HER DARK PATH

The presentation

Chapter 21

The Presentation

The Faculty of Business was buzzing with excitement.

Today was the day every final-year student had been preparing for.

Project presentations.

Groups stood outside the lecture hall rehearsing their speeches one last time. Some looked nervous, while others tried to hide their anxiety behind forced smiles.

Inside the hall, the lecturers were already taking their seats.

Nadia walked in carrying a neatly organized file.

She immediately spotted Ethan checking their presentation on his laptop.

"Morning," she said.

Ethan looked up and smiled.

"Morning."

"You came early."

"I wanted to make sure everything worked."

She nodded.

"Did you sleep at all?"

He laughed.

"About three hours."

"You really need to stop doing that."

"I'll sleep after today."

Nadia smiled.

"I'll remind you of that."

The presentations soon began.

One group after another walked to the front of the class.

Some students forgot their lines.

Others struggled to answer the lecturers' questions.

An hour later...

The lecturer adjusted his glasses.

"Next group..."

"Ethan Carter and Nadia Hayes."

The two exchanged a glance before walking confidently to the front.

Ethan connected his laptop to the projector while Nadia arranged their documents.

"Good morning, lecturers and fellow students," Nadia began confidently.

"Our project focuses on innovative business strategies for sustainable business growth."

As she spoke, the slides changed smoothly behind her.

When it was Ethan's turn, he explained the financial models, business planning, and digital strategies with remarkable confidence.

The hall remained silent.

Everyone was paying attention.

When they finished, one of the lecturers leaned forward.

"Excellent presentation."

"But I have a question."

He looked at Nadia.

"If you were starting this business today, what would be the biggest challenge?"

Without hesitation, Nadia replied,

"Building trust."

The lecturer nodded.

"And why?"

"Because customers don't buy products first."

"They buy confidence."

"If people trust your business, growth becomes much easier."

The lecturer smiled with approval.

"Very good."

Another lecturer turned to Ethan.

"Your financial projections are impressive."

"Did you use any software?"

"Yes, sir."

"I developed the analysis program myself."

The room became quiet.

"You created it yourself?"

"Yes, sir."

The lecturer exchanged impressed glances with his colleagues.

"Outstanding."

After a few more questions, the presentation ended.

As Nadia and Ethan returned to their seats, several classmates applauded.

"You two were amazing."

"That was the best presentation today."

Ethan smiled politely.

Nadia simply thanked them.

Across the room...

Vanessa watched in silence.

Her plan to distract them had failed.

Instead...

They had become the strongest team in the class.

Her frustration continued to grow.

After the presentations, students slowly left the lecture hall.

Outside, Ethan turned to Nadia.

"We did it."

"We did."

"I couldn't have done it without you."

"And I couldn't have done it without your software."

He smiled.

"So..."

"Can we finally celebrate?"

Nadia laughed softly.

"I suppose we can."

"There's a café a few streets from campus."

"I've heard it's good."

"Then let's go."

As they walked toward the university gate, neither of them noticed a black SUV parked across the street.

Inside the vehicle, the older man who had been investigating Nadia watched them carefully.

"They seem close," he said.

His assistant nodded.

"Yes, sir."

The older man stared at Ethan for a moment before shifting his gaze back to Nadia.

"Find out everything about the young man."

"The boy?"

"Yes."

"If Nadia is truly connected to what we're looking for..."

"...the people closest to her may become useful."

The assistant lowered his head.

"I understand."

The SUV quietly pulled away.

From the reflection in a nearby shop window, Nadia watched it disappear.

She didn't turn around.

She didn't react.

But deep inside...

She knew the people watching her were becoming bolder.

And that meant only one thing.

Soon...

Someone would make a mistake.