Chapter 7: Work Together or Fail
696 Words
The first official team meeting was scheduled for the afternoon in a quiet conference room at Daniel’s company office.
Ada arrived early — determined to prove she wasn’t some careless student who got lucky with an assignment.
She walked inside the glass building feeling nervous but focused.
“This is professional,” she reminded herself.
“This is about the project.”
Nothing else.
Minutes later, her teammates arrived — two students she knew from class.
They greeted each other awkwardly before taking seats around the long table.
Then the door opened again.
Everyone stood up immediately.
Daniel walked in calmly, carrying a laptop and a stack of documents.
“Good afternoon,” he said in a steady voice.
“Good afternoon, sir,” the other students responded quickly.
Ada rolled her eyes slightly.
Sir.
He looked too young to be called that.
Daniel placed his laptop on the table and began.
“Let’s begin with expectations.”
He projected project guidelines onto the screen.
“This project will evaluate your research skills, creativity, and execution. My company will review your final presentation.”
His eyes briefly shifted toward Ada.
“If the work is poor, it affects all of you.”
She crossed her arms.
“Pressure much?”
One of her teammates quickly nudged her.
“Shh!”
Daniel’s gaze lingered on her for a second.
Then he responded calmly.
“Pressure builds competence.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Or stress.”
A faint silence followed.
One of the male students in the team suddenly leaned slightly closer to Ada.
“Don’t worry,” he said softly. “We’ll handle most of the difficult parts. You can just focus on simple research.”
Ada turned to him immediately.
“What do you mean ‘simple research’?”
He smiled casually.
“I mean… maybe data collection or formatting. Technical stuff might be hard for you.”
Her expression changed.
“I can handle technical work.”
He laughed lightly.
“Relax. I’m just saying — girls usually prefer the easier tasks.”
The room went quiet.
Daniel’s eyes shifted slowly toward the student.
His expression darkened slightly.
“That assumption is unnecessary,” Daniel said firmly.
Everyone turned to him.
“The project workload will be distributed based on skill — not gender.”
The male student swallowed nervously.
“Y-yes sir.”
Ada looked at Daniel quietly.
He had defended her.
Without hesitation.
She wasn’t sure why… but her chest felt warm for a second.
Daniel continued the meeting professionally.
“Each member will present progress weekly. No excuses.”
After explaining tasks, he closed his laptop.
“Meeting dismissed. Start working.”
The other students gathered their materials quickly.
The male teammate approached Ada again.
“Hey… don’t take what I said personally.”
She looked at him calmly.
“I didn’t.”
But before he could respond further —
Daniel walked closer and stood beside them.
“Is there a problem?” he asked directly.
The student quickly shook his head.
“No, sir.”
“Good.”
Daniel’s gaze shifted to Ada.
“Stay behind for a moment.”
Her heart skipped slightly.
The other teammates left the room quietly, whispering to each other.
Now it was just the two of them.
Silence filled the space.
She crossed her arms.
“What now?”
He stepped closer — stopping at a professional but noticeable distance.
“Don’t let anyone underestimate you.”
She blinked.
“…I wasn’t going to.”
He studied her face carefully.
“Good.”
Then after a brief pause —
“Prove them wrong.”
Her lips parted slightly.
His words weren’t arrogant.
They weren’t flirtatious.
They were encouraging.
And somehow…
They meant more coming from him.
He turned to leave.
But before opening the door, he stopped.
“Next meeting — come prepared.”
She rolled her eyes lightly.
“I always am.”
He glanced back briefly.
A small, almost invisible smile appeared.
“We’ll see.”
The door closed behind him.
Ada stood alone for a moment… thinking.
Work together.
Compete together.
Grow together.
And maybe…
Feel something deeper along the way.
- Writer
