Chapter 4

Today was the pitch review that would decide everything.

At the head of the boardroom table sat the two ultimate heavyweights of the company.

Simon, the Chief Creative Officer, famous across the industry as a razor-tongued tyrant who tore mediocre work to shreds.

Gordon, the Executive Vice President of Accounts, a ruthless corporate shark who cared strictly about profit margins.

Pitch decks were presented one by one until only mine and Chloe’s remained.

Richard cut in smoothly, "Let's review Chloe’s deck first."

Chloe had put on a brand-new, impeccably tailored white pantsuit today, looking crisp, sharp, and totally professional.

She glided up to the podium radiating supreme confidence.

"Good morning, gentlemen. Today, I'm thrilled to present my Valentine’s capsule collection—Starry Moon."

The projector screen flared to life.

A breathtaking cosmic river flowed across the canvas, sapphires and diamonds intertwining in a breathtaking, ethereal design.

The icy, avant-garde elegance instantly gripped every eye in the room.

Even the notoriously harsh Simon, who had spent the morning half-slumped in his chair, suddenly sat bolt upright.

He leaned forward, hands clasped tightly under his chin, eyes glued to the display.

"That composition... and the lighting balance..."

"Fascinating. Miles ahead of the lifeless garbage I usually have to sit through."

Gordon, knowing gold when he saw it, slapped his hand against his knee with excitement.

"Brilliant! That’s the spark we’ve been hunting for!"

"This is going to blow up on social media. Immense market potential."

Simon nodded decisively, rendering his verdict on the spot.

"This collection is our Valentine’s flagship campaign."

He turned to Gordon, urgency lacing his tone.

"Gordon, get legal on the line right now to register the IP."

"Don't wait a single minute. I don't want any competitors getting wind of this."

Standing at the front of the room, Chloe’s cheeks flushed a triumphant pink, her voice shaking with excitement.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Simon, Mr. Gordon! I won’t let you down!"

Seeing his protégé validated, Richard piped up with smug pride.

"Didn’t I say Chloe had raw talent? She definitely exceeded expectations today."

Thunderous applause broke out across the boardroom as everyone showered Chloe with envious praise.

Only I sat silently in the dim shadows of the far corner, watching the entire spectacle with cool detachment.

Richard waved his hand dismissively.

"Alright, since the decision is made, we still have to wrap up the formalities."

"Claire, step up."

A few snickers broke out in the room.

Without showing a single emotion, I stood up and walked up to the projector console.

Unrushed, I navigated into my directory, clicked the file titled Starry_Moon_Final_Deck, and clicked "Open."

Chatter still hummed throughout the boardroom; nobody gave a damn about the pitch of someone who had already lost.

Until the screen refreshed.

The noisy room went dead silent in an instant, as if someone had slammed on the master mute switch.

A suffocating, eerie hush descended.

On the giant projector screen, the exact same image appeared.

The glittering galaxy, the interwoven sapphires and diamonds.

Even the tiny, accidental stray sketch line in the upper right corner—

The angle, the color profile, the placement—identical down to the last pixel!

It was carbon-copied from the deck Chloe had just shown!