Like she’s talking to him without actually talking to him.
He shrugs. "Don’t worry, we’re ready."
She tilts her head. "Are you?"
He flashes a grin. "Let’s just get it over with."
Claudia doesn’t respond. She just gives us both a small nod and walks ahead.
Gio turns to me. "Well, prince charming. Shall we?"
I nod, too fast. "Yeah. Let’s do this."
20) You Were Great
Rava
I didn’t know what to expect.
Maybe for him to forget half the slides or call one of the board members by the wrong name and embarrass us both.
Something, anything, to prove he hadn’t taken it seriously. But he didn’t. Not even close. From the moment we stepped into that conference room, he was different.
Still Gio, butsomuch sharper. Confident in a way that didn’t feel like an act. People were paying attention. Real attention.
And when I started the presentation, he let me lead. He didn’t interrupt me. Not even once.
He just nodded when he was supposed to, clicked the slides at the right pace, and gave small comments that somehow made the data feel more alive.
But the real surprise came when I froze and had nothing to say. Someone asked a question I hadn’t prepared for, something about the restructuring of the marketing team and how it would impact the launch timeline or something.
I opened my mouth, but literally nothing came out. My mind went completely blank. Like I had no brain.
"Well," Gio said smoothly, "that’s a great question. What we’ve discussed, actually, is shifting the rollout slightly to align with key seasonal trends. It’s about precision, not speed."
That was it. He said it like we’d talked about it all morning. Like he knew exactly what to say to make me look like I had everything under control. I glanced at him from the side.
He gave me the smallest nod. I took a breath and picked it up from there, as if I’d just paused for effect. And it worked. The room didn’t notice the glitch.
Or maybe they did, but they liked how we recovered.
By the time the presentation ended, I was still catching up with the fact that I was impressed.
Genuinely impressed.
Gio was charming, professional, and ridiculously quick on his feet.
I admit it. I’m not a dick. I noticed it.
And then the questions started.
A man from the back, someone from upper management I don’t know well, raises his hand. "What’s your long-term vision for the new hotel in Palermo?"
I step forward.
"Great question. We’re actually focusing on blending modern luxury with cultural authenticity. The architecture pulls from local history, and we’re partnering with many Sicilian artists and chefs to give guests a truly immersive experience."
Another hand.
