A Journey from Bitterness to Truth

At that very moment, Yvan was smirking at Matilda, a chill–inducing grin plastered on his face. He watched her for a long time before speaking in a haunting tone, “Is this really how your company greets its clients?”

Matilda felt insulted but clenched her fists to contain her anger. She approached Yvan and poured him a cup of coffee. As he eyed her porcelain neck, his gaze deepened.

“Instant coffee?” He scoffed, “Is the studio so strapped for cash?”

Unable to tolerate Yvan’s contempt, Matilda snapped, “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to drink it!”

“Is that the attitude to have when you’re asking for help?” Yvan’s smirk took on a vicious edge. “If you can’t even stomach this, Matilda, you might be better off fending for yourself.”

His words implied she was unfit for her job.

Matilda’s fingers trembled as she gripped the documents. It took all her willpower not to turn on her heel and leave. Instead, she pushed the papers towards him. “Mr. Boyd, here’s our pre–market launch plan. The studio could really use some seed money. I was hoping to see if you might be interested…”

Yvan said nothing..

It was Carl who took the documents and reviewed them before Yvan. After a brief glance, Yvan lifted his head to continue his scrutiny of a tense Matilda. “Sit down. I didn’t say no. Why put on such an act?”

Fighting the sting in her heart, Matilda sat and once more explained the studio’s immediate needs. Then, she looked at Yvan with expectation. “I wonder what you think, Mr. Boyd…”

“Give me a week to decide. I need a clear game concept and audience demographics,” Yvan said, pinpointing the flaws in the report. “If it’s only aimed at girls aged 12-25, you’ll lose a much larger audience. If possible, I’d like to see some changes in the plan to broaden the target demographic.”

His stern and composed demeanor momentarily took Matilda aback, reminding her of the time five years ago when she had secretly watched Yvan conduct a video conference. Back then, he was as decisive and unemotional as he was now.

10:05 F

Quickly regaining her composure, Matilda took back the documents. “We’ll revise our proposal based on your feedback and hope, Mr. Boyd…”

“Funding?” Yvan looked at Matilda with a meaningful smile. “This romance game of yours needs to hit the market. How much funding do you already have?”

Matilda pursed her lips. She was new to the team and only knew that Declan had invested in the project, but she had yet to fully grasp the details.

“It seems you’re not quite on top of your job. Let’s talk again once you’ve figured it out. As for investing, I’d like to see the revised pitch first.” Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

Yvan stood up quickly, his business persona as cold and authoritative as ever, leaving no room for rebuttal.

Matilda watched Yvan leave, stunned that she hadn’t managed to secure the client and instead received a scolding.

She called out to him, “Yvan!”

Yvan paused, seemingly surprised that she would call out to him. As he turned, his eyes showed a flicker of astonishment. “Is there something else?”

He was trying hard to maintain a calm voice.

“If you’re making things difficult for the studio because of me, then please drop this petty act!”

Matilda’s words struck a nerve, and Yvan’s laughter was cold; his handsome face was somehow even more striking in his anger. “If you think so highly of yourself, then maybe you shouldn’t bother coming to me for investment!”