The Proposal Book Novels & Stories

“I have competitors everywhere, I always have. If Rand wants to come play in this space, I’ll take them by the balls the same way I’ve taken everyone else.” Marcus looked at me, and something shifted in his expression. Not quite a smile. Something more serious than that. “That,” he said, “is the funny part.” He reached into his folder and placed a sheet on my desk. Single page with a formal header. The kind of document that had been drafted deliberately, by someone who wanted it to look like a deal before you’d get a chance to voice an opinion. It was a proposal. Rand Estate clearly stated at the top. I read the header before looking up. “What is this.”

“Let’s discuss our project.” Adeena let out a sigh of relief. ‘His gaze was so deep as he looked at me earlier. ‘I was a little worried that he would suddenly get handsy with me again…’ She sat opposite him. “This is the proposal. Please have a look.” He opened the proposal booklet and read through it very quickly. He turned one page after the other within a few seconds. He probably read only less than ten lines per page. In less than three minutes, he was done looking through the proposal.

“Why don’t you go ahead and give me this proposal you emailed about? I’m on a tight schedule.” His lips twitched, not quite a smile, or a smirk. Like he had been expecting me to say that. Without a word, he slid a thin folder across the table toward me. I opened it, eyes scanning the first page… and I had to stop myself from making a sound. It was bad. It wasn't “needs some fine-tuning” bad or “rookie mistake” bad. This was amateur hour bad! Novice! The numbers didn’t connect, revenue projections that had no basis in market realities. Infrastructure proposals that ignored the most basic facts about the terrain he was describing.

She set the tablet down and slid a manila folder across the desk instead, the motion unhurried, deliberate, the same way she'd handed me contracts before that ended up changing the entire shape of my life. I opened it. A business proposal, glossy and professionally bound, Olivia's name printed across the header in elegant serif. Olivia Noir — Series A Funding Proposal. Fifty million dollars in requested startup capital, projected growth charts, a launch strategy clearly built by people who knew exactly how to make numbers look inevitable on paper.

She’d make him go to bed early tonight if she had to tie his ass to the bed. She’d reached the door to Leo’s room when Grayson’s voice rang out behind her. “Maybe you should actually do it. You and Leo get engaged.” Amber stiffened before she turned back around. “I don’t think he’s in any condition to make me an actual proposal right now…” “But if he did, would you say yes?” “I don’t know. It’s just not great timing right now with everything going on.” Grayson ran a hand through his hair, “Is that the only reason you’d refuse to get engaged? I mean it would be good for you and him. It’d keep Courtney off your backs. And give more credence to her thinking the baby is Leo’s.”

“Better than that club, at least.” “Exactly.” April disappeared into the back room, returning with a stack of books. She plopped them in front of me. “Here. Keep your hands busy, maybe your brain will stop overloading.” I rolled my eyes but pulled the stack closer. “My brain has stopped overloading, work master.” “Motivator,” she corrected with a grin.

Trying to look like I belong. I don't. "Let's begin," Caleb says. Voice steady despite everything. "First item, quarterly financial review." Presents numbers, revenue, expenses, and projections. He did his homework, he sounds confident. Walsh interrupts. "Before we continue, I'd like to present a proposal. Time-sensitive opportunity. Merger with Apex Technologies. They're offering favorable terms. We'd gain significant market share in tech sector." He slides the folder across the table. Caleb opens it and scans the pages.

"It's not about work," Yoel said. He walked over, set a blue folder on the coffee table in front of me, and looked more serious than I had ever seen him. "It's a proposal." I picked up the folder, confused. On the cover, in bold print, a single line read, "Proposal for Establishing a Long-Term and Exclusive Lifelong Strategic Partnership with Ms. Nova Grayson." My hand trembled, and I almost dropped the folder. I took a deep breath and opened to the first page.

Mara The full Carver proposal arrived on a Friday. Forty-seven pages. I read all of them over the weekend, made notes in the margins, identified twelve questions, drafted preliminary responses to six, and by Sunday evening had a reasonably complete picture of what was being proposed. It was substantial.

At the discussion table, Benjamin straightened his tie and spoke with energy. "This is the vision I bring," he explained, walking Gordon through the proposal. "It’s innovative, scalable, and designed for the next generation. With proper funding, we can launch within months. This invitation isn’t just to raise capital, but to give forward-thinking companies the chance to be part of something groundbreaking." Gordon flipped a page slowly, feigning disinterest. "Hmm. I see." "If you’d like," Benjamin added quickly, "I can walk you through the full projection model. It will demonstrate potential returns, market penetration, and scalability in more detail."