Chapter 3

One of my coworkers finally spoke up quietly. "Esther, Ms. Kline put those together based on the client's preferences. They might come in handy later."

Esther smiled and shook her head. "AI can figure out what clients like from public information. And come on, Evercrest Group is huge. Of course their chairman is going to want something modern, high-tech, and upscale."

I almost laughed.

Richard Langley, the chairman of Evercrest Group, hated anything that looked flashy or high-tech.

He'd built his business in traditional manufacturing, and the smart showroom was meant to show that the company was moving in a new direction. I'd toured the site with him five times myself.

He'd told me himself, "There's nothing wrong with new technology. The problem is when it loses the human touch."

That was why my original concept was built around bringing Evercrest's past and future together.

The first exhibit area would feature old machinery, vintage photos, and employee badges from the company's earliest workers. Digital displays and interactive installations would then lead into its new energy business.

That was what Evercrest actually wanted.

Esther had no clue because she'd never bothered to really read through the client materials. All she ever did was ask AI.

Once she'd cleared out the conference room, she immediately turned the whole thing into an AI showcase.

"AI, come up with a smart showroom concept that'll blow the client away. Make it look as high-end as possible."

The screen quickly filled with buzzwords like metaverse, cyber city, interstellar travel, and engine of the future.

Esther's eyes lit up. "This is amazing. Now that's creative!"

I sat quietly in the corner and checked my inbox. There was an email from Mr. Clarkson, Evercrest Group's head of procurement.

"Ms. Kline, I heard your company switched project leads at the last minute. Mr. Langley is a little concerned. Will you still be at tomorrow's bid clarification meeting?"

I replied, "Yes, I'll be there, but I won't be the one presenting."

His response came almost immediately. "Mr. Langley was only on board with the direction you proposed earlier. Are you sure this won't be a problem?"

I glanced over at Esther, who was busy asking AI to come up with a "cosmic-level" title for the showroom.

Then I emailed back. "I'll bring backup materials, so your team can still evaluate everything properly."

After that, I encrypted and saved the actual final proposal, then put a hard copy of the bid submission in my bag.

In my last life, I'd compromised over and over for Tom and to protect the company's image.

This time, I wasn't letting anyone take credit for my work. I definitely wasn't going to let Tom step over my corpse just to protect his precious little favorite.

The next morning, it was time for Evercrest Group's bid clarification meeting.

Esther had gone all out in a white skirt suit and perfect makeup, as if she were heading to an awards ceremony.

Before we got in the car, she stood outside the office and gave me a sweet smile. "Ms. Kline, I'll be presenting today. You can stay beside me and handle the slides."

A few coworkers looked uncomfortable.

Tom just nodded. "Let's be clear about who's in charge."

I took the clicker Esther held out to me. "Sure."

She looked pleased with herself.

When we arrived at Evercrest Group, Mr. Clarkson came down to meet us personally. He looked briefly taken aback when he saw Esther at the front.

"And you are?"

Esther immediately held out her hand. "Hello, Mr. Clarkson. I'm Esther Stone. I'll be leading the project from here on out. If anything comes up, you can reach out to me directly. Ms. Kline will be supporting me."

Mr. Clarkson looked over at me.

I gave him a small nod without explaining.

He gave me an unreadable look before leading us into the conference room.

The conference room was full by the time we walked in. Mr. Langley sat at the head of the table. His hair had gone gray, but his gaze was as sharp as ever.

In my last life, after our bid was disqualified, he'd asked me over the phone, "Ms. Kline, is this really the best you can do?"

Back then, I had no way to explain what had really happened. This time, I wouldn't let him down again.

Esther pulled up her presentation. The moment the first slide appeared, the entire room went silent.