Later that week, Nicole, Elly, and Jen sat around the conference table, putting the final touches on their proposal and budget for the Costa Verde Hotel—a project they'd been working on for months.
Nicole flipped through a few pages of her notes, pausing before speaking. "I've considered your suggestions about minimizing the noise distractions from the parties and team-building events at the hotel. And the environmental impact on the fishing port nearby. Here are a few options we could propose:"
Jen leaned forward, eyes scanning Nicole's notes.
"Sounds promising," she said, relief washing over her. "This could actually work. We can present this to James."
Nicole nodded, still unsure about Jen's approval, but clearly relieved to hear it.
Jen's eyes sparkled with an idea. "You know what? I think we should head over there in person. A face-to-face with him might get us a faster response."
Nicole glanced at her, intrigued. "Yah, we can go together."
Elly's voice, a bit sharper than usual, cut through the conversation. "No. Absolutely not. You two can't go alone. "I'll come with you, and I'll...bring Marcus. My brother knows more about these than anyone. He'll help us figure out."
Jen caught the tone in Elly's voice, arching a brow and giving Elly an intrigued look. Interesting. It wasn't hard to guess that Elly's wariness of the Manager wasn't without reason.
Nicole, unfazed but amused by Elly's reaction, shrugged. "Okay then. We can roll with that."
Elly dialed Marcus, and when he entered the room, a quick exchange of words followed. "Marcus, you're driving. You'll take Nicole. Jen, you're with me."
Nicole and Marcus exchanged brief, knowing glances, a bit of tension hanging in the air as they prepared to leave. "Let's go," Nicole said, trying to sound casual, though she couldn't help but wonder what the day might bring.
When they arrived at the Costa Verde Hotel, Emilio greeted them with a warm smile and escorted them to James.
James was already waiting for them, his expression lighting up when he saw the group enter, but his gaze lingered just a bit longer on Jen. "Welcome! It's great to see you all," he said, a hint of something extra in his tone when he addressed Jen.
Elly, not missing a beat, cut through the moment with a pointed smile. "Okay, let's get started with the meeting"
James quickly recovered, gesturing toward the conference room. "Right, of course. Follow me."
As Nicole began presenting their proposal on the projector, James made several comments, nodding and throwing in a few compliments. His focus, however, was clearly directed at Jen.
"Impressive," he said with a smile, eyes glancing toward Jen, clearly trying to make an impression. Elly watched him closely, lips pressed together in an annoyed line.
Elly didn't miss a single one of James' gestures, or the way he seemed to linger around Jen.
Marcus, noticing the growing tension, offered a few suggestions of his own, his tone casual but thoughtful. When he turned to Elly for input, Elly nodded without hesitation. "Yes, I agree," Elly said, eyes narrowing slightly at James.
Then, unexpectedly, James made a suggestion that caught everyone off guard.
"What do you think about holding your company's team building here?" he asked, turning toward Jen with a friendly smile.
Jen considered it for a moment. "That actually sounds like a good idea," she replied, then turned to Elly for input. "Right, Elly?"
Elly's response was quick, but laced with just a hint of sarcasm. "Oh, yeah, I mean, we can try it," Elly said, giving James a pointed look.
James, undeterred, pressed on. "We have a lot of excellent rooms here, I could give you the best ones," he said, his eyes flicking toward Jen with a subtle, lingering glance. Elly's patience finally snapped.
"Can you accommodate 1,000 employees here?" Elly asked, voice sharp. The others froze, surprised by the sudden escalation.
Nicole, Marcus, and Jen exchanged glances, all three aware that Elly had exaggerated the number. Marcus couldn't help but grin a little. Ah, Elly's pissed, he thought to himself.
James raised an eyebrow, clearly thrown off by the unexpected number. "Well, I'd need to check on some additional spaces to accommodate that," he replied, a slight edge in his tone.
Elly, unfazed, nodded briskly. "Okay then. Let us know," cutting the tension in the room like a knife.
As they stepped out of the conference room, the momentary silence hung between them.
Jen's voice was low, careful. "You should've just ignored him," came the words, softer than usual.
Elly's response was quick, edged with irritation. "Ignore? Why? Don't tell me you're enjoying that."
Jen stopped in her tracks, back stiffening. "Excuse me? Do you think I'm that kind of person?" The words were sharp, anger flaring in an instant. Without waiting for a reply, Jen walked ahead, the tension thick in the air.
Standing still, jaw clenched, eyes followed Jen's retreating figure. A part of Elly wanted to call out, to explain, but something held Elly back. Not now. Not yet.