"I heard there are some executives here to attend our presentation," Karl said, his voice low and worried. He was scrolling through his phone, reading a message from one of his football friends who worked in the admin office. He let out a frustrated sigh. "Argh. It’s our first presentation. Why do we need to invite some big shots?"

Bella’s eyes widened. "Executives?"

Karl shoved his phone back into his pocket. "Apparently, they’re looking for talent. Internships, maybe jobs. I don’t know. No pressure, right?"

Bella’s stomach tightened. She had practiced and prepared. She knew the material backward and forward. But executives watching and judging? The thought made her palms sweat.

"I hope we didn’t make any mistakes," she said, her voice small.

Karl chuckled and bumped his shoulder against hers. "I don’t think you’ll make any mistakes. And with you on our team, I’m much more confident." He smiled at her, warm and genuine and reassuring.

Bella smiled back, her nerves settling slightly. She turned to Mira. "Right, Mira?"

Mira startled. Her face went pale, and her eyes darted between Karl and Bella, wide and scared.

Karl’s brow furrowed. "What’s wrong with you? You’ve been weird all morning." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Mira swallowed hard. "I’m just scared," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Bella reached out and touched her arm. "It’s okay. We’ve prepared. We’ll do fine."

Karl nodded. "Yeah. We’ve got this."

Mira nodded, but her face didn’t relax. Bella noticed but didn’t push.

Krystal walked past them. She was wearing a perfectly tailored black blazer, a silk blouse, and heels that made her look taller and more powerful. Her makeup was flawless, dark eyeliner, red lips, highlighter on her cheekbones, and her dark hair fell in waves over her shoulders. She looked professional and confident. As she passed Bella, she flashed a small smirk, then walked to the back of the room and sat down alone.

Bella’s stomach churned. She didn’t know why, but that smirk made her uncomfortable. She pushed the feeling down and turned back to her notes. The presentation would start soon. She needed to focus.

The professor walked into the room, accompanied by a small group of sharply dressed men and women, the executives Karl had mentioned. They stood at the back, clipboards in hand, their expressions serious and assessing. Students shifted in their seats as whispers spread like wildfire.

The professor, a tall woman with steel-gray hair and sharp eyes, clapped her hands for attention. The room fell silent.

"Good morning, everyone," she said, her voice carrying to the back of the room. "As you know, today is presentation day. Each group will have twenty to twenty-five minutes to present their topic, followed by a five-minute Q&A session with myself and our guest evaluators."

She gestured to the executives. "These professionals are here from various companies in the tech industry. They are looking for talent, interns, future employees, collaborators. So I expect your best work." Her eyes swept the room, landing briefly on each group. "You have spent weeks preparing for this. Some of you have worked harder than others. That will be evident today."

She walked to the front of the room and picked up a remote. "Rules: No reading directly from your slides. No speaking for more than thirty seconds without engaging your audience. No arguments between group members." Her voice turned dry. "I’ve seen it happen. It’s not pretty."

A few students laughed nervously.

"You will be graded on content, delivery, teamwork, and professionalism. The executives will also provide feedback, which may lead to opportunities beyond this classroom." She paused. "So don’t mess it up."

She clicked the remote, and the first group’s name appeared on the screen. "Group one, you’re up. Everyone else, please remain quiet and respectful. Phones away. Eyes forward."

The first group walked to the front, their faces pale and their hands trembling. The professor sat down in the front row, crossed her legs, and began taking notes. The presentations began.

"Oh my god, I’m getting nervous," Bella whispered to Karl, her hands clutching her notes so tightly the paper was starting to crumple.

Karl nodded, his jaw tight. "Same. My heart feels like it’s going to explode."

They watched as group after group walked to the front, presented their topics, and faced the professor’s sharp questions and the evaluators’ silent scribbling pens. The first group stumbled over their words, their slides too crowded, their voices too quiet. The professor interrupted them twice to ask for clarification, and the evaluators exchanged glances.

"Needs improvement," the professor said when they finished. "Your research is solid, but your delivery needs work."

The second group was smoother. They spoke clearly, made eye contact, and used hand gestures. The professor nodded along, and one of the evaluators even smiled.

"Good job," the professor said. "Much better."

The third group’s technology failed. Their slides wouldn’t load, and their video wouldn’t play. They stood frozen at the front, faces red, while the professor waited with her arms crossed.

"Improvisation is a skill," she said finally. "Continue without the slides."

They stumbled through, their voices shaking and their facts jumbled. The evaluators wrote notes with unreadable expressions.

Bella’s stomach churned.

"Next," the professor said.

Another group, another presentation, another round of questions and feedback. Some were good, some were terrible, most were average. The evaluators spoke rarely, only to ask pointed questions about methodology, sources, and conclusions. Bella watched them scribble notes in sharp, quick strokes and tried to read their expressions but couldn’t.

"Next," the professor said.

Bella’s heart pounded. They were getting closer. The professor’s voice cut through the room. "Okay, group eleven. Karl, Mira and Krystal."

Bella’s heart stopped.

Karl’s head snapped toward the front. "Professor?" His voice was sharp and confused. "Are you mistaken? Our group is me, Mira and Bella."

The professor looked up from her clipboard, her steel-gray eyes cold. "No. The submission form says Karl, Mira, and Krystal." She glanced at her watch. "Now, quickly. Come to the front. Don’t waste time."

Karl turned to Bella, his face pale and his dark eyes wide and searching. Then he turned to Mira.