"Yeah, like for your birthday," Evan said casually. "When is it?"
Nadira shrugged, taking another sip of her drink before answering, "January second."
Evan looked up, slightly surprised. "Seriously? January second?"
She nodded. "Why? Is that a problem?"
Evan shook his head and smiled. "Not at all. It's just… mine's January first."
Nadira's eyes widened. "Oh? So you're a Capricorn too?"
He chuckled. "Yup. That's why we get along—equally stubborn."
She laughed. "Hmm, makes sense. But I've never met anyone whose birthday is so close to mine. So if you were in a relationship, I guess the birthday celebration would be combined?"
Evan looked at her with a teasing glint. "Depends on who the girlfriend is."
Nadira let out a short laugh but didn't respond. She simply stirred her drink again, lost in thought.
"So I guess New Year to early January must always be a special time for you," Evan continued.
"You could say that. My family's usually still in holiday mode, so my birthday's never really a big deal."
"Maybe this year will be different," Evan said, his eyes twinkling as if already plotting something.
She eyed him suspiciously. "Different how?"
He just smiled mysteriously. "That's a secret."
"You're annoying," she muttered, though her grin betrayed her amusement.
Evan laughed, and in the back of his mind, he was already planning a birthday surprise Nadira would never forget.
—
A few days later, in a small meeting room at the office, Johan finished outlining a new project proposal. Around the table sat several senior staff members, including Reza, who kept glancing at Evan now and then.
"So we need a quick solution to streamline our supply chain," Johan said. "Anyone?"
Silence filled the room. A few exchanged glances, clearly thinking. Evan leaned back in his chair, lightly tapping his pen on the table. He knew Johan's style—solutions had to be practical and cost-effective.
He raised a hand. "What if we try a supplier pooling system? Instead of relying on one major vendor, we coordinate several smaller ones to supply in stages. That way we reduce costs and lower the risk of delays."
Johan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Explain further."
Evan laid out his strategy, backed by examples and data from similar cases he'd dealt with in his "past life." This time, however, he presented it as just another employee—no high titles or grand authority behind his words.
When he finished, Johan nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. Evan, put together a more detailed analysis and present it next week."
As the meeting ended, Reza bumped Evan's arm on their way out. "Bro, where'd you pull that idea from?" he joked. "You talk like someone who's led major projects before."
Evan just smiled. "Maybe I read too much."
"Or maybe you're an undercover boss," Reza said with a laugh.
Evan chuckled, knowing how close that joke was to the truth.
—
A week later, Evan stood confidently at the front of the meeting room, presenting a well-organized slideshow. Senior executives, including Johan and several project managers, filled the room.
"As I mentioned last week, using a supplier pooling system could reduce our dependency on a single vendor. Here's a cost simulation based on the proposed scheme," Evan said, showing a graph illustrating a projected 15% cost reduction.
Johan sipped his coffee and glanced at one of the managers. "Have we ever considered this approach?"
The manager shook his head. "Not this thoroughly."
Evan continued, "Of course, there are risks. Managing multiple vendors requires a stronger oversight system. But with a few adjustments to our procurement SOPs, it's feasible."
Silence followed his conclusion—until Johan closed his laptop and looked at him.
"Alright. I'm on board. Evan, take the lead on this project. Report progress directly to me."
Heads turned. This was no small assignment, and for Johan to hand it to a so-called junior staffer raised eyebrows.
"Will do, sir," Evan replied calmly.
—
Later in the pantry, Reza joined Evan, setting his coffee on the counter. "Okay, be honest," he said. "You really never led a big project before?"
Evan shrugged. "I just work hard."
Reza smirked. "Yeah, but come on—three years in this company, and you present like someone with a decade under their belt."
Evan simply gave a small smile. There was no way to explain that he had once led major projects, before the strange twist that had rewritten his life.
"My guess?" Reza continued. "You're the boss's son. That's why you're getting all these chances?"
Evan met his gaze. "Then why would I start from the bottom?"
Reza paused, then raised both hands in surrender. "Okay. Fair point."
—
Over the next few months, the project Evan led began to show significant results. Senior executives took notice. Discussions that once excluded him now invited his input.
Johan, who had only assigned him minor tasks before, started including Evan in more strategic projects.
Outside the meeting rooms, office chatter began to shift.
"That guy's sharp, huh?"
"He's not new—been here three years."
"Really? Feels like someone with ten years' experience."
Evan heard the whispers but didn't let them distract him. He had a goal: to reclaim his former place—or surpass it.
—
At a quarterly performance review, Evan presented the progress of the supplier pooling initiative. Sitting across from him were Johan and several managers.
"We've been running the pooling system for three months now," Evan began. "Procurement costs are down 12%—close to our target of 15%. Delays have also decreased since we now have multiple vendor options."
Johan listened closely. "What challenges have you faced?"
"Coordinating standards across different vendors was tough," Evan replied. "But by implementing stricter audit processes, we've managed to ensure quality consistency."
The managers nodded. Rudi, one of the more senior figures in the room, spoke up. "I'll admit, I was skeptical at first. But seeing the data now, I think we can expand this to other departments."
Johan closed his folder and looked straight at Evan. "Good work. Move forward with the next phase. And after this, I've got something bigger for you."
Evan stayed composed, but inside, he felt a flicker of satisfaction. The recognition he once lost was slowly returning—earned all over again.