SWNOVELS Chapter 113
As she had thought, Hudson stood tall and confident as he delivered his presentation. His commanding presence drew all eyes to him, and his expression was still aloof, which wasn't really a surprise.
What surprised her was that his baritone voice sounded nothing like she thought it would be. She always thought his tone would be domineering and cold, but instead, it was confident, deep, and soothing, as if he was trying to lull whoever was listening to agree with him.
Maybe that was why he was successful, Cherise thought. Furthermore, his business plan and proposal were nearly as great as hers.
But Cherise’s confidence didn't falter because she knew she and her team had worked hard on this project, just like any other projects she personally led.
She knew the Alster Group, being more influential, had more contacts in the business world than the Amery Group. Their plan and proposal should trump the Amery Group's as they could provide higher quality material at a lower cost.
Hudson answered any questions the representatives and CEO asked smoothly without faltering or thinking of it, and Cherise would too when it was her turn.
Once Hudson had finished and the company had all the answers they needed from him, they took a small break and Neil began setting up her presentation while she busied herself going over her speech although she had memorized every single word, in the hope Hudson would not come and tried to talk to her.Enjoy this chapter for free and stay updated with the latest version on Jo b nib.c om. Don’t miss out, visit it now. Just as she had anticipated, once Hudson saw how much she was concentrating on her notes, he tucked down his desire to talk to her. He knew the importance of concentrating before a presentation and wouldn't want to distract her by saying something that could make her angry and ruin her concentration.
There would always be another time to talk to her, he thought. Maybe after this whole affair had been sorted out, one of them would have signed the contract later.
When the break was over, and the representative asked Cherise to start her presentation, she walked toward the place Hudson had been standing before and began speaking while the layout of the mall they had designed was shown on the big screen.
Cherise talked with a commanding presence that matched his but with a drawl in her voice. One of her hands held a pointer to highlight each part she was talking about, while the other was tucked into her pants pocket.
If anyone else did what she was doing, it would seem like they were lazy and casual in giving the presentation, but strangely, it worked for Cherise.
It didn't affect her confidence; it added to it. Hudson's eyes moved around the room, finding everyone invested in her words and none looking bored. No one would have believed she had only briefly become a CEO.
Besides, when he looked at the layout of her design, he was sure he had already lost fifty percent of the chance of getting the tender. For the other fifty, he needed to wait to hear about the business proposal that included the price quotes.
Cherise and Neil also worked great together. When she pointed out a particular area with her laser pen, Neil would distribute the enlarged picture to everyone present in the room, including him and his team, who were basically their competitor, but they didn't seem to care about it.
After finishing the presentation about the mall in general, Cherise went to her proposal. When Hudson saw the names of her building materials suppliers, some of the best in the world, and the costs, which were cheaper than his proposal, Hudson smiled helplessly.
He knew then he had lost, but he wasn't the least bit unhappy about it. He was proud of her-of how she carried herself and presented the Alster Group's proposal.
He was right when he thought they could be a powerful couple if they were still married.
A thought popped into his mind. If only she had shown this side of hers when they were married...
No! He quickly shut that thought down. It wasn't her fault. It was his fault for never giving her a chance whenever she wanted to advise him, which happened more than once. It was his fault for thinking a country bumpkin would know nothing about business-related matters and labeling her as a gold digger.
During question time, the CEO asked her how she could get those prices from her suppliers, and her answer was simple-they were the Alster Group and had great connections with each company.
It should've come out cocky, but when she said it, it came out smooth and reassuring.
Since the CEO and shareholders had received their business plans and proposals, and this presentation meeting was just to ensure each company knew what it was doing, the result would be announced shortly.
The representatives talked to Hudson and Cherise while the CEO and shareholders discussed their opinions on the other side of the world.
An hour later, the Alster Group was chosen for the project, and a contract was drafted. Cherise and Hudson had come with their lawyers, so the contract was signed after both parties agreed on everything.
Everyone congratulated Cherise, and Hudson wasn't an exception. He moved toward Cherise and held out his hand for her to shake.
“Congratulations, Ms. Alster, I concede defeat,” he said sincerely.
Since Cherise didn’t want to make a scene, she shook his hand firmly and replied with a faint smile, “Thank you, Mr. Amery."
“Cherise, I"
Hudson wanted to ask her for dinner to celebrate her win, but Cherise stepped back and let his hand go.
The representatives took the opportunity to circle Hudson and apologize for not picking the Amery Group because, no matter what happened, they didn't want to have a fallout with him, either.
Hudson said he understood as he could see the Alster plan and proposal were better than his. He then excused himself after signaling to Miles to deal with those representatives so he could chase after Cherise.
When he reached the lobby, he saw Theodore Kingston opening his car door for Cherise, and she got into his car after smiling at him.
Still, Hudson tried to stop them, but the car had moved as he ran out of the building. He couldn't help but curse and lose his temper for a short while by kicking the rubbish bin next to him.
He felt frustrated. He felt himself panicking. If he didn’t do anything soon, Cherise would not even spare him a glance.
For the first time after he went to therapy, he felt like just ignoring everything his therapist had told him. Changing and becoming patient, respecting her decisions even if it meant he had to keep getting the stuff he sent her back or couldn't force her, didn’t bode well with him.
Miles came down and, seeing his boss’ stormy expression, quickly brought the car around. In his car, Hudson began to calm down. He had come this far. If he ignored his therapist's words, then all his efforts to change would be wasted, and he wouldn't want that. He was sure that as. long as he changed and Cherise saw it, she would at least forgive him, and that would be a great start.
“How did it go?” Theo asked her gently as he drove her to the new facility he had bought for their teams to develop the new virtual game.
“You know an Alster is unbeatable.” Cherise grinned and winked at him.
Theo laughed, saying, “Then this project would succeed with you as my partner”
“Never doubt it” Cherise winked again and asked him, “How's your sister? Has she taken any of the tests yet?”
“Yes, she has, and she passed all with flying colors,” Theo replied gently. “I have to thank you for it, Cherise. Not only did you help secure applications, but the information about each college you sent me was so thorough it made it easier for Erica to choose the college she wanted to attend.” “That was Neil's work, you know.” Cherise laughed. “You should thank him instead of me.”
“I should, shouldn't I?" Theo asked with his gentle eyes lighted up with something fun for once. “So, has she decided which college she wants to attend?” Cherise asked.
“Yes! Theo nodded. “The Symphony Sound Conservatory."
Cherise was surprised. “The music school?”
“She wants to be a pianist,’ Theo professed.
“That's a great college for it," Cherise affirmed. That was basically the number one music school in Country B and within the top five in the world.
“Cherise, Erica is coming here tomorrow,” Theo said and asked, “Would it be too much for me to ask you to pick her up with me at the airport and go to dinner afterward?”