Page 84 of True Colors

The space inside my chest narrows, but I sit still.

Don’t rescue. Don’t interrupt. Let her fight her fights. That’s the advice I got from Finn.

She closes her eyes, inhales once, then continues.

“—shows that e-even under a f-fifteen percent raw m-material shock, Novagene r-remains within t-threshold.”

She clicks to the next slide, and the mood changes, because the data speaks. She’s a damn good storyteller when it comes to written material and slide decks.

The charts are clear.

The assumptions are explicit.

Gabby nods along. Lowell leans forward, engaged. He asks a question about supplier renegotiation timelines.

Anouk answers it.

Slowly. Carefully. With precision and a stutter.

I have learned that she doesn’t guess. She won’t just talk for the sake of it. If she doesn’t know something, she’ll say she’ll get back to you, but she won’t bullshit.

I respect that.

By the time she finishes, there’s a beat of silence.

“That,” Lowell says finally, “is rock solid.”

Vijay adds, “If the board challenges the volatility bands, this model will hold.”

Anouk exhales, tension easing out of her shoulders. She glances at me, just briefly for validation. I give her a slight nod.

By Anouk’s standards, she did well, but by board meeting standards? I’m not sure.

When I put someone in front of senior management, I want to know, without a shred of doubt, that when the questions come and the pressure is real, the presenters will deliver.

I get messages from our visitors while the meeting room empties.

Gabby: Anouk knows her numbers, but she can’t present. I wouldn’t put her in front of the board.

Lowell: That presentation is world-class. The slide deck is perfection. The presenter, not so much. Just feedback.

Erin says the same thing when she and Vijay stay back in the conference room after everyone leaves.

“We need to finalize presenters so we can lock the board deck.” Erin looks as worried as I feel. “Luther, Jacob Grant will be there. So will the Novagene exec team.”

“I know.”

She taps her tablet, bringing up the agenda. “Given the stakes, I think it makes sense for me to present the model.”

Vijay’s head snaps up. “What?”

Erin shakes her head, irritated with Vijay. “Because clarity matters. This is a board-level presentation. We can’t afford distractions.”

My jaw tightens.

“That’s not what a stutter is.” Vijay’s voice is tight. “It’s a speech difference.”

A frustrated sound rumbles out of Erin. “I’m not questioning Anouk’s intelligence. But perception matters at that level.”