For almost three consecutive days, Darwin spent dedicated time studying and discussing with Rama. He gained a lot of new knowledge and insights from his cousin, who had previously worked with Foxtail.
From these intense days of discussion, Darwin learned what criteria Foxtail was looking for. He was truly grateful because Randy had directly asked Rama to help him.
“So, what do you think is better? Presenting a summary of the data or explaining the whole thing in detail during tomorrow’s presentation?”
Rama smiled. He was sitting with Darwin in the TV room and reached for one of the papers in front of his cousin.
“In my opinion, you should just read the summary.”
“Why just the summary? Why not the full version? So that Foxtail can hear more clearly what kind of strategy we’ve developed for their company.”
“No!” Rama shook his head. “As I’ve taught you before, don’t be hasty, Win. Don’t rush to ‘reveal’ our work strategy and all the plans you’ve made to our target. Especially since the presentation will also be watched by other competitors. It’s clearly risky.”
Darwin furrowed his brow, trying hard to understand the meaning of Rama’s explanation.
“How is it risky? Isn’t this an advantage?”
“Not really, Win. Your ideas could be easily copied or modified by others who advance to the next stage.”
“So, how can Foxtail be interested if I only explain the summary?”
Rama smiled, took a pen, and wrote something on the blank paper available on the table.
“That’s the importance of research. Before creating a summary, find the most crucial points that can grab their attention.”
“Grab their attention? Do you mean make them curious?”
“Exactly,” Rama replied, snapping his fingers. “Just pick the important highlights that will make them want to hear more and more. Once the bait you throw is taken by them… congratulations, I guarantee you’ll move on to the next stage.”
Darwin smiled broadly. Once again, he gained new knowledge from Rama. After the extensive discussions they had over the past few days, Darwin’s first cousin decided to take his leave.
“I’ll pray that this time you succeed and make it to the final stage. If you win, don’t forget to treat me to a drink.”
Darwin nodded. Walking together, he escorted Rama to the car.
“Thank you for your prayers. Are you really only staying in Indonesia until the day after tomorrow?”
Rama nodded.
“Aunt Liliana won’t allow me to stay in Indonesia for too long if there isn’t an urgent matter.”
“In that case, I’ll ask Kennedy to talk to her mom and extend your stay here for another 5 days at least. At the very least, if I pass the first selection, you can help evaluate the next steps.”
Rama nodded again. It wasn’t a difficult matter to provide assistance for evaluation.
“Sure. I’ll also ask Aunt Liliana if it’s possible to extend my stay for a few more days,” Rama replied with enthusiasm. Who wouldn’t like to spend more time in their own country? Besides, it had been a long time since he had returned to Indonesia.
So, the next day, Darwin and his team went to the meeting venue with all the necessary equipment, including important documents to support their presentation. Darwin didn’t forget to bring Randy along for the selection held today. Even though Randy was complaining, for some reason, Darwin was happy to have his cousin with him.
“You’re crazy, you know that!” Randy muttered all the way. “Whose selection is this, and who’s the one getting bothered? Besides, I have a lot of work at the office, Win,” he grumbled irritably.
Darwin laughed. He didn’t care that from the moment they left until now, his cousin hadn’t stopped chattering and complaining.
“I got permission from Kennedy. She said it’s okay to bring you. No harm done if you tag along.”
“Easy for you to say!” Randy retorted, not pleased.
While Randy refocused on driving the car, Darwin chose to review the material he had summarized for the presentation. His face looked serious, and he furrowed his brow several times.
“I’m very confident I’ll pass the selection today,” Darwin declared with self-assuredness. Randy nodded. He didn’t refute or dampen his cousin’s spirits, as was customary.
“Judging by your expression alone, I’m also confident you’ll make it.”
Darwin nodded.
“We’ll see, Ran. What’s certain is that I’ll get Veronica back, no matter what it takes.”
Exactly ten minutes later, the car Randy was driving arrived at the Colosseum. After parking the car, Darwin, along with the whole team, confidently entered the building where the event was taking place.
In Darwin’s eyes, he could see many of the business partners who were participating in the selection, already gathered. Each of them was either busy chatting or preparing themselves before the presentation began.
However, out of all the scenes that Darwin saw, one thing left him transfixed. As he sat down and prepared himself, he clearly saw the figures of Veronica and Sean entering the room and taking their seats.
Darwin continued to watch in silence. After a while, by sheer accident, his gaze met Veronica’s. Darwin maintained his gaze for quite some time, as if signaling with his eyes how much he missed his wife’s presence.
“Win,” Randy interjected. “Is your wife on the same team as Sean?”
While staring straight ahead, Darwin nodded.
“Yes. I’m sure Papa Darius arranged for Veronica to be here today.”
“I suspect that if Sean wins, he’ll really marry Veronica.”
Hearing this statement, Darwin turned to Randy. He looked sharply at him and sighed in frustration.
“I won’t allow it! I’ll keep kidnapping Veronica and running away with her if they actually try to marry her off to Sean.”
Randy laughed. He wanted to respond with teasing remarks but decided to focus on listening as the event had already begun, waiting for Darwin’s turn to present his company.
“Welcome, everyone. We thank you greatly for the time you’ve dedicated to participating in our company’s selection process. To expedite things, Foxtail invites each participant to present their company one by one.”
The Foxtail spokesperson gave an opening statement to start the event. They immediately asked the first company to begin their presentation, which made the first two hours quite intense. One by one, candidates tried to win Foxtail’s favor. When it was Darwin’s turn, he applied all the skills and knowledge he had gained from Rama.
Sean did the same. With confidence and various considerations, he delivered his ideas and plans in great detail, which sounded brilliant. Especially during the Q&A session, Darwin could hear Sean’s unexpected responses.
“No wonder Mr. Darius chose Sean. His mastery of the material is, I admit, 100% better than the others,” Randy praised sincerely. “Imagine this, Win. Among all the participants, he’s the only one providing such accurate data and daring to guarantee success. The others usually aim for their best.”
Darwin nodded. He couldn’t deny what Randy said. Sean’s performance in this first appearance was truly beyond his expectations. Suddenly, Darwin began to worry that his position might be overtaken by Sean.
“But I’m sure my performance was good today too, Ran.”
“I know,” Randy replied. “Even if you and Sean both advance, he’ll be your toughest competitor.”
After three hours of presentations, it was time for Foxtail to deliberate. Together with their expert team, they finally selected only eight companies out of the twenty-five candidates to proceed to the next round.
“Everyone … Before we begin, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your participation and enthusiasm. After thorough discussions and evaluations, Foxtail has decided which candidates will advance to the next round.”
All participants paid close attention, waiting for the announcement from Foxtail.
“After careful consideration, Foxtail has chosen eight companies to proceed. These companies are Vortex Group, IndoBusan, Amarta, Nobu, Tirtagold, Lamanda, Sexon, and Infinix Group. Please prepare your final materials for presentation in two days. After this, we will only select three companies to join us.”
Upon hearing the mention of Infinix Group, Darwin couldn’t stop smiling at Randy. He even gave his cousin a hug without hesitation.
“Congratulations, Win. I had a feeling you’d make it through this initial stage.”
Darwin nodded, and as they broke the hug, he smiled wide.
“It wasn’t in vain that I learned so much from Rama a few days ago. I can’t wait for the final round in two days. I’m confident, Ran. I’m really confident that I can make it through this selection.”
Then, Darwin turned his gaze from Randy. Inadvertently, he looked into the distance and saw Veronica congratulating Sean. From her expression, it was clear that Darwin’s wife was genuinely happy for her former lover’s achievement.
“I should be the one receiving those congratulations, Ve,” Darwin muttered while clenching his fists. “Just wait and see what I’m going to do.”