CHAPTER SIX - A Little Sacrifice
1201 Words
Ashiya
“Golden City Casino would be the toast of town once it is constructed. It can be easily seen on the horizon with its golden building complex that would gleam day and night. We designed it as a carbon-neutral resort using low carbon or no carbon materials as much as possible. We will use solar panel glass windows for the building to harness electricity and we will use LED lights to save electricity. We also designed the casino itself to reduce the use of air conditioning by creating...”
The conference room's cold air was lulling me to sleep. My eyes were starting to droop as Jonathan, one of the architects of Kalisha’s team presented the hologram of that eco-casino and what they worked with so far. My lack of sleep and Damon’s welcome s**x started to catch up on me. I was only human and s**x before work was really bad for me. Seriously, I couldn’t keep up with someone like Damon who was more energetic after a bout of f**cking.
I jolted when I felt a tap on my hand. "Miss Ashiya, are you still with us?"
I opened my eyes when I heard Kalisha's stern voice. I didn’t realize that I dozed off. “I’m sorry. I-I was imagining what the actual building would look like.”
“Well, the design is right in front of you,” Kalisha remarked sarcastically and the rest of her team laughed at her.
I cleared my throat and tried to study the hologram design. It looked good but something was bothering me. “Can I look at the actual landscape of the location?"
Jonathan typed on his computer and the hologram of the place where the casino hot itself would be erected. "It is a barren land for now, like a savanna. Mostly grass and some trees."
I noticed a green area like a small forest in the vicinity. "What will happen to this area?"
"We will put a parking lot there," answered Lily, the youngest architect in the group.
My lips twitched. “I think building a huge car park while sacrificing the trees won’t cut it. To think that we are aiming for a green casino for the project."
It was an appalling idea. For a company whose motto was protecting the environment, it would be a failure on their if those trees have to give way to a parking lot. Don’t they have an alternative design for it?
“We are discussing the structure itself and how the car park would go with the building. This one is aligned with the budget,” Jonathan defended.
"It is just a few trees, Ashiya. No need to work up yourself over it,” Kalisha uttered in a light tone. As if my idea was too silly to be considered.
“Several century-old acacia trees,” Kent clarified. He is a senior in the group and Damon was eyeing him to be promoted soon. “I don’t think they are just a few trees. Those trees must be protected.”
I crossed my arms. “Kent is right. It would be hypocritical to build an eco-building but it would hurt the old trees. That area could be the selling point of the project. An eco-casino with a green park nearby where people can walk for fresh air. It means that the trees are protected and they can go hand in hand with the building. You can do something else for the car park. You may build a car park building to maximize the space then leave the trees alone.”
Kalisha's voice raised. “We don’t have much time if we do that. We also have the budget to consider. Ashiya, you don’t really expect to throw our hard work just for a few trees. Ashiya, you are not an authority here…”
“Those trees must be taken into serious consideration. Do you want to have a PR nightmare once this project pushes through and we have environmentalists protesting at our door? It would affect all our projects. If you will propose to protect those trees, I am sure that our client will see that we are true to our vision.”
“Those trees can be extracted and transfer elsewhere, Miss Ashiya,” said Lily who looked like she was about to cry. “We are almost through with the project. We are almost ready for the presentation.”
“Don’t feel bad about this, Lily.” Jonathan sent a tissue box on Lily’s way. “This is just a discussion.”
“I am sure Damon will have a different opinion when it comes to this,” Kalisha said confidently. “He will understand that last-minute change of design and a new building won’t work. We don’t have time for this silly tree-hugging idea.”
It was not exactly a last-minute change. They had a month to work on the new additional design. If they want to. But Kalisha was too blinded by her dislike for me to even consider it. Of course, it would be up to Damon in the end. I was just a simple executive assistant.
I was just disappointed that these people had forgotten that they signed up for an eco-project and century-old trees must be taken into consideration. One of the reasons why I
They were forgetting their duty just to spite me. If someone else suggested it, surely Kalisha would be more than happy to welcome the idea. It was tiring much to deal with her type.
Kent raised his hand. "I prepared an alternative design for what you have in mind. This one will protect the trees and leave them as they are. A car park building is also set.”
Finally, a bright hope for those century-old trees. Someone was finally thinking according to the company’s vision. "Cool. I would love to see it."
"Kent, we've come this far. We are almost done with the proposed design. Changing it for just a few trees would ruin our timeline,” Kalisha breathed and gave him a stinky look.
"Please send me the design, Kent,” I said in a welcoming tone. “I’m sure Damon would love to know more about your alternative design.”
"I won't allow it,” Kalisha protested and hit the table in fury.
"Why?" I queried.
Kalisha crossed her arms over her chest. "I am the boss here."
The side of my lips lifted in a sly smile. "Wrong. Damon is the boss and I was tasked to make a report on your proposal. I am just doing my job.”
Kalisha’s lips pressed in a line. She stared at me as she clenched her fist. I thought she would love to hit my face anytime. I didn’t deter and engaged her in a staring contest.
In the end, I just smiled to dispel the tension. “No worries. It is up to Damon to decide what will be the best for those trees. I love the rest of the designs so far. Good job.”
I left the room with my head held up. I have such a good feeling about this project proposal.
- Writer
