454 The Presentation

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Katherine conditioned herself to get ready to go up on stage while she was still outside of the hall. She had a stack of index cards in her hand that she used to fan her face as she was getting flustered at the thought of being the next one to appear in front of the crowd.

She never liked crowded places. She didn't like appearing in front of so many people and giving a speech. If she could only present in front of Damien, she would do it in a heartbeat. But in front of sixty or so people, her heart was racing. It may not be a lot for others, but more than one is already a lot for her. And now she just had to do this—pour her heart and soul like she was meant to do this. She just hoped she wouldn't make a mistake and make a fool of herself.

"You've practiced enough. You're going to kill this," Felix said as he handed her a water bottle. He took the stack of index cards from her hand so she could drink properly.

"Thanks. It's the first time I'm so nervous like this." She took a sip of the water that cooled down her dry throat. She felt slightly better. She took a deep breath and realized that she was still indeed so nervous. She hadn't felt like this before, not even when she had SS missions in Shadow. "Damn it, I need to stab someone," she muttered to no one in particular.

He gave her a strange look, thinking that she had this weird way of releasing her frustration. He shook his head and handed the index cards back to her.

Katherine looked at the cards for a bit and her hand hovered to take it, however, she curled her fingers inwardly and retracted her hand. "You know what… I won't need that."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, a glint of determination in her eyes. "I know it by heart."

…

Dressed in a blush pink off-the-shoulder tea-length pleated balloon skirt, Katherine stood tall and confident on stage in front of the VIPs from Crown Resort Group and their competitors.

When Michael Price gave her the go signal, she smiled sweetly to the audience and started, "Good morning. My name is Katherine Young and I represent Young Corporation."

"My grandfather, Theodore Young, built the company from the ground up in his early twenties. With minimal support from his family, he worked hard until Young Corporation became what it is today. Now, we have expertise in engineering, procurement, construction, and project management. We take pride in our work and when we learned about Crown Resort Group's new project, we knew we just had to take our chances."

The next slides showed CRG's greatest accomplishments that made them known nationally and internationally. "Over the past years, CRG experienced challenges and encountered roadblocks. However, the desire to overcome and advance drove them to what they are very much known as now—the leader in the hotel and resort industry." The next slide showed Young Corporation's set of greatest accomplishments. "Similarly, Young Corporation met failures while we tried to climb higher. However, a decade of trial and error only made us stronger. We endured and we overcame setbacks. And decades later, we still stood strong."

Katherine's way of showing how the two companies were alike reached the VIPs' hearts. It wasn't what they expected to see today in a bidding project, but they were reminded of how their company started from a small dream—that despite the challenges they faced, they stood tall and proud and even surpassed that small dream.

She continued to recount several remarkable achievements of CRG that probably only the VIPs know. All of which she got with her efforts while she was away on the business trip. And they incorporated all that she learned on the short immersion to the model designs that she and Michael Price presented that day. The designs had already been finished weeks ago, but because of her efforts, they were able to amplify it to an even better one. It only goes to show how much they know about CRG—and this impressed the VIPs.

"Young Corporation's greatest loss was back when a tragedy happened in my family that resulted in the loss of lives. My father was a great man. He was a great CEO. And the company suffered when he passed away. I… may not remember what happened all those years ago... However, it's already a part of history... how—despite losing its leader—we continued to strive, function, and excelled. And that's because Young Corporation is a self-sufficient company. That even after a great loss at that point in time, we stood, we persevered, and we conquered."

The audience was enthralled upon hearing Katherine. Her talk about the accounts of failures inspired them. They were moved by how Young Corporation was able to withstand the trials they faced and transcended even afterward.

For a second, she glanced at Damien and met his gaze. She wanted to make sure that he would hear her clearly and understand the rest of what she was about to do.

Pressing a button on the small remote in her hand, there were several pictures of hotels and establishments that flashed on the screen. She saw the change in his expression, and she knew that he was looking at the picture of the Onyx Mountain Hotel on the screen—a heartwarming surprise for Damien when Katherine mentioned that Young Corporation was behind that project. Then she began, "Someone once told me that to be a king, one has to work like a slave. And for decades, Young Corporation worked hard to achieve and even surpass our goals." 

Glancing at Damien again and then at the VIPs, she continued, "We understand Crown Resort Group's needs and wants. And not only can we support their mission and vision, but we can also provide what other companies cannot do," she said in a poised manner. She would have sounded arrogant if she didn't look and sound like she had the right to do so.

"Young Corporation isn't limited only to the U.S. We operate worldwide. We have achieved shrewd acquisitions and effectively delivered high-profile and large scale infrastructures. We… aren't here only for this project." The next slide showed their company's vision which was quite aligned with Crown Resort Group's. 

Then, she added, "During CRG's anniversary, Chairman Park said in his speech—and please allow me to quote that." The screen played a short clip of Damien giving a speech in front of his employees which was also televised locally during that event months ago.

~

"Although Crown Resort Group is fairly new in the real estate business, I believe that just like our hotel and resort chains, we will triumph. And until we find the key to break out and expand internationally for this new venture, we will not be hindered. To success," said Damien Park in his speech as he raised a glass of champagne.

~

Walking towards the middle of the platform, Katherine addressed the VIPs. She lingered on Damien for a beat longer before looking at the others. "Chairman Park, Directors… I humbly—no, I confidently claim that Young Corporation is the key that you are looking for. If you grant us, we would not only promise success in this current project. If our companies work together, we can guarantee that we will triumph. Together, we will grow. Together, we will rise. And Together, we will bring Crown Resort Group worldwide to much greater heights."

Katherine prayed that Damien understood what she was trying to say. That she wasn't only here for now. She was here for good. She was going to stay with him for good.

The hall was silent as they stared at the bold Katherine Young on stage. They were in awe at how she shamelessly promoted their company and even promised more success after this project—as if she was assuming that CRG would readily have more projects with them after this. While most of the bidders were focused on how successful the project would be if CRG chose their company, Young Corporation unabashedly guaranteed international expansion.

In a room full of people, Katherine looked like she was doing a presentation for the bidding.

But no. This wasn't just any simple presentation, was it? In a room full of people, only Damien noticed that what Katherine just proposed wasn't merely any business scheme. It was more than that—at least for him. Her every word, whenever she spoke, meant something else. 

Damien's face was unreadable as he gazed at her. This. This was what she prepared for him. His heart pounded in his chest, drumming and kicking against his ribcage like it wanted to get out and break free as the realization hit him. 'Is she… Is she doing what I think she's doing right now?'