Chapter3 :The New Player
1423 Words
Saturday morning arrived with all three teams already gathered in the competition hall. Elle had barely slept. She had spent most of the night reviewing their financial model, checking their presentation, and making sure there wasn't a single weakness the judges could use against them.
She was confident in her team.
She was confident in herself.
What she wasn't prepared for was Ethan Blake.
“Morning.”
Elle turned and found Ethan standing beside her with two cups of coffee.
“You're early,” she said.
“So are you.”
He held one cup toward her. “I remembered your order.”
Elle looked at the coffee, then at him. “You remembered?”
“You've had the same thing every morning since the competition started.”
She accepted it. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome.”
Across the hall, Adrian had just walked in with Jason, Nathan, and Liam. Jason followed his gaze toward Elle and Ethan.
“Oh, this is interesting.”
Adrian's expression remained neutral. “What?”
“Nothing.”
Adrian looked again.
Ethan was saying something to Elle that made her smile.
Jason grinned. “Definitely nothing.”
“Focus on the competition.”
“I was about to tell you the same thing.”
Adrian ignored him.
But he kept watching.
---
Team Reyes presented first.
Elle stood at the center of the stage, calm and composed as she explained their strategy. Sofi handled the marketing portion, Claire presented the financial projections, and Mia discussed their digital expansion plan.
The judges challenged them repeatedly, but Elle answered every question with confidence.
When they finished, the audience applauded.
As Elle stepped off the stage, Ethan was waiting near the side of the room.
“You were impressive.”
She smiled. “Just impressive?”
“Very impressive.”
“Better.”
Ethan laughed. “I knew you'd correct me.”
Before Elle could respond, Adrian walked past them toward the stage.
“Careful, Blake. Compliment her too much and she'll become impossible.”
Elle turned toward him. “I'm already impossible.”
Adrian looked at her.
“I know.”
For a brief second, neither of them spoke.
Then Ethan smiled. “Good luck, Cole.”
Adrian gave him a short nod before walking onto the stage.
Elle watched him begin his presentation.
Normally, she would have been completely focused on his strategy. She knew Adrian's habits better than anyone. She could usually predict his arguments before he made them.
But Ethan's presence kept distracting her.
She glanced toward him.
He caught her looking.
He smiled.
Elle immediately turned back toward Adrian.
“What am I doing?” she muttered.
Sofi, standing beside her, heard.
“That's what I'd like to know.”
Elle gave her a warning look.
Sofi smiled innocently.
---
Adrian's presentation was excellent.
His team's strategy focused on aggressive digital transformation, with plans to reduce physical locations and invest heavily in online sales.
The judges challenged several of his assumptions, but Adrian handled every question confidently.
When he finished, Elle found herself impressed despite herself.
Then she noticed Ethan applauding.
Not just politely.
He looked genuinely impressed.
Adrian noticed too.
Their eyes met across the room.
Neither looked away.
Ethan's expression remained calm.
Adrian's wasn't.
Jason leaned toward Nathan.
“Uh-oh.”
Nathan sighed. “Don't.”
“I didn't say anything.”
“You didn't have to.”
Adrian returned to his seat, but his attention wasn't on the competition anymore.
It was on Ethan.
---
During the break, Elle stepped outside to get some air.
She had barely reached the courtyard when Ethan joined her.
“You survived.”
“Barely.”
He laughed. “Your presentation was strong.”
“So was yours yesterday.”
“Thank you.”
Elle leaned against the railing. “Your strategy is risky.”
“That's what the judges said.”
“They're right.”
“You think it'll fail?”
“I think you haven't accounted for the transition costs.”
Ethan smiled. “I was hoping you'd notice.”
Elle looked at him. “You wanted me to challenge you?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because you're the only person here who would actually make me rethink my strategy.”
Elle didn't know what to say.
Ethan continued, “Everyone else is trying to beat me. You actually want to understand how I think.”
“That's because I want to beat you.”
“I know.”
He smiled.
“And that's what makes you interesting.”
Elle looked away, suddenly conscious of how close they were standing.
Ethan noticed but didn't move away.
Instead, he reached toward her hand.
“You have ink on your finger.”
He gently rubbed the small mark away with his thumb.
“There.”
Elle stared at her hand.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Neither of them noticed Adrian standing inside the glass doors.
He had seen everything.
Jason appeared beside him.
“You've been staring for a while.”
Adrian didn't respond.
Jason glanced outside. “You know, if you keep looking at them like that, someone's going to notice.”
“I don't care.”
“You obviously do.”
Adrian finally looked at him.
Jason smiled. “You're jealous.”
“I'm not.”
“Sure.”
Adrian walked away.
But he couldn't stop thinking about Ethan touching Elle's hand.
---
Ethan's presentation came next.
He walked onto the stage without notes and presented his strategy with an effortless confidence that immediately captured the room.
His proposal was more aggressive than either Elle's or Adrian's. He wanted the company to completely rebuild its digital operations, close several underperforming locations, and redirect the savings into a new online platform.
The judges challenged him.
Ethan didn't back down.
When they questioned the risks, he explained every contingency. When they questioned the costs, he produced numbers to support his argument.
By the end of the presentation, even Elle was impressed.
Ethan stepped offstage and looked directly at her.
She smiled and gave him a small nod.
Across the room, Adrian saw it.
He looked down at his notes.
For the first time that day, he realized he had barely been paying attention to the judges' feedback.
His focus had shifted somewhere else.
Or, more accurately, to someone else.
---
Later that afternoon, Elle was reviewing her team's final notes when Ethan approached again.
“You look tired.”
“I am.”
“You should take a break.”
“We don't have time.”
“You always say that.”
“Because it's true.”
Ethan smiled and placed a bottle of water beside her laptop.
“Drink.”
Elle looked at him.
“You're bossy.”
“I've been told.”
She laughed.
From across the room, Adrian noticed.
Ethan was deliberately getting closer to her.
And worse, Elle seemed to enjoy it.
Adrian stood and walked toward them.
“You're supposed to be preparing for the final round,” he said.
Elle looked up. “So are you.”
“I am.”
Ethan smiled. “Then why are you here?”
Adrian looked at him.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
Ethan shrugged. “I finished my preparation.”
Adrian glanced at Elle.
“Clearly.”
Elle frowned. “What's that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
He turned to leave.
Ethan watched him go, then looked at Elle.
“He's jealous.”
Elle laughed. “You really enjoy provoking him.”
“Maybe.”
“Why?”
Ethan's smile faded into something more thoughtful.
“Because Adrian has spent years competing against you.”
He glanced toward the hallway where Adrian had disappeared.
“I think he's finally realizing he doesn't like the idea of someone else competing for your attention.”
Elle stared at him.
Before she could respond, Sofi called her name from across the room.
Elle looked away.
When she turned back, Ethan was smiling.
“See you at the finals, Elle.”
He walked away.
Elle watched him go, then glanced toward the hallway.
For the first time, she wondered whether Ethan's plan had less to do with winning the competition and more to do with defeating Adrian.
And Adrian, meanwhile, was beginning to wonder the same thing.
The problem was that neither of them realized how easily Ethan was pulling them both away from the competition.
And that was exactly what he wanted.
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