Chapter 3

He checked the blueprints, measured the dimensions over and over again.

Then he looked up the washing machine specs, and went completely silent.

After a long pause, he finally asked me.

"How do you know all this so well?"

I didn't bother hiding my calculating smile.

"Because I want this project. I know the exact deviation of every single unit you've got here."

He studied me for a moment, something shifting behind his eyes.

"Kid, you've got grit. Reminds me of myself when I was your age."

It wasn't until later that I learned he was Herbert Delgado's uncle.

Three days later, I walked into a meeting with Delgado himself, carrying a thick stack of proposals.

He glanced at the first page and shook his head.

"Pinnacle doesn't have a Senior Designer on staff. You're not qualified."

The words hit me like a bucket of ice water, cold straight through to the bone.

But I wasn't ready to give up. I pulled out the certificates for my two national design awards.

"Mr. Delgado, I've already applied for my Senior certification. I meet all the requirements. It's just that the Housing Authority's approval process has been slow."

He looked at the two awards. The dismissiveness in his eyes faded, degree by degree.

"I've seen both of these winning designs. At the time, I remember thinking the designer had a remarkably intuitive sense of space. So that was you."

Only then did he start going through my proposals carefully, his expression growing more focused with every page.

"You did over a dozen variations for a single floor plan? Each one in a different style. You've got something going on up here." He tapped his temple.

My heart was racing, but I kept my face composed.

He nodded. "Leave these with me. If I have questions, we'll talk."

That day, he added me on WhatsApp. His initiative, not mine.

On my way out, his assistant Alfred Chavez said, "Forty-four firms sent representatives. You're the first one he's given his personal contact to."

I rushed back to the office, buzzing with excitement, and reported everything to Edmund.

No excitement. No praise.

He didn't even look up.

"You want to waste your time chasing pipe dreams, that's your business. I'm not going to the boss with some half-baked lead and getting chewed out for it."

But the moment the project was locked in, he was the first one in Mr. Donaldson's office to claim credit.

"Mr. Donaldson, the Cloudridge project came through because I led the team and ground out every last detail."

One sentence. A full year of my sweat and sleepless nights, reduced to a stepping stone under his feet.

I selected the files, compressed them, and uploaded everything to my personal cloud.

Then I deleted them. Permanently.

I packaged up the basic Cloudridge documents and sent them to Kenneth.

Ten minutes later, Kenneth came storming out of the director's office and marched straight to my desk.

"Ronnie, why is there no building orientation data in these files? Where's the solar analysis? The ventilation simulation models?"

"No idea."

"No idea?"

Kenneth's brows twisted into a knot.

"You practically lived on that construction site. How can you not know? What the hell were you even doing out there?"

I let my gaze sweep across the office, slow and deliberate.

"They told me I was just there for show. So that's what I did."

Every pair of eyes that met mine dropped instantly, heads ducking behind monitors, suddenly very busy.

Kenneth faltered, his expression flickering with unease.

"And the design drawings? You didn't include a single one. Send them to me. Now."

I leaned back in my chair, watching him with an unhurried gaze.

"No."

"No?"

His temper was slipping.

"On what grounds? That's a company project!"

I kept my voice even, measured. "You all voted me off the team. Those designs are my personal work. Why would I hand them to you?"

He was practically snarling now. "Your personal work? Without this company, your designs are nothing but scrap paper!"

I nodded. "Sure. Then go design your own. Stop asking me for scrap paper."

"What kind of attitude is—"

"Kenneth." Edmund pushed open his office door. "Send him in. You go contact the Cloudridge people."