A low chuckle escapes me before I can stop it.
The woman is most definitelynotHR. We’ve got an entire department for that, alright.
At the end of the day, Melanie is a newly graduated master’s student in public relations who can’t seem to find a job due to a “lack of experience.” So rather than moping aroundunemployed, she’s being assigned random tasks at her cousin’s company.
Adam narrows his eyes in return. “I’ll be back soon. I just need to give one of the content creators a tour of the place. We went to university together.”
“Make it quick.” Melanie snorts. “We’re about to start.”
“Yes, little lady,” he says with a mock salute before heading out of the backstage area.
I follow him out of curiosity, wanting a sneak peek of what’s on the other side.
My head juts through the black curtains, and needless to say, the place is packed.
From investors to reporters and content creators to their wives and kids—everyone is dressed in their finest attire as they gather around, admiring the planes as champagne glasses and hors d’oeuvres circulate.
Compared to what these events typically looked like, this setup was unconventional, but I liked it that way. Tonight is a big deal for Archer Aviation, and I wanted to put on an equally big deal production. It’s not every day that fully electric commercial airplanes are revealed. Not to mention, we had someone major to impress.
A gentle hand lands on my shoulder as Melanie joins in on the sightseeing. “How are you feeling?” she asks.
“Nervous.Verynervous.”
There’s too much riding on this, and now that we’re minutes away from the grand reveal, every nerve ending in my body is firing at rapid speed.
She squeezes my arm in reassurance.
“Don’t worry about it. Staines loves you. Everything’s set up and in place. You’re dressed in the finest black suit, are freshly shaved, and not wearing some jackass-looking loafers. Take a breather. Enjoy this. You really did earn it.”
I smile at her attempt to ease my worries. I’d like to say it did a decent job of calming me down, but that would be a lie. Especially when I spot Everett Staines deep in conversation with Kamal Jameel—one of our key investors.
“Kamal scares me,” I admit.
Though brilliant, he’s aloterratic. No one could ever anticipate what kind of crazy shenanigans he’ll say next. And that is scary when you have a reputation to uphold.
“Stop worrying, Nate. You’re stressing yourself out.”
I let out a long sigh—she could not be more right.
And while I fully intended to close the curtains and go back to being blissfully unaware of the influential people in the crowd, that’s thrown out the window when my eyes land on Adam.
Two girls stand in front of him as he talks animatedly, hands flailing to point out different parts of our hybridaircraft. While the redhead in white nods along enthusiastically to what he’s saying, it’s the brunette next to her in a dashing shade of red who captures my attention. She seems distracted and almost distraught as she looks off in the distance, but that isn’t it.
There’s an unwavering sense of familiarity about her. Like our paths may have crossed in the past. I’m just not sure where. I haveno time to think about it when a hand clasps my wrist, pulling me back in.
“It’s showtime,” Melanie announces.
Before I can blink, I’m handed a microphone and shuffled to stand in front of a sea of bodies packed like sardines. Loud applause surrounds me, and a wide smile plasters itself onto my face like it has countless times.
“Good evening, everyone.” The crowd cheers loudly, clapping unlike anything I’ve experienced. “And welcome to the Archer Aviation Voltage Jet unveiling.”
The energy spikes the moment a sharp whistle cuts through the air. My gaze follows the sound to make out the redhead who was with Adam earlier.
I scan the crowd, hoping to catch sight of another familiar face. Staines. My brother. The brunette in the red dress. But to no avail, the place is too packed.
“As you may know, one of our core goals at Archer is to break the mold of the aviation industry. The focus, you may ask? Pushing the limits of aesthetics, design, and innovation, but most importantly, renewable energy,”
More clapping. More cheering. More energy.
