Everyone in the room was tense and nervous as the members of team A went on to present bits and pieces of their work in front. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqpMXxcUgp
Handing single copies of their ideas in draft form only to Solomon as they weren't given any proper preparation whatsoever for this sudden meeting. The heads were confused as well, Solomon was supposed to be in a meeting with them after, not together with team A. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbntiZ60EI
Cider continued to chip in on areas where there weren't any visual aids to back up what his team was saying. Solomon kept an attentive exterior all throughout, not minding the chief's words earlier.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtJI0KUSvf
Umm, excuse me sir but the meeting is 2 hours later.
Oh really? my secretary must have placed a typo in my sched somewhere. I'm here earlier than expected anyway why don't I just listen to what this team has to offer?
The chief executive, too polite and shocked to answer to this, merely cleared his throat. The heads decided to dissolve the team and assign each member to another project, with Cider continuing to lead the new team on. The new one would supposedly would consists of the best on each team they have out there, with the ones not being chosen to fill up the seats they would leave empty behind. That was the original plan. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfXMHBcetY
They would not risk losing face to one of their largest clients. Even if they have to knock down and rearrange the whole system, which they have done before, just to focus on this particular project. But now that the client himself seems to be getting in the way of what they have been used to, all of them are feeling lost and nervous. Unlike the other founder of B. Dreamer, Solomon was much more harder to predict, that single fact makes him a challenge to impress.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzF0iJTObP9
"And that's about where we are, Sir." One of the member says, a baby faced woman who wore tacky casual clothing. They noticed the tiniest frown on his lip. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡop99LH2eby
He was thinking about the clothes that would make her more pretty. Her eyes too gave away the potential. Her work must surely be in the way to groom herself to his taste.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SEAW8f3p8
"Not bad to be honest." The words finally came out of his lips. The members hearts throbbed in their chest. Solomon looked at the drafts one by one, takes out a few pages then turns them back for the heads to see. Cider glanced at the woman with tacky clothes.
"These are good. I like them." He smiled.
"But this one is more original." He took one page from the group and held in in front of him.
"Sunytry has been made to connect with kids from ages 12-19. Hmm, among the rest this one resonates to what we have in mind about how it should come out as to our target market. Trends that come along that really hooks for long with kids their age are quite tricky to get a hold of. It must have been easier work if things were the same as before, right?"
The heads immediately nodded in response at what he said. Cider was starting to get the hint of what this man was up to.
"You know like Coca-Cola ads kind of feel. Ah, wait. that's not it, kind of format I mean."
"I'm so sorry for this unprepared presentation, we were just about to have another team to do the project-"
"No, no it was me who came barging in. It's not your fault." He grabbed the paper works he had brought with him earlier then inserted them in his leather briefcase. "Mr. Cider, I'm sorry for barging in. I hope to work with you once again."
He ended the meeting with handshakes from the heads and the members of team A before leaving the room. Everyone gave out a sigh of relief.
Maaan that was intense!
I'm gonna get a drink
Hey, are you ok?
He may be a high ranking offer but he can't just do this to us!
Do you think he really liked this proposal?
"No." A few eyes went on to Cider.
"What do you mean?"
"He was never interested in any of the proposals in the first place. It might be possible that he is planning something else behind this project."
The chief executive looked at the members to team A.
"Please get out of this room, we have more to discuss."
When the members went out, still feeling unscathed from the feeling of being dissolved, the chief dragged the curtains close from the prying eyes outside.
"Explain yourself." The head of sales said.
"Ah. Uhm. It was just a feeling but when I was just an intern I got to intensively study B. Dreamers take on their products. At that time Dentsu and Lucy was popular wasn't it? and it was under the supervision of Solomon as well. He wasn't really interested in the proposals we presented, and I think there was a reason behind he was earlier," he looks at the chief, "than scheduled."
