The conference room was spacious, sleek, and intimidatingly modern. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city, the afternoon sun casting long shadows across the glossy table where the key executives sat.
A large screen was set up at the front of the room, displaying the waiting investors from Singapore.
Stefan sat at the head of the table, his presence commanding as ever. His fingers rested lightly on the armrest of his chair, his posture relaxed but alert.
Ruby sat beside him, keeping her expression neutral despite the nervous energy simmering beneath the surface.
She hadn't expected to be involved in actual business discussions today. But now, here she was, seated beside Stefan as though she belonged there. And in a way, she did. She was his wife, after all.
The meeting started smoothly enough. Oliver led the introductions, and the investors, a group of three men and one woman, exchanged pleasantries with Stefan.
"Mr. Winters, we appreciate you taking the time to meet with us despite your recent nuptials," said Mr. Lau, the senior representative.
"Business doesn't wait," Stefan replied smoothly. "Let's get to it."
The investors launched into their concerns. Market volatility, projected returns, and hesitation over the expansion plans. Stefan countered each point with calculated precision, his voice steady and authoritative.
Ruby watched in admiration. He might be blind, but he was in complete control, responding to data and figures as if he could see them laid out in front of him.
But then, a subtle shift occurred when one of the investors, Mr. Cheng, leaned forward, his voice skeptical. "Mr. Winters, these numbers look promising on paper, but without visual confirmation of the latest projections, we have to question how much oversight you truly have on this deal."
A cold silence fell over the room as all eyes turned to Stefan.
Ruby's heart clenched as she saw the trap for what it was. It wasn't just a question—it was a challenge. A test of Stefan's capabilities.
She glanced at him. His jaw was set, his fingers curling slightly on the table and for the first time since the meeting started, hesitation flickered across his face.
He couldn't see the reports. Couldn't skim through the numbers to confirm them in real time like the others and the investors knew it.
'They're doubting him. They think his blindness is a weakness,' She said to herself.
The room felt suffocatingly still, waiting for his response. Ruby looked at him and her heart ached for him. No matter what, she was his wife and she wouldn't let him face such humiliation from these investors or let his sight be the reason he couldn't pull through the deal.
She'd promised him that she'd be his sight, she reminded herself and before she could second-guess herself, she found herself acting the part.
With a calm, practiced ease, she leaned forward, her voice poised and confident.
"Mr. Cheng, I believe the latest projections you're referring to are in section three of the report. If you look closely, you'll see that the estimated growth percentage accounts for the market fluctuations you're concerned about," she said as she turned slightly toward Stefan, and subtly tapping twice on the table to guide him.
"As Stefan already outlined earlier," she continued, "the company's revised strategy has accounted for these risks. And based on the latest fiscal analysis,"—she quickly skimmed the numbers on the report before locking eyes with the investors on the screen—"we're still looking at a projected 15% increase in returns within the first quarter post-expansion," she finished and there was a beat of silence.
Mr. Cheng frowned, flipping through the documents in front of him. Then, after a long pause, he nodded slowly. "I see. Those projections are… reasonable."
Ruby held back a relieved sigh, not wanting anyone in the room to sense how nervous she had been.
Stefan's lips quirked slightly, almost imperceptibly, but she caught it.
'He knows what I did,' she told herself.
The meeting ended on a successful note, with the investors appeased and agreements solidified. As the call disconnected, a quiet murmur of approval spread through the conference room.
"That was well handled," Oliver commented, stealing a glance at Ruby before turning to Stefan. "The investors seem reassured."
Stefan merely nodded, his expression unreadable. But as he stood from his chair, his fingers brushing against the edge of the table to orient himself, his mind was elsewhere.
Something wasn't right.
From the moment she had spoken up, seamlessly referencing figures from the reports and handling the investors' doubts with sharp precision, a nagging feeling had taken root in his gut.
His Ivy had always supported him, but not like that.
She had never shown such a deep understanding of his business, let alone taken the lead in a meeting. Ivy preferred to stay in the background, trusting his abilities without inserting herself.
She didn't even give business advice or even gave opinions.
But today… today, she had known exactly what to say and how to go about it.
The subtle taps on the table to guide him, the way she had effortlessly provided the correct figures without hesitation—things Ivy had never done before.
The thought gnawed at him, an unsettling possibility he couldn't shake.
Had Ivy changed? Or was there something else going on? Could someone change so drastically? Was this person even his Ivy?
Though the voice was the same but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that this Ivy of his was probably someone else. If she was, why hasn't anyone said anything? Or were they covering up something?