Chapter 74: the first plan

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: the first plan

For a quiet moment...

No one spoke.

The introductions had ended.

The six of them stood gathered around the small table near the classroom window.

Only a few minutes earlier...

They had been strangers.

Now...

They were responsible for bringing an idea to life.

Five pairs of eyes naturally settled upon Vivienne once more.

She lowered her gaze to the folder in her hands.

Thinking.

The proposal she had written.

The partnerships she had imagined.

The Foundation.

Anthony’s words.

They are now Foundation initiatives.

Somehow...

Everything suddenly felt much larger than it had only an hour ago.

After a few thoughtful seconds...

She looked up.

"I think..."

"...before we begin contacting anyone..."

"...I’d like to understand what the Foundation already has."

Everyone listened quietly.

"If we’re hoping to build partnerships..."

"...we should probably know what partnerships already exist."

She paused.

"Otherwise..."

"We might end up trying to create something that’s already there."

Jessica gave a small nod.

"That makes sense."

Vivienne then looked toward Damian.

"Do you think that’s a good place to begin?"

For the briefest moment...

Damian simply looked at her.

Then...

A small smile appeared.

"I do."

In truth...

There were several ways they could have started.

He already knew which businesses regularly partnered with the Foundation.

He knew which departments handled community outreach.

He even knew which staff members would likely become involved in their project.

He could have outlined the entire afternoon before anyone left the classroom.

Instead...

He quietly set those thoughts aside.

Let’s see where she wants to take this.

If she overlooks something...

I can always point her back in the right direction.

This is her project.

She deserves the chance to build it herself.

There was no urgency.

No need to rush ahead of her.

After all...

She was the Project Lead.

"The Community Partnership Office keeps those records."

"It’s on the ground floor."

"If you’d like..."

"We can begin there."

Vivienne’s expression brightened ever so slightly.

"Perfect."

"Let’s do that."

Damian simply nodded.

"All right."

Jessica spoke next.

"If we’re reviewing existing partnerships..."

"I’d also like to know how they’re maintained."

"Are they yearly agreements?"

"Or ongoing relationships?"

Peter nodded thoughtfully.

"And how donations are recorded."

"If businesses are contributing regularly..."

"There must already be a tracking system."

Oliver adjusted his glasses.

"It would also help to know where the current gaps are."

"If certain industries aren’t represented..."

"They might become opportunities later."

Sophia smiled.

"I’d like to see how the Foundation communicates with its partners."

"If we’re approaching new businesses in the future..."

"It’ll help to understand their existing process."

Vivienne glanced briefly around the table.

She quietly arranged each suggestion in her mind.

Existing partnerships.

Existing procedures.

Existing records.

Existing gaps.

Little by little...

The afternoon ahead no longer seemed nearly as overwhelming.

She smiled.

"I think all of those are things we should learn this afternoon."

"If it’s all right with everyone..."

"We’ll begin with the Partnership Office..."

"...and let the Foundation show us how everything currently works."

No one objected.

It was a simple plan.

Practical.

Clear.

Damian found himself smiling again.

...She organizes people’s ideas well.

Better than I expected.

...She’s a good listener.

Across the table...

Peter quietly listened as the discussion continued.

Lady Beaumont’s approach was sensible.

There was nothing wrong with it.

Still...

Having volunteered with the Foundation the previous year...

He couldn’t help noticing something.

There was a faster route.

The Partnership Office certainly worked...

But the senior coordinators already knew where most of the Foundation’s long-standing partners were.

A single conversation with the appropriate department head could have accomplished in minutes what might otherwise take the better part of an afternoon.

Peter recognized it almost immediately.

Which meant...

There was little chance Damian hadn’t.

His eyes drifted toward the fourth-year student.

Damian remained exactly as he had since the six of them first gathered around the table.

Relaxed.

Listening.

Waiting.

Not once had he suggested the shortcut.

Not once had he redirected the discussion.

Instead...

He simply answered Lady Beaumont’s questions.

And allowed her to decide where the conversation went next.

Peter frowned almost imperceptibly.

...That’s unusual.

Beside him...

Jessica appeared to have noticed the same thing.

Their eyes met for only a brief moment.

Neither spoke.

There was no need.

Objectively speaking...

Mr. Blackwood wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Quite the opposite.

If Mrs. Bennett’s explanation was taken literally...

This was exactly how a Senior Coordinator ought to support a Project Lead.

And yet...

Having worked beside Damian before...

Neither Peter nor Jessica had ever actually seen him do so.

In previous projects...

The official leader would usually begin the discussion.

Damian would listen patiently.

Then...

Offer a suggestion.

A better sequence.

A more efficient approach.

Before long...

The entire discussion would naturally begin revolving around Damian’s proposal instead.

Not because he insisted.

But because his reasoning was difficult to argue against.

No one had ever minded.

The projects had always succeeded.

Today...

He had done none of those things.

Not once.

Peter glanced quietly toward Damian again.

...Perhaps Mr. Blackwood has simply decided that this year...

...the freshmen really will lead.

It was, after all...

What a good Senior Coordinator should do.

Still...

For someone who had known Damian Blackwood’s way of working...

The difference was impossible to ignore.

Vivienne carefully closed the assignment folder.

"Then..."

She smiled at the five people gathered around her.

"Shall we head downstairs?"

Damian stepped aside almost instinctively.

"After you."

Vivienne blinked.

"...Thank you." ℯℯ𝑙.

She stepped through the doorway first.

Without another word...

The others followed.

Peter quietly fell into step beside Jessica.

Neither of them spoke.

There was little to say.

Whatever the reason...

Mr. Blackwood had chosen to let Lady Beaumont lead.

Whether that was simply the mark of an excellent Senior Coordinator...

Or something else entirely...

Neither of them could yet tell.

Ahead of them...

Vivienne was already speaking quietly with Damian about the Foundation’s Partnership Office.

Completely unaware...

That the way they had begun working together had already caught the attention of the two upperclassmen walking just behind them.

Together...

The six disappeared into the corridor.

For the first time...

Not as students discussing a proposal...

But as a team taking its first steps toward turning an idea into reality.u