Beneath the Ice

chapter 15

Lisa had never felt quite this nervous before.

The past few weeks had been a whirlwind. She had officially accepted the leadership position her dad had offered, and while she wasn’t diving into the family business just yet, she would be taking on a project that involved managing one of his partner companies.

It was a big step, and for the first time in a long while, Lisa felt like she was on the edge of something huge.

But right now, she was standing in Jennie’s office, heart pounding, because Jennie had just dropped another bomb on her.

“You want me to... give a speech?” Lisa asked, trying not to sound as horrified as she felt.

Jennie sat at her desk, as composed as ever, her expression calm and unmoved by Lisa’s panic.

“You’ll be presenting at the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting. It’s a ten-minute speech, covering the key milestones and strategic goals for the upcoming year.”

Lisa blinked, still processing. “Me? Why me? Don’t you usually give that speech?”

Jennie’s gaze didn’t waver. “I’ll be giving the opening remarks. But this year, I want you to handle the core presentation.”

Lisa’s stomach flipped. This was
not what she had signed up for when she walked into work this morning.

Sure, she’d been feeling more confident lately after all, she was about to step into a leadership role for her dad’s company
but giving a speech to Kim Industries’ shareholders? That was another level entirely.

“I... uh, I’ve never done anything like that before,” Lisa stammered.

“Are you sure you want me to do it? I mean, you’ve seen me in meetings.I tend to, you know, ramble.”

Jennie’s eyes narrowed slightly. “That’s exactly why you need to do it.”

Lisa blinked again, caught off guard. “Wait, what?”

Jennie sighed, standing up and walking around her desk, her heels clicking against the floor with the kind of authority that Lisa would probably never master.

“You’re stepping into a leadership role soon, Ms. Manoban. You’ll need to be able to address large groups, communicate effectively, and, most importantly, exude confidence. This is your opportunity to prove that you can do that.”

Lisa opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Jennie had a point if Lisa couldn’t give a ten-minute speech to shareholders, how was she supposed to manage an entire company?

Jennie’s gaze softened just slightly. “I’ve noticed your progress, but this is the next step. You need to learn how to command a room.”

Lisa let out a nervous laugh. “Command a room? Me? Have you met me? I’m more of a ‘trip over my own feet’ kind of person.”

Jennie raised an eyebrow. “Then stop tripping.”

Lisa stared at her, surprised by the bluntness but also... weirdly encouraged. Jennie wasn’t coddling her, wasn’t offering her any kind of emotional support, but somehow, that made it even more real. Jennie expected her to step up.

Lisa took a deep breath, trying to channel some of Jennie’s icy confidence.

“Okay. I’ll do it. But if I screw up and the shareholders revolt, I’m blaming you.”