Behind the Mask

In the board meeting room, everyone was already seated, the company's executives among them. A few minutes of quiet shuffling passed, and then the door opened and the company president walked in.

Adrian.

The entire room rose to greet him, a gesture of respect. He gave a small motion of his hand. "Please, take your seats. Let us begin."

He lowered himself into his chair and allowed a moment of silence to settle over the table. Then he looked up and called out the next name on the agenda.

"Development Team 4."

It was Ms. Victoria's group.

"Is the chef ready?" President Adrian asked.

"Actually..." Ms. Victoria's words began to stumble. "Ms. Chloe was supposed to present for our team."

She never got to finish.

"Why? Is there a problem?" Adrian asked.

"Well, that's..."

The sound of the door opening cut her off. Ms. Victoria turned around, and so did everyone else.

It was Chloe.

She slipped into the boardroom on her toes, her face and half her body hidden behind a mask, as though she hoped nobody would see her at all. The whole room, of course, saw nothing else. Heads turned. Eyes followed her, awkward and curious. Chloe kept her gaze down and walked straight to where the projector was displaying her slides.

"I'm sorry for being late," she said.

She waited a few seconds to steady herself before she began.

"Hello. My name is Chloe Bennett, from Food Product Development Team 4." She drew a breath. "The chef we are recommending..."

"You are going to present like this?"

Adrian's voice cut across her. Chloe turned back, startled.

"S-sir?" she said, barely above a whisper.

"It's hard to hear you," Adrian said. "Remove your mask."

Chloe's hand rose slowly toward her face and stopped there.

"The mask?"

Across the room, a manager was making small, urgent gestures, telling her to take it off.

Oh, my God. What am I going to do?

Her mind raced for an excuse.

"I actually have a cold," she said, and coughed once, twice, to make the lie convincing.

Adrian studied her for a moment.

"Then keep it on."

"Yes, sir."

Chloe turned back to the screen and steadied her voice.

"The chef we are recommending today is Chef Caleb of Highgrape Kitchen, and the main menu is his white kimchi ravioli. The reason we are recommending this chef is because of his style of cooking..."

She continued with her explanation, gradually finding her confidence as she went through the presentation. Adrian listened attentively, occasionally glancing at the slides. Even he seemed impressed by how well she explained the proposal.

After careful consideration of the presentation, the board agreed to collaborate with the chef. One by one, the executives filed out of the room.

Meanwhile, Aria was on a house hunt, walking through an apartment beside the agent.

"Look, this place is right in the middle of New York, and very close to the subway stations," the agent said. "It's a great location."

"And all these appliances come with the apartment, right?" Aria asked.

"Of course. They come with the apartment!

They finished the inspection and stepped out together, talking over the details as they went. By the time they reached the door, Aria had made up her mind. She agreed to the terms, paid, and signed the contract.

Chloe, on the other hand, couldn't wait to share her good news. As soon as she got off work, she headed straight to Chef Caleb's restaurant, smiling with joy. She hurried through the door like an excited child.

"Printing out the ingredient analysis took so long, that's why I'm late," she said, all in one breath. "But I couldn't wait to tell you, Chef Caleb!”