Bonds

Chapter 67

-Maya’s POV-

The cacophony of construction filled the air – hammering, sawing, drill whines echoing through the uast putted space. Amidst the chaos, I

stood frozen, a lone island of calm in a sea of activity.

People scurried around me like busy ants–construction workers in hard hats, electricians wrestling with wires, a team of painters meticulously applying a coat of crisp white to the exposed brick wall. I barely registered their presence, my mind lost in a whirlwind of thoughts.

“Amaya?” Ms. Edwards‘ sharp voice cut through my fog. She stood beside me, her clipboard clutched in one hand, the other resting on her hip. “Come on, earth to Amaya. Let’s see what you think of this.”

I blinked, forcing myself back to reality. This was it. The moment of truth. After weeks of planning, mood boards, late nights spent poring over blueprints and fabric swatches, the redesign was finally taking shape. A nervous flutter rose in my stomach.

“Right, sorry,” I mumbled, forcing a smile. “Sure, what is it?”

She gestured towards the center of the room, where a team of workers were assembling a massive structure. It looked like a giant metal frame, but the details were still shrouded in scaffolding and tarpaulin.

“That.” She announced with a flourish, “is the centerpiece of our open floor plan – the collaboration hub.”

“Collaboration hub?” I repeated, peering at the skeletal structure. “Explain?”

Her smile widened. “Ah, yes! The heart of this new design. It’s a multi–level platform, essentially. We’ll have different sections dedicated to different types of collaboration – brainstorming zones, breakout areas for smaller meetings, even a quiet zone with soundproofed pods for

focused work.”

My eyebrows shot up. “That’s actually a great idea,” I admitted. “I remember suggesting dedicated quiet zones during the initial meeting with

Mr. Thorne.”

A hint of amusement flickered in her eyes. “Indeed you did,” she conceded. “And a great idea it was. Mr. Thome was quite impressed with

your suggestion, you know.”

flushed a faint

last call. He even said

and focused work

he would specifically comment on how much he liked my idea. Back then we each did our own thing so we didn’t get

voice cutting through my reverie, “let’s take a closer look at the different levels. Up here, on the top platform, we’ll have a dedicated presentation area. Large projector screen, sleek modern furniture, the whole

frame where a platform was taking shape. I could picture it – a clean, minimalist space bathed

another section of the frame, “we

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Chapter 67

beanbag chairs, maybe even a ping pong

table? That was unexpected, but I liked the idea. A touch of fun could go

creativity.

me towards the base of the structure, “we have the quiet zone. Soundproofed pods, comfortable ergonomic chairs, perfect for those times when

ventilation systems. It wasn’t just about

fantastic,” I enthused, genuinely impressed with the level of detail and thought that had gone into the design.

a

appreciated then. faint cough cut through our conversation, and I turned to see a young man standing awkwardly

“The electricians need to know

screen.

H

blueprints and began studying them with a practiced eye. “The projector will be

needs to run…”

I took the opportunity to wander around the rest of the space, my gaze flitting

spacious, with floor–to–ceiling windows bathing the interior in natural light. Demolished cubicle walls

appliances gleamed under the harsh lights, and a

feel real, this vision we’d meticulously crafted on paper, I could almost picture the employees bustling around, collaborating in the

spaces.

was what I wanted to do for him. Alex had always

be done. We needed to finalize furniture selections, choose color palettes for the different

rolled up and tucked under her arm. “So, Amaya,” she began, her

a genuine smile gracing my lips. “Honestly, Ms. Edwards, I’m impressed. It’s exactly how I envisioned