung open, and a tall figure strolled in with a dark commanding aura and striking eyes that poured out laser.

“Enzo Santorini”

The atmosphere of the room shifts immediately in his presence. He didn't so much as glance at anyone, but he seemed to know that every pair of eyes were on him. He was just like everyone talked about. He had an intimidating aura around him that exuded authority. It was almost palpable. Victoria, his secretary, who came in beside him, was a perfect complement. She was poise, elegant and utterly intimidating. Her gaze swept over me briefly and a feeling of disdain crossed her face before she dismissed it immediately.

“Good morning” he said, his voice low but strong enough to command attention, as he took his seat at the center of the table. “ Let's get started, " he said. I trust you all know why we're here. I expect solutions –good ones.

The tension in the room became tangible as the executives began presenting their ideas.

The secretary of the marketing executive took to the podium and gave an idea to push forward with the original plan of launching the product in two months' time as planned, but the new innovation was to reduce the price of the product less than that of the other competitor companies to attract more sales. " That's a poor strategy, Mr John, Enzo interjected coldly. Didn't you stand to think that this is exactly what our competitors want us to do so that they can further sabotage our product by being inferior and not up to the standard of theirs? I mean you won't blame anyone that believes that, because if you claim that your product is better, it should be of a higher price. This critique left the presenter visibly flustered, and he quickly left the podium for the next speaker.

The next person was of the idea to push the launch date forward and add in new features to the product and sell at a high price since the features added are going to improve its quality. Honestly, it was a good idea, but it lacked the innovation needed to facilitate its launch. Other members came out and presented their ideas too. Some suggested minor tweaks to the original plan, while others suggested pushing forward with the original plan to minimize losses. I scribbled on my notepad as all the presentations took place while analyzing every proposal.

With every proposal being presented, Enzo criticized every proposal viciously:“ it's too mediocre, ” it lacks substance”, "if this is the best you can bring up, I wonder why I pay you”. My heart thumbed in my chest as I listened to the authoritative tone he used. I had an idea in mind, but I couldn't voice it because of what Anna had said about not talking and only writing, and the fact that I was too frightened to even breathe much less talk.

The room turned silent as Enzo spoke. Well, he demanded, “is there anyone here with a proposal that isn't a rehash of the same tired strategies?”

I mumbled to myself under my breath, “What if we delayed the launch instead?”, enough for me to hear it but not for others to hear, that I thought, unbeknownst to me, the room was too quiet and everyone heard what I said, including Enzo. All heads turned towards me and my blood turned to ice as Enzo's gaze zeroed on me. Yes? He said sharply, stand up, what is your name? I stood up immediately: fidelia, Fidellia, Alonzo, Sir.

Well, miss Alonzo, enlighten us. What was that you say? I swallowed hard and took a deep breath before I spoke again. I was thinking that instead of rushing the launch date of the product, we could delay it a bit and use this time to enhance the features of the product and make it superior to that which our competitors have released.

Murmurs filled the room, but Enzo held up a hand to silence them, then he said," Weren't you attentive enough to know that someone had already made that proposal, and it was rejected? I know someone has made such suggestions, but if you could let me continue, you'll see that mine is actually different from what was said, I replied. "You're brave, I'll give you that, but if whatever you have to say is a waste of my time, you won't like me. “Go on” I was frightened by his threat and clogged my notepad with sweaty palms, but I soon gained courage and continued.

The previous proposal was about enhancing the physical features of the product and such innovation can take up cost without having any tangible impact on the product, but the feature enhancement I am talking about is to improve the working quality of our product. As we all know, the product being launched is an ATM. We could add features to the ATM, like a weight sensor to detect cash discrepancies. If the cash box has too much or too little money, it could display a signal–red for errors and green when everything is correct. This could enhance the machine's efficiency and security. After that, we could partner with major banks and offer free trials to demonstrate the product's efficiency. They could purchase more if they like its quality and credibility. Then, to create more awareness, we could invest in aggressive marketing both locally and internationally, to emphasize that our product is different and better than the previous product launched by the competitor company.

When I finished, the silence was deafening, my chest rose and fell with labored breathing as I waited for a response.

Enzo studied me for what felt like an eternity, before he finally spoke up, bold, interesting, expensive. "But it's an investment, sir," I replied. A rushed launch will save money now, but if the product is enhanced and properly marketed, it's going to be an asset in the future. You may sit, miss Alonzo, thank you sir, I replied. As I sank back down in my seat, the executives whispered among themselves and stole glances at me.

Mr Santorini turned to his secretary, Victoria, and said to her," Make sure Miss Alonzo submits a detailed proposal to my office by 9am tomorrow. I want costs, specifics, marketing timelines, partnerships, everything. Yes sir, Victoria's jaw tightened as she turned to me with a sharp gaze. Enzo stands up and leaves after giving out some other orders.

The suffocating atmosphere of the room lifted slightly in his absence and I finally allowed myself a deep breath.

The other executives start going out immediately after, as they whisper to themselves about the happenings in the meeting. Anna walked over to me with a smile on her lips and said, " You did well, that was very bold of you to stand up and voice out your opinion to Enzo, especially not interns. I managed a faint smile though my heart was pounding from the encounter. “I didn't mean to cause a scene”, I replied softly. Anna chuckled,” Oh, you definitely caused a scene. But a good one. Trust me, the whole building will know about this by the end of the day. I look ahead to dreading the outcome my action will cause.

"But be careful around her secretary, she doesn't take lightly to newcomers stealing the spotlight from her," Anna continued. I nodded as I glanced at Victoria, who was already walking up to me and Anna. Fidelia, right? Victoria asked as she stopped in front of us. Yes ma'am, I replied. You did well as an intern. Thank you, I replied. Report to my office before the end of today with the draft of the proposal you are to submit to Enzo. "Yes ma'am," I replied, then she gave me and Anna a once-over look filled with disdain before leaving and that was when I knew that I hadn't only made a mark, I had also made an enemy. I clutched my notepad tighter as I exited the conference room together with Anna.