CHAPTER 96
A Sudden Plot Twist!
Elena
The next morning rolled by quickly as my alarm did the honors of waking me up with a loud shrill.
Today was quite an important day for both of us as we're meeting up with a movie production company.
The goal is to ensure that they partner with us in a collaboration for the theme park.
Since they're a well-sought-after production company, it'll take a lot to sway them on our side, but I'm prepared.
Cornell wasn't just bringing me to the meetings because I looked pretty but also because I could contribute to the conversation.
Today, I had my notes and was prepared with points that would win them over.
Three knocks on my door arrived just when I was slipping my feet into a pair of heels.
Instead of a power suit, I went for a simple dress and heels to complement Cornell's outfit.
"I'm coming!" I called out, picking up my clutch purse and phone on my way to the front door, swinging it open a few seconds later. "Hi!"
Cornell did a quick once-over, his eyes glittering with delight when he saw me. "Wow, you look amazing. Are you ready to go?"
"As ready as I'll ever be!" I replied, sliding my hands into his arm, and together we walked toward the car.
The restaurant we were meeting at was thirty minutes away, so we used that time to prep and go over things to discuss at the meeting, so we were in unison.
When we arrived at the restaurant, Cornell went first, placing a hand on my lower back to guide me.
"Excuse me, we're here for a meeting." He spoke to the manager by the door, holding a tablet to scan guests in. "We have a reservation under the name 'Grey'."
We waited a few seconds for her to confirm and then she waved us inside, instructing a hostess to show us to our table.
Unfortunately, our guests were already waiting for us, bored looks on their faces.
"Oh, hello! Sorry, we're late…nasty traffic on I-25." Cornell burst out with a wide smile that instantly caught the attention of the younger lady. "My name's Cornell Grey, we spoke on the phone…"
"And I'm Susie Delgado and this is my colleague, Anita Perkins." The older lady with a stern look shook hands with Cornell as we sat down, pointing to the blonde by her side.
"And this is Elena Parker." Cornell introduced me and promptly got down to business. "I understand that you got our proposal…what did you think of it?"
I held my breath while I waited for Susie to respond.
"Cornell…can I call you Cornell?" She politely asked, waiting for his permission before she went ahead. "Look, I'm not going to lie to you. Your proposal was amazing, but our team went over the budget, and honestly, that kinda sum is pretty big for a-a-a…"
"A theme park." Her colleague, Anita helpfully supplied.
Unfortunately for them, Cornell came prepared with a comeback. "I understand your concerns, and when we did a budget review, I realized that we might have gone a bit overboard, but I assure you that every item on the budget is accounted for and necessary. Remember this is for charity work, designed to put smiles on innocent kids' faces, which is why my company will be taking off 30% from the quota."
They were surprised at that, Cornell having swept the rug from underneath their feet.
"Well, that's wonderful!" Susie responded flatly.
It is! Are there any other concerns you want to raise?" Cornell asked with a smile.
They replied in the affirmative, and for the next 30 minutes, we went back and forth over trivial issues, which Cornell and I managed to nip in the bud until they had nothing else to say but to give in and join in on the collaboration.
"I have to say I was a little skeptical about how this meeting would go, but your reputation precedes you…" Susie noted just as we got up from the table. "You're dogged and passionate about your craft, two qualities of a good leader."
Cornell nearly swooned at the compliment, his cheeks turning rosy when Susie took him to the side and started to converse with him.
Slowly, we walked out of the restaurant and towards the sidewalk.
I veered towards the cars, focused on Cornell and Susie.
It seemed like it was a done deal, and I was really excited that we could seal this deal.
Unfortunately, in my excitement, I didn't look at where I was going, and my heel caught in between the cracks in the pavement, and I veered to the left.
It was a very surreal moment as I slowly fell towards the road and next to an oncoming car.
So many thoughts flashed through my mind then and briefly I wondered if this was how I would go out…
Died because of a broken heel…
Except none of that came to reality because barely a second later, I was snatched up by big, strong hands and pushed towards the sidewalk.
But then, I heard the most devastating thing in my life.
"Oh, no!" Susie cried out in shock as I twisted my head and saw the approaching car slam into Cornell's body with a sickening crunch, sending him flying across the road.
Bloody hell… what just happened?!