Tuesday morning arrived with the usual rush of activity at King's Architectural Firm.
Aurora had been in her office for some time, reviewing the Ravencrest Holdings documents that lay neatly arranged across her desk. The project had officially been signed, and now the real work could begin.
But there was one person she still had to meet.
Mr Voss.
She glanced at the clock. It was currently 9:42 a.m., and her meeting with Mr Voss was scheduled for ten.
Aurora closed the folder and reached for her coffee. She hadn't heard much about Mr Voss until Adrian mentioned him. Since today was the first time she was going to meet him, Aurora wasn't sure what to expect.
She had dealt with demanding clients before, so she wasn't particularly worried.
Still, she was curious.
At exactly 10:00 a.m., there was a knock on her door.
Aurora looked up. "Come in."
Amaya opened the door. "Mr Voss is here."
Aurora nodded. "Send him in."
With that, Amaya stepped aside.
A moment later, a man walked into the office.
He was dressed in a dark, perfectly tailored suit. His appearance was composed, and there was something naturally authoritative about the way he carried himself without seeming like he was trying to prove anything.
"Ms King," he acknowledged as he walked in.
"Mr Voss," Aurora replied, extending her hand for a handshake.
He accepted it. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Likewise."
Aurora gestured towards the chair opposite her. "Please, have a seat."
He sat down, placing a folder on the table.
Aurora took her seat as well.
For a moment, they simply looked at each other.
Then Mr Voss opened the folder.
"I've reviewed the Ravencrest agreement."
"So have I."
"I assumed you had."
Aurora raised an eyebrow.
"That sounded almost like a compliment. Or was it not?"
"Which would you prefer?" he posed back, his expression unreadable.
She smiled. "I'll take it as a compliment."
"Hm... okay." He shrugged before simply turning another page and moving on.
"I have several questions regarding the project."
Aurora leaned back. "Sure, go ahead."
He pointed towards the proposed timeline.
"The completion date."
"What about it?"
"I believe it can be shortened."
Aurora looked at the figures. "No."
Mr Voss looked up. "You've already decided?"
"I have."
"Without considering the possibility?"
"I considered it when I created the timeline."
He studied her for a moment. "Care to explain?"
Aurora pulled the plans towards her. "If we shorten the timeline without changing the structure of the project, we'll either increase the workforce or compromise certain stages of construction."
"And if we increase the workforce?"
"We increase coordination problems."
"What if we increase the management team?"
"We increase the budget."
"The budget isn't an issue."
Aurora looked at him. " I don't care how much money you're willing to offer, quality my topmost priority."
Mr Voss said nothing.
Aurora continued. "The timeline was created to give every stage enough time. If you want the project completed earlier, there are ways to do it. But simply adding more people won't solve the problem."
She turned the laptop towards him and showed him the schedule. "We could overlap certain stages. That would save time without putting unnecessary pressure on the construction team."
Mr Voss studied the plan. "How much time?"
"Approximately three weeks."
"And the additional cost?"
"Minimal compared to what we'd spend if we increased the workforce unnecessarily."
He nodded slowly.b"That would work."
Aurora smiled. "I know."
His eyes returned to hers. "You're very confident, you know."
"I'm usually prepared."
"That's not what I said."
"I know."
For a moment, the room was quiet.
Then Mr Voss turned another page. "I'd also like to review the design at every major stage."
Aurora frowned slightly.
"You want to approve every stage?"
"Yes. Just because I applauded your confidence doesn't mean I'll leave such an important project entirely in your hands without checking." He said, a smug smile appearing on his face.
"Hmph." Aurora squinted at him.
"Hmph?" He stared back at her.
Aurora leaned back.
"I guess you're going to be very involved."
"I am."
"That could make things complicated."
"Only if we allow it to."
She smiled faintly. "You really don't make things easy, do you?"
"I prefer thoroughness."
"I prefer efficiency."
"Perhaps we'll have to find a balance. Perhaps not."
Aurora couldn't help smiling.
"That might be the first reasonable thing you've said."
Mr Voss gave her a brief look of amusement.
"Don't get used to me being nice. I'm trying to keep a clean record here."
Aurora raised an eyebrow. "We'll see."
Their meeting continued for another hour.
They discussed materials, structural changes, costs and the overall direction of the project.
After a long discussion, Mr. Voss eventually closed the folder.
"I think we've covered enough for today."
Aurora nodded. "Agreed."
He stood up. "So we'll proceed with your original timeline, with the adjustments you suggested."
"Good."
"I'll have my team send you the information you requested."
"I'll look out for it."
He extended his hand. "I look forward to working with you, Ms King."
Aurora shook it. "So do I."
Mr. Voss turned towards the door and gave a small nod before leaving.
After watching him leave and the door close behind him, Aurora slowly returned to her chair.
"He's definitely going to be difficult."
She paused.
Then smiled.
"But at least he's reasonable."
For the first time, Aurora wondered what the next few months of working with Mr Voss would be like.
Something told her there was a lot to come.