"Hellooooo, Juna? Yeah, I got in. You could have seen their faces. Yeah. Thanks for the tip. No. It was trashy as I thought. Though I admit they were more creative than expected. No, I don't think I would take it. Really? Now, I'll seriously think about it. Thanks. See you." he pressed the pressed the red button on the screen when another call flashed on the screen of his phone.
RAIDEN
Samuel looked around him once more. Turning around seeing nothing but what he saw earlier on, the rain continued to pour down, the vehicles in the road beside him continued to pass by, their head lights forming a blurry straight line before disappearing. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCm200Ku52V
There were no more people on his lane though. As expected when the rain has gotten this much stronger. He already did three sets of long running yet, he still couldn't reach the end of the bridge that was bothering him, if the other were able to get out of the bridge why couldn't he?323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi58WKkmKiY
He looked at the railings where under him the black lake gushed in anger. The wind dragging it along. That option was crossed out in his mind. His didn't care anymore that he was all soaking wet, including his phone. He slowly walked towards the road. He can vividly see the cars, can feel the wind as they passed by, but he couldn't clearly see the faces inside.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LWeQG98W4
Only shadows, silhouettes. He tried calling out to them, waving both of his arms to get their attention. He waved his shirt on the side of the road, surely that would distract them. He screamed at the top of his lungs.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEBK8XXmyj
No one noticed him.
They didn't seem to even know he was in there. A heavy feeling was forming at the pit of his stomach.
This got to be a joke right?
Samuel couldn't understand why this was happening to him. Thinking in a rational way didn't get him anywhere. Didn't come close to a hint.
Fuck it.
Samuel ran his hands over his jeans. He cursed under his breath, tugged at his hair then stood up straight.
First step, second step, third, fourth and so on. His pace getting faster. He bit his lip as he got nearer to the sidewalk. He didn't look at his sides before crossing the road. He froze.
Wha-
Just before his eyes, he passed through one of the cars. His shock made time moved so slow as the truth hit him hard. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYW2oM7exs
His body didn't seem to be solid as the whole semi-metal object absorbed his whole being. He came face to face with a sleeping girl in the front seat. She was just around his waist before moving on to another younger boy in the back seat. The boy's body language tells he was talking to someone, the one who was behind him. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5MzxBG8fr
Like before, Samuel couldn't see his face nor his expression. All of these people were shadows. The boy's voice sounded distant and muffled like how it would if he was completely underwater. 323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1s6R630bT
The sensations where his body touched with the car felt like touching a cold steel. Different from the being showered in the rain.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Bx80Uedc9
Samuel walked back into the sidewalk, in a daze. Unsure of what to feel. There was no point in deny the fact that had just happened. He knows what might be the cause. But it was too sudden. His thoughts were punched hard in the ribs, knocking it's air out, and collapsing in shock rather than on the impact.
He couldn't feel any panic, worry or even sadness. He turned around once again to look at the busy road behind him. The unusually empty sidewalks and the constant never ending rain.
Under a black umbrella, a distance away from a swelling crowd, a tall guy wearing a casual and fashionable set of clothes looked onward to the sprinting of some curious people.
A reddish glimmer caught a middle aged woman attention to his direction. The glimmer came again a few seconds later. Now finding the source of the glimmer, the woman stared long in focus around the guy's ears.
Feeling someone looking at him, the guy caught the woman staring at him. Wanting to get some information on the ruckus, the guy approached the woman in long strides. The rain has slowed down into a fine shower. Most of them didn't bother getting a bit wet anymore as she does. She felt a little panic stir in her chest when the tall and handsome? young man came beside her.
"Excuse me," He said in his deep but gentle voice. "Do you perhaps know what's going on?"
The woman flushed when he came closer to her. He was indeed as handsome and exotic looking as those models in billboards and magazines she browses at the salon. Feeling guilty at being caught staring at him (he might get the wrong idea really, it was his chain cuff earring that caught her eye) she took a few moments to compose herself. Pretending like something was on her mind.
"I heard there was a terrible traffic accident at the bridge." she answered as confidently as she could.
"Really?" The young man said, his features wrinkling. He looked at the erratic body language of the people closer to the bridge.
My God, I might have a heart attack,323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwojeiVuf91
The woman thought to herself as she looked at his face. It doing mere expressions only made him more unrealistic, from another side of reality she could only look from afar. Whatever the case, she has to make the most of this little special interaction in her life. She wonders if he's an actor or something.
"About 5 vehicles were jammed together. A slip in the road, they say. There were people using the sidewalk as well. " She explained. The young man looked beyond at the bridge. His brows furrowed.
"Do you live around here?" She asked meekly. The side of his face had the most ideal proportions, his prominent jaw, neck, lips, those decorated ears.....
The young man suddenly faced her again, snapping her from her thoughts, and smiled soulfully. He nodded at her in polite dismissal before he walked away in his long strides.
The woman stared at his figure until she could no longer see him from the crowd and darkness. Three more ambulances arrived at the scene basking the area with their flashing lights and making residents wonder.
Picking his phone from his pocket, Raiden immediately typed down his house number. Several rings, no answer. He tried calling his brother's phone, no answer either.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytXUZZJdUK
Where is he?
He gave up in the fourth attempt at calling his brother just when he took an elevator to their floor. He kept his head low, ruffled his styled hair and took out his accessories. He sighed. He was drained from his time in the library with his group mates. He thought it would be a little of a refresher to agree to Sibyll's call to model for her last final project.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUHP0eKKHP
He got away with a few hours from having his nose directed to his laptop and books in study to having him being gawked at by many people.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7z4lBVtvzc
He leaned his head to the wall of the elevator and relaxed his stiff body.
Images of the bridge flashed in his mind. Up turned cars and crushed machines made his skin cold despite his warm clothing. He couldn't stop wondering what his brother might be doing at the moment.
He opened his condo unit's door and found the lights on in the kitchen. He could faintly hear a soft buzzing sound somewhere.
"Samuel?" He called out. No one answered. Raiden called his name several times more while roaming the rooms until he got to their mother's. The room was dark but the air didn't smell stagnant as it used to. He could smell her distinct perfume and of some expensive lotions hanging in the air. He turned the bed side lamp on and flipped the blanket. His mother was fast asleep with fatigue under her eyes. She looked so peaceful in her position that he was hesitant to wake her up.
His right hand still held his phone calling Samuel's number. He rummaged his head in frustration.
A heavy feeling was pooling inside him. He went out of his mother's room and took a glimpse of the bridge in their balcony. The whole area was packed. A lot of ambulances and fire trucks were already there. Telling Raiden that a lot of people must be injured in the accident. He checked out his contacts in that instant. Trying to remember if he had saved any number of Samuel's friends.
When he found Dickson's number, he didn't think twice of calling him.
Unfortunately, it was an old number and was no longer in use.
Raiden paced a few seconds in their living room. Ransacking his head to wherever his brother might have gone to at this time. He felt terrible that he couldn't really tell where his go-to spots would be. It's not like Samuel still goes to the playground to hang around, again whose child would be playing in that place at this time of the night? He could have gone out before the heavy rain pour. Or he could have during it.
Raiden was already feeling himself panic.
He decided to wake his mother up, maybe she would know where he would be. Just a few steps from her door, his phone rang.
It read:
Samuel
A splash of relief eased his nerves.
"Samuel! where have-" He started but the voice in the other line didn't belong to his brother. There were sounds of sirens in the background and muffled voices.
"Hello?" A strangers voice said, quite unsure in it's tone. "Hello! can you hear me?!" it said, trying to get his voice get pass by the noise behind the line.323Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXM3bpiCU6Q
"Yes..," Raiden said. "Hello? Who is this? Where's my brother?"
"Oh, thank God! Are you this person's brother? Sir, I am so sorry to say this suddenly, but your brother has been in an accident."
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