JASMINE
The conference room at Maxwell Empire hummed with quiet tension as the final overview of the Riverside Development project began. Stephan sat at the head of the long table, looking every bit the commanding CEO in his charcoal suit.
Christiana sat to his right, elegant and confident in her navy dress, surrounded by her team of analysts and surveyors.
While I sat beside Stephan, my hands resting lightly on the table, trying to stay calm even though my heart was racing.
The lead analyst presented the final figures. Slides flashed on the large screen budget breakdowns, timeline projections, and land assessment summaries. Everyone nodded along, discussing minor adjustments.
Then I noticed something.
In the detailed land survey map, a section of the western plot showed subtle red flags, soil instability markers and flood risk notations that seemed downplayed in the summary. I raised my hand.
"Excuse me," I said clearly.
"Jasmine.." Christiana called but I ignored her.
