Chapter 498 Jasmine Successfully Secured Her First Project
Jasmine and Samuel printed the final project proposal, double-checked it, and decided to meet the team.
"Jasmine, let me carry your laptop," offered an eager girl from Group B.
Jasmine handed it over without much thought.
On the way, the girl went to the restroom, leaving Jasmine and Samuel waiting downstairs. She soon came running back.
"Sorry, Jasmine, I had an upset stomach," she apologized.
Jasmine smiled. "No worries, let's get in the car."
They got in, with Samuel in the front seat organizing info on his phone.
"Want some water?" Jasmine offered, pointing to the bottled water in the car.
The girl hesitated. "Sorry, Jasmine, I only drink pure spring water."
Jasmine shrugged, opened a bottle for herself, and took a sip.
Her phone buzzed with a message from Ethan: [Honey, what are you up to?]
Jasmine replied: [Getting ready for a project meeting.]
Ethan texted back: [You'll nail it.] and sent an old success meme.
Feeling warm inside, Jasmine looked at her water bottle and texted Ethan: [Do you have any special water preferences? Like only drinking the expensive stuff?]
Ethan replied: [Nope, as long as it quenches my thirst.] followed by a facepalm emoji.
Jasmine glanced at the girl, remembering her name was Ella Reynolds. She was a Stanford student working part-time due to financial struggles, assigned to Group B because of her lack of background.
If she was really struggling, she wouldn't be picky about water. Even Ethan, who grew up wealthy, wasn't.
Plus, Ella was wearing the latest limited-edition perfume, which wasn't cheap.
"Ella, how are you adjusting to the company?" Jasmine asked.
"Great, everyone’s been nice." Ella nodded.
"I think the company meals could be better. The salmon yesterday was overcooked," Jasmine chuckled.
"Yeah, it was fake salmon," Ella started, then quickly changed the subject. "The other dishes were okay, though."
Jasmine just smiled, a thoughtful look in her eyes. ' Salmon and rainbow trout are hard to tell apart unless you eat them often. Yet Ella, supposedly from a low-income family, knows right away.'
Jasmine looked out the window, deep in thought. Something felt off about today's project meeting.
Sure enough, when they arrived, they found a competitor's proposal identical to theirs, even with the same typos.
Samuel frowned at Jasmine. "Someone leaked our proposal."
They had been hit with a dirty trick.
"Don't worry," Jasmine told Samuel with a smile. "We have a backup plan."
She waved the proposal in her hand.
"When did you prepare this?" Samuel asked, surprised. They were up next, and there was no time to change the plan.
"I had an upset stomach earlier and went to the print shop to make a copy," Jasmine said, hinting at something.
Samuel quickly caught on. Ella, who had come along, was the problem.
"Jasmine, is it our turn?" Ella asked, taking the laptop to connect it to the computer.
Jasmine didn't stop her. Someone was waiting to see them fail.
"Let me handle it," Jasmine said once the computer was connected, taking over from Ella.
She opened an encrypted file with the proposal and handed out copies.
"Hello, everyone. Although LY is a small and new company, we have..." Jasmine spoke confidently, capturing everyone's attention.
Their proposal was perfect and the project team's favorite. But the team seemed bribed and made things difficult. "Sorry, your proposal has issues. Why didn't you explain the reuse of waste materials?"
"That's because the next part is another project and proposal we need to discuss." Jasmine smiled. "In short, working with LY has only benefits."
She piqued their curiosity but left some suspense. If they wanted the most important part, they had to cooperate.
In the end, the project team chose Jasmine and Samuel's proposal. After all, the proposal would be in their best interest.
Samuel smiled and high-fived Jasmine. "Looking forward to working together!"
Jasmine jumped happily.
Ella nervously approached Jasmine. "Jasmine, the proposal we printed this morning wasn't this one."
Jasmine had planned to let it go, thinking Ella might resign, but Ella wanted to know the truth.
"Yes, the proposal we printed was the one used by the previous company. Didn't you know?" Jasmine smiled.
Ella's face changed. "What do you mean by that?"
Jasmine looked at her meaningfully. "Do you really not know?"
Ella clenched her hands. "Jasmine..."
"It's okay," Jasmine said. She decided to leave it to the police to investigate. Leaking company secrets was illegal.
When the police arrived, Ella was shocked. "You called the police? What do you mean?"
"Blame yourself for the inconsistencies in your story." Jasmine shrugged. "You said you were working part-time to support yourself, but you only drink bottled water that costs over ten dollars."
Ella's face turned pale. "You called the police over a proposal?"
"This proposal is a confidential company document. Stealing secrets is illegal," Jasmine warned sternly.
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