Chapter 130: Rapport

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Rapport

Across the room...

Damian caught the tiny smile she tried—and failed—to hide.

...

His stomach sank.

He wasn’t entirely certain why.

Only...

Lady Beaumont looked far too amused.

Whatever she was thinking...

He had the distinct feeling it would make maintaining his carefully planned distance considerably more difficult.

Before either of them could speak again, the conference room door opened once more.

Ms. Lee stepped inside carrying several neatly organized folders against her chest.

"Good morning, everyone."

The students straightened almost instinctively.

"Good morning, Ms. Lee."

She smiled warmly as she placed the folders on the center of the table.

"It looks like everyone’s here."

Her eyes swept briefly across the room before nodding in satisfaction.

"Let’s begin."

Everyone took their seats.

Almost without thinking, Damian chose the chair opposite Peter.

Vivienne naturally settled into the remaining seat beside him.

...

He noticed only after she had already pulled out her notebook.

There was no graceful way to move now.

So he remained where he was.

Ms. Lee smiled as she looked around the room.

"Before we discuss today’s assignments, I’d like to hear everyone’s observations from last Saturday."

She rested both hands lightly on the table.

"Remember, our objective isn’t simply to complete a report."

"It’s to understand the community we’re serving."

Her eyes moved toward the first pair.

"Jessica. Sophia."

Jessica nodded and opened her notebook.

"We visited Riverside Market."

"Our initial assumption was that the declining number of customers was caused by increasing competition."

She glanced at Sophia.

"But after speaking with several stall owners, we found that wasn’t the case."

Sophia continued naturally.

"The larger issue was accessibility."

"Most public transportation routes no longer stop near the market."

"Customers didn’t disappear."

"They simply started shopping elsewhere because it was easier."

Ms. Lee nodded approvingly.

"Good."

"You questioned your assumptions instead of trying to confirm them."

"That’s exactly what fieldwork should do."

She made a brief note before looking toward the opposite side of the room.

"Peter."

Peter smiled.

"Oliver and I visited Northbridge."

"We expected the younger residents to be the most interested in our proposed programs."

Oliver laughed.

"They weren’t."

"The grandparents were."

A few students chuckled.

Peter nodded.

"They’re the ones raising many of the children while the parents work."

"So if we want community participation..."

Oliver finished.

"We’ll need to involve the older generation first."

"Excellent."

Ms. Lee smiled.

"Communities often surprise us."

"If your observations only confirm what you already believed..."

"You probably weren’t observing carefully enough."

Her gaze finally settled on the remaining pair.

"Lord Blackwood."

"Lady Beaumont."

The room grew a little quieter.

Damian closed the folder before him.

"We visited East Junction."

He spoke calmly, as always.

"Our original objective was to understand how local businesses interacted."

He paused briefly.

"Our conclusion changed."

Ms. Lee gestured for him to continue.

"The businesses themselves weren’t the most significant finding."

"It was the relationships between them."

Vivienne looked toward him.

Without discussing it beforehand...

He had summarized exactly what she had written in her own report.

She picked up the explanation naturally.

"Customers weren’t simply buying products."

"They were participating in a community."

She folded her hands neatly over her notebook.

"When one shop didn’t have what someone needed..."

"They recommended another."

"There wasn’t any hesitation."

"No concern about losing a sale."

"Because they trusted that the favor would eventually be returned."

Damian gave a small nod.

"The businesses weren’t competing."

"They were supporting one another."

Ms. Lee smiled.

"And what allowed that to happen?"

For a brief moment...

Neither answered immediately.

Then Vivienne spoke first.

"Trust."

Damian looked toward her.

She continued.

"Not trust built through contracts."

"But through years..."

"Sometimes generations..."

"Of choosing cooperation over immediate profit."

A faint smile appeared on Ms. Lee’s face.

"Exactly."

She looked around the room.

"Many organizations spend enormous amounts of money trying to create loyalty."

"East Junction didn’t."

"They built trust first."

"Loyalty followed naturally."

She paused.

"That’s something worth remembering."

Vivienne quietly wrote the sentence into the margin of her notebook.

They built trust first.

Loyalty followed naturally.

Beside her...

Damian noticed the motion.

Without meaning to.

His eyes lingered just long enough to recognize the neat handwriting before returning to his own notes.

Focus.

Ms. Lee continued.

"Today’s objective is a little different."

"We already have enough interviews."

"I don’t want questionnaires unless absolutely necessary."

Instead...

"I’d like each team to simply observe."

Oliver tilted his head.

"Observe what, exactly?"

"Ordinary life."

"The pace."

"The customers."

"The conversations."

"The small routines most people overlook."

She folded her hands together.

"If last week was about introducing yourselves to the community..."

"This week is about learning how that community breathes."

The room fell thoughtfully quiet.

Vivienne found herself smiling.

She remembered Damian telling her almost the exact same thing during their first visit.

"Don’t begin with questions."

"Begin by watching."

At the time...

She had immediately understood what he meant.

Now she realized Ms. Lee had been teaching the very same principle all along.

She glanced sideways.

Damian was listening attentively, his expression as composed as ever.

As though sensing her gaze...

He looked over.

Their eyes met.

Only for an instant.

Vivienne smiled.

A perfectly innocent smile.

Damian inclined his head politely.

Then returned his attention to Ms. Lee with almost suspicious speed.

...

She blinked.

He’s really committing to this.

The thought was unexpectedly entertaining.

She lowered her eyes to hide another smile.

Across the table, Peter frowned slightly.

Something felt...

Different.

He couldn’t quite place it.

Last week, Lord Blackwood and Lady Beaumont had spoken to one another with an easy familiarity.

Today...

They seemed...

Exceptionally polite.

Peter glanced toward Jessica.

Jessica gave the slightest shrug.

Perhaps they were simply tired.

Neither thought much more of it.

Ms. Lee closed the final folder.

"Excellent."

"If there aren’t any questions..."

"We’ll leave in ten minutes."

"Same teams as last week."

Jessica stood first.

"I’ll grab the extra clipboards."

"I’ll help," Sophia offered.

Oliver stretched as he rose from his chair.

"Coffee first."

"Priorities," Peter laughed.

--

Tbc