Chapter 271 - 271 The End is Near

271 The End is Near

“I almost had a heart attack in there. The way he thought about it for so long gave me a bad feeling at first,” Jeremy told me as he were on our way back to our desks.

“I know exactly what you mean. Well, at least we got the pass otherwise the project would have been delayed,” I replied before I let out a loud sigh.

“Thank you, you two,” Julianna said from behind us.

“Oh…” I murmured as I turned around to face her.

“No need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, just thank Karina. After all, it was her brilliant idea that helped get us through that,” Jeremy replied before he started laughing.

It felt a little awkward for him to give me all the credit like that. Julianna looked at me before he lips broke out in a bright smile.

“Thank you, Karina. You’re doing well,” she said.

“Thanks…” I thanked her in a small voice.

I watched as she waved and turned to walk away from us. A warm feeling started budding in my chest and I realized soon after that I suddenly felt quite proud of myself and my achievements. We were so close to the key part of the competition already and that was the launch of the commercial. After that, the committee would decide on the winner. The other component that would play a large role would be the amount of donations that the commercial would be able to rake in.

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“What are you thinking about? You should be celebrating and not frowning,” Jeremy said as he peered close to my face.

That was when I realized that I had been frowning while I was thinking about the next phase of the competition. It was easy to control everything on our side, but it was impossible to control or accurately predict the donations amount and that made me nervous.

“Sorry, I’m excited but a little anxious about the next phase. You know, the launch and the audiences’ reaction…and the donation amount…” I confessed honestly.

“That’s so normal. I’m sure everyone feels the same way. I, for one, will never get used to the feeling of

launching a new commercial. It makes me nervous every time and I always find myself thinking of the worst outcome possible,” Jeremy replied before he laughed a little at his own thought.

“You feel like that too? I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it,” I said with widened eyes.

Jeremy just laughed at my reaction. Although it seemed like we could relax for a bit now, I knew that this rest wouldn’t last long. Things would really pick up when the date for the commercial launch is set and that was bound to happen very soon.

“I can’t wait for everyone to see our commercial. Even if I’m nervous about it, I really want to see the audiences’ reactions and feedback,” I said wistfully.

“Let’s focus on getting it out there first. Step by step, ok?” Jeremy replied with a chuckle.

“I guess you’re right about that…” I agreed.

…

**A few days later**

After the marketing and launch plan was approved by Ace, it didn’t take long for Julianna to finalize the launch date. Without much surprise, it was around a week from now. That would mean that everyone had to rush to meet the deadline. Despite that, Julianna seemed very confident that the deadline was realistic and that the commercial would be launched on time without a hitch. Everyone was excited and extremely motivated to work on this.

After the launch, we would have a couple of weeks to monitor the performance of the commercial and the associated donations and make some adjustments to our marketing execution. A shiver ran through my body at the thought that the end of the competition was approaching and that also meant the end of Project Alpha.

The successful launch of the commercial and the result of the competition worried me quite a lot. However, I couldn’t deny that there was something that worried me even more than that. With how busy everyone in the CEO office was, some may have forgotten that the end of the Project Alpha marked the end of Ace’s time as the company’s CEO as well. If he fully intended to follow through with the public announcement that he made at his birthday party, then Ace would step down from his position right after the end of Project Alpha.

Just thinking about it made me feel nauseous. I was sure that Ace has not changed in mind about that matter and I doubt that there was anyone who could change his mind. As for what he has planned or even what he’s going to do after quitting his job, I had absolutely no idea. Time was ticking by without waiting for anyone and soon I would find out all the answers to my questions.

“There’s someone here to see you,” one of the secretaries told me once I arrived at the office.

It was early in the morning and the workday had not started. Since there was very little time left until the launch of the commercial, many team members including myself had been coming into the office earlier and leaving later to put in that extra work to make sure that everything would progress smoothly. I cocked my head to the side in wonder about who would possibly want to see me. The way the secretary’s eyes darted randomly all over the place told me just how nervous she was feeling.

“Who is it?” I asked in a whisper.

“You’ll see. Just follow me to that meeting room over there,” she instructed.

Back then I had no idea that I was in for such a shock. We arrived in front of a large meeting room and without further ado, the secretary opened the door and pretty much ushered me inside. The door closed behind me, and I came face to face with the only man sitting at the long meeting table.

The chairman…

–To be continued…