Sweet Nemesis

Chapter 13

#OLASweetNemesis

Chapter 13
Expensive

"You can do it, princess!" Kuya Knoa gave me a thumbs up when it was already my turn to present my report.

Kinalimutan ko muna ang nakakahiyang reply ko kay Keno nang tawagin ako sa harapan. For some reason, I was the last one on the list. Kyla prepared the materials I needed in front and connected my laptop to flash the PowerPoint on the LED screen. Tiningnan ko si Kuya Xavi matapos ang paghahanda para humingi ng go-signal. He gave me a brief smile and nod before turning dead serious.

It wasn't my first time reporting in front of the board. We do this occasionally, especially because Kuya Xavi always wanted to be aware and informed about almost everything regarding DVH and its affiliates. It's amazing how he could remember even a minor detail. His critical thinking skills are also unmatched. Kaya malaking advantage din sa aming lahat kapag nag-report sa kanya. He wouldn't hesitate to help us if he saw us struggling. Madalas ay nagbibigay rin siya ng recommendations na magpapabuti sa pamamalakad ng kompanya.

"Good afternoon!" I confidently greeted everyone before officially starting my report.

For the first part, I summarized all our accomplishments for the first half of the year. Karamihan ay ang mga brand na muling nag-renew ng contract at partnership. We also bought a huge lot in Cebu para sa itatayong bagong branch ng mall.

My cousins looked very proud of my achievements. Ilang beses pang pumalakpak si Kuya Knoa bilang pagsuporta habang tipid na ngumingiti at tumatango si Kuya Xavi bilang pag-acknowledge sa mga 'yon. Their positive reactions, along with those of the other board members, boosted my confidence prior to entering the second part of my report.

Sa second part ay roon ko i-ta-tackle ang financial reports. Medyo madugo 'yon kaysa sa accomplishments part, lalo na't doon mas lalong nag-fo-focus si Kuya Xavi. Dealing with numbers was never fun.

"Prime Retails witnessed no significant gain or loss for the first and second quarters to report. We were marked by a sense of stability, despite navigating through the challenges of the market without experiencing fluctuations," I said, concluding the second part of my report. "While this lack of movement might seem uneventful to some, for us, it gave us an advantage to assess our strategies, refine our operations, and prepare for potential shifts in the market..."

While in the middle of my report, I caught Kuya Xavi tilting his head as if he found something unusual with my report. Binabasa niya nang maigi ang hard copy kaysa makinig sa akin. Kinabahan ako sa hindi malamang dahilan. I had no idea what made him react that way. Parang gusto kong balikan agad ang lahat ng ni-report ko kahit na hindi pa ako tapos.

Did I make a mistake? Did I overlook a problem? Baka namang mayroong hindi nag-tally sa data na hindi ko napansin or double check?

I was bothered by the rest of my report. Kuya Xavi didn't raise any concern, but he's been acting off since I went through Prime's financial reports. Hindi ako mapakali. Kaya after he dismissed everyone, I bravely went up to him.

"Kuya..." tawag ko.

"Hari, what's wrong?" Sinenyasan niyang mauna na si Joseph na umalis bago ako hinarap nang maayos. "Do you need anything? Sorry, but we have to make this quick. I'm running late for my next meeting. Naghihintay na sa office ang isang kliyente ko."

"I just wanna ask if may mali ba sa report ko?" walang pag-aalinlangan kong tanong. "I noticed you were kinda bothered by something while I was reporting..."

"Oh, that..." Kuya Xavi shook his head and smiled to reassure me. "Nothing. I was just focusing on the hard copy of your report. Alam mo namang kapag may problema, I would raise it right away."