I Was Sent Into A Shitty Urban Novel-Chapter 26 - . Announcement

The morning air in Riverstone was cool, crisp, and oddly quiet for a city known for its buzz. But inside the polished walls of the newly renovated NovaForm Studio—soon to be something else entirely—things were anything but calm.

Jason stood at the large glass window of the top-floor conference room, hands in his pockets as he overlooked the skyline. Behind him, the core team for C&B’s launch was gathering—Hendricks, Natalie, Daisy, and Maya.

Daisy, as usual, typed silently on a tablet. She had been up since dawn finalizing the digital campaigns. Natalie was half-seated on the conference table, scrolling through engagement reports from her socials. Hendricks sipped black coffee, already in a fresh charcoal suit. The man cleaned up well.

Jason turned. "Let’s begin."

He walked toward the table and tapped the center tablet, switching on the projection display.

"C&B officially goes live in three days. That’s 72 hours until public opening. But our brand soft-launch begins tonight.

A sleek logo appeared on screen: C&B: Cafe& Beauty. Simple, modern, matte-finished.

Natalie leaned forward. "We’ve already got buzz. Some of my followers think it’s a pop-up brand—limited time only. That’s good for scarcity."

Jason nodded. "Let them keep thinking that. We’re not correcting them."

Hendricks raised an eyebrow. "Why lean into that?"

"Psychology," Jason replied. "Exclusivity draws interest. And we want curiosity—not expectation. We don’t want influencers showing up ready to critique. We want them intrigued, cautious, then impressed."

Maya, flipping pages on a sketchpad beside her, added, "Our design aesthetics are 95% done. Mirrors arrive tonight. Custom mugs tomorrow morning. All remaining furniture’s en route."

Jason looked at her. "And the scent conditioning?"

"Tested last night," she said. "Customers will get a warm vanilla-citrus aroma near the café zone and soft green tea notes on the beauty side. Subtle but distinct."

Daisy turned her tablet so Jason could read her notes. He scanned them.

"We’ll activate Daisy’s press packet this evening," he said. "She’s scheduled three interviews for Hendricks. One live radio segment. One podcast. One TV spot—pre-recorded. We go human-interest angle first."

Hendricks cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable. "You sure I’m the right one to keep pushing forward? I’m not a PR guy."

Jason looked at him flatly. "You’re not a PR guy. You’re the guy who got back up. You’re the story, not the actor. Just speak."

Natalie nodded in agreement. "People like you. You’re authentic. I’ve already seen the comment sections on your press conference—half the girls want your number."

Hendricks flushed. Jason gave a faint smirk.

"And Natalie," Jason said, shifting the screen. "Your first product demo video goes live tomorrow. You’ll start with the tea tree and rosewater toner line. Hendricks introduces