Samantha stepped out of her classroom, her bag slung over her shoulder, and sighed deeply. The two-hour lecture on Machine Design 2 had left her brain buzzing with formulas and diagrams. She checked her watch—4:05 PM. If the Grab driver arrived on time, she could still make it to the Luxent Hotel before 4:30 PM.
She opened the app on her phone and booked a ride. As she waited outside the campus gates, she opened the group chat Matthew had created the day before.
Samantha: "I'm on my way now. Should be there by 4:30. Don't mess up the room."
Matthew: "Noted, Miss Sergeant. I'll be waiting in the lobby."
Saimon: "Hurry up. I think Matthew's already planning how to 'motivate' us with more lectures."
Leo: "Hurry up or you will miss food."
Samantha rolled her eyes at the messages, unable to suppress a small smile. A few minutes later, her Grab car pulled up, and she slid into the backseat. As the driver navigated through Manila's traffic, she mentally prepared herself for the marathon of brainstorming and planning ahead.
By the time she reached the Luxent Hotel, it was 4:28 PM. She stepped out of the car and glanced up at the imposing façade of the hotel.. Samantha walked through the glass doors into the air-conditioned lobby, the sound of soft piano music playing in the background.
She opened the group chat again.
Samantha: "I'm here."
Within seconds, Matthew replied.
Matthew: "Stay put. On my way down."
Samantha tucked her phone back into her pocket and waited by a polished marble column. Moments later, she spotted Matthew walking toward her with his usual confident stride, dressed casually but still somehow looking like he owned the place.
"Hey," he greeted with a small grin. "Tired from class?"
"Exhausted," she admitted, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But I'm here. Let's get to work."
Matthew gestured toward the elevators. "Follow me. The boys are upstairs. I hope you're ready for snacks because Leo insisted we order pizza and milk tea."
Samantha raised an eyebrow but didn't comment as they stepped into the elevator. The ride up was quick, and Matthew led her down the plush hallway to Room 1210. He swiped his keycard and pushed the door open.
Inside, the smell of pizza filled the air, and Saimon and Leo were sprawled on the couch, happily munching on slices. Several milk tea cups sat on the coffee table, along with napkins and plates.
"Finally," Leo said, raising his cup in mock salute. "The real boss is here."
Saimon grinned. "Want a slice? Or are you going to scold us for slacking off first?"
Samantha sighed, setting her bag down. "Neither. I'll take a slice, but only if you two actually did something productive while I was in class."
"We did," Matthew interjected, grabbing her a plate. "You'll be impressed."
Samantha took the plate from him, her expression skeptical but curious. "You'd better hope so."
She took her seat at one of the dining chair, away from Saimon and Leo, and Matthew told her what they discussed in an oversimplified manner.
Samantha nodded along the recap of their discussion and she couldn't help but be impressed on how Matthew carried himself through the explanation. For one, she didn't expect that Matthew would know so much technicalities that an expert in the industry would only know. Not only that, she had read the papers that Matthew sent on the group chat yesterday and if she was being honest, she didn't understand a thing.
At one point during Matthew's explanation, Samantha was thinking that maybe this is the group that has a chance of passing the Capstone 1, and all of it would be a thanks to Matthew.
"So you are saying that Saimon, Leo, and you will be gathering materials already? I thought we were doing papers in Capstone 1, not the prototype."
"Well the paper that we are going to defend is already on the group chat. All we have to do is understand it well enough to answer the panel's questions."
Samantha raised an eyebrow, taking a slow sip of her milk tea. "And you're saying it's 'easy'? You do realize the panel isn't just looking for buzzwords and vague answers, right? They're going to dig deep."
"Exactly," Matthew replied, a grin tugging at his lips. "Which is why I've broken it down into manageable sections. We'll divide the key points among ourselves, so we each become the expert in one area of the paper. That way, no one has to memorize the entire thing."
Saimon, lounging back on the couch, looked skeptical. "Sounds great in theory, but let's not forget we're also supposed to build an actual prototype. Aren't we biting off more than we can chew here?"
"Not if we stick to the plan," Matthew countered smoothly. "The prototype isn't due until Capstone 2. Gathering materials now just gives us a head start. If we wait until the last minute, we'll be scrambling."
Leo nodded, leaning forward to grab another slice of pizza. "I mean, it makes sense. If we nail the defense and show we've already started working on the prototype, it'll probably impress the panel even more."
Samantha frowned thoughtfully. "Still, I'm not sure how this won't backfire. What if they think we're overextending ourselves? They might question why we're focusing on building instead of just perfecting the proposal."
Matthew shrugged, his tone calm but assured. "Then we show them we're capable of handling both. Look, Samantha, the proposal is solid—it's based on real-world data, and it's feasible. The prototype will prove we're serious about making this happen. And we don't even need to mention the actual building process during the defense unless they ask."
She had to admit, Matthew's confidence was infectious, and the way he laid everything out made sense. He wasn't just throwing ideas around—he had a strategy.
"So," Matthew continued, looking directly at her, "are you with us on this? We can handle the material sourcing and prep work. Your focus can be making sure the paper is airtight. You're the one who can spot weaknesses in the arguments and fix them."
Samantha studied him for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. "Alright. I'll make sure the paper's ready. But you better not slack off on your end. If I find out you're wasting time instead of prepping for the defense—"
"Relax, Miss Sergeant," Matthew interrupted with a chuckle. "We've got this."
Leo raised his milk tea in a mock toast. "Here's to not screwing up."
Saimon snorted. "And to Matthew, our fearless leader who somehow knows how to make a car."
Matthew rolled his eyes but smiled, lifting his own cup. "To teamwork. Now let's get back to work. The panel's not going to wait for us to be ready."