Page 75 of Knocked Up by my Rival

“I’m not sure that is exactly what I was looking for,” Toussaint said, rubbing his chin.

“What do you mean?” Mackenzie asked, her brows knitting together.

“It isn’t exactly what I asked for,” Toussaint said.

Mackenzie looked confused. “I thought it was exactly what you asked for.”

“Let’s hear what Monsieur Larson has to say,” Toussaint said and looked at me eagerly.

I swallowed and stood, flashing a charming smile.

“Thank you for allowing me the chance to blow you away,” I said. I glanced at Mackenzie. Her glares had been replaced by confusion and uncertainty.

Toussaint nodded, and I started my presentation.

Instead of focusing on thebig picture, looking at billboards and television ads, I focused on something a lot closer to home, something intimate and romantic—I suggested an event where we invited everyone to wear the jewelry to see how it looked on them. It was hard for people to take off something they became attached to.

Effectively, I was suggesting allowing them to test-drive the jewelry.

I didn’t once look at Mackenzie while I presented, but from the corner of my eye, I was aware of the way she paled, blood draining from her face, and her features became sallow and defeated.

“I believe the only way to the buyers’ hearts is by selling them their own emotions and their own experience,” I said, concluding.

Toussaint shook his head and slow-clapped.

“Magnifique,” he said. “That is exactly what I had in mind. You were right, Marc, telling me that these people knew what they were doing.”

I grinned at them. When I glanced at Mackenzie, she’d closed in on herself, and she looked like she wanted to disappear. A pang of guilt shot into my chest, but the damage had been done.

It was better to just own it.

“You stuck to the brief perfectly,” Toussaint said, shaking my hand. “I don’t think there’s reason to postpone the decision.”

Mackenzie was silent. I’d expected her to argue, but she didn’t say anything or show anything at all. She sat motionless, staring at the table while Toussaint lost his mind about how great the presentation was and how excited he was to hear my other ideas.

“Great show,” Johnson said and shook my hand, too. “I’ll get the paperwork drafted and we can move forward with the project.”

“I’d like that,” I said.

Johnson and Toussaint both left the boardroom, still talking.

When we were alone, Mackenzie stood and cleared her throat.

“Congratulations,” she said dully. “It was a good presentation.”

I pursed my lips together.

She shook her head. “I don’t know how I could have gotten it wrong. I really thought that I was on the right track. Well, you deserve it, clearly.” She turned toward the door. She didn’t know I’d done something wrong. She thought she’d fucked up. If I just left it at that, she would never blame me for that.

She took a step toward the door.

You’ll get off scot-free.

She took another step.

She’ll always think she was the one who got it wrong.

“Mackenzie,” I said.

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