Chapter 183: Fair Play or Foul Play?
Fraser’s gaze lifted slightly; his thin lips curving with interest as his long, jade-like fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. Then continue. Don’t keep our designers waiting. I’m just an observer. Ignore me. His words were casual and light. But who in the room dared to treat Fraser Graham as mere air?
James turned to Summer. “Ms. Stewart, please begin.”
Summer took a deep breath, deliberately focusing her gaze farther away, ignoring the burning stare fixed on her. “Hello, everyone. I’m Summer from Aspira Design Institute. Our design concept for the GloryPath Construction Project focuses on differentiation…”
Building upon Sienna’s original sketches, Summer had enriched them with some unique ideas. As she spoke, the audience seemed to visualize the dreamlike final version of the resort in their minds. Many nodded in agreement.
After finishing, Summer gave a polite half-bow before stepping down. Only then did her clear, bright eyes dare to look toward the center of the room. Fraser’s lips curved upward slightly. His deep, dark eyes, filled with flickering starlight, met hers across the two-meter distance. For a fleeting second, Summer could not explain the feeling. A strange sense of joy flitted through her.
Next, Eve from Eureka Design Studio took the stage to present. Once both design firms had presented, five project directors from Fletcher Construction Group were to score them. After a brief pause, James stepped onto the stage, preparing to announce the results.
Merry glanced at the frowning Sienna and reassured her, “Sienna, don’t worry. The two designs weren’t vastly different in style, but Summer introduced an entirely new design concept. There’s no doubt we’ll be selected.”
James held up a tablet, standing in the center of the stage. “I will now announce the scores. Eureka Design Studio, 91 points. Aspira Design Institute, 88 points. Congratulations to Eureka Design Studio for winning the bid!”
Eureka Design Studio’s designers erupted in applause and cheers. In stark contrast, the three members of Aspira Design Institute fell into silence. Sienna’s emotions were complex; a mixture of anger and sorrow. She had poured so much effort into this project. Of course, she had wanted to win. But thinking of how that bastard Mason had threatened her with those photos, it seemed like there was no other way but to submit.
A deep sense of guilt weighed on her. She felt she had let Summer down for all the hard work she had done. Merry, however, was completely dumbfounded. Every inch of her body radiated disbelief. “How could this happen! Everyone clearly admired Summer’s design concept! Someone must have tampered with the scores!”
Summer lowered her gaze, lost in thought for a moment, then stood up and addressed James. “Mr. James, may I request that the individual scores from each project director be made public?”
James’s expression darkened instantly, his brows furrowing. “Ms. Stewart, requesting to reveal individual scores suggests that you don’t trust our company’s evaluation. Are you implying that we manipulated the results? A small design firm like yours has no right to make such demands!”
Chapter 183: Fair Play or Foul Play?
Who did this woman think she was? I shouldn’t have given them the chance to compete in the first place!
At that moment, Mason rose leisurely to his feet, fanning the flames: “Aspira Design Institute, if your design wasn’t good enough, then it just wasn’t good enough. Yet here you are, trying to argue about the scores? If everyone acted like you when they lost, think about how much extra work that would cause!”
Hearing this, the crowd, who had previously nodded in agreement with Summer’s design, suddenly changed their stance. “If Aspira Design Institute lost, they should reflect on their own skills instead of blaming the client. That’s unreasonable.” “They aren’t even a proper design firm. They’re just a small workshop with a handful of people. They should be grateful they were even allowed to participate.”
From the front row, a soft but distinct ‘link’ rang out as a man casually dropped a steel pen onto the conference table. Not too heavy, not too light. But the room fell silent in an instant. All eyes turned toward the distinguished man in the primary seat.
Fraser lazily raised an eyebrow and let out a low chuckle. His voice was deep and slow, each word carrying weight. “If the bidders request transparency in the scoring process, isn’t that a fundamental part of a fair competition? Since when did it become arguing, huh?”
The room went dead silent. James’ small, sharp eyes blinked rapidly, as if pretending not to understand. “Mr. Graham, you mean…”
Fraser lifted his gaze. His sharp, piercing eyes swept over James with chilling precision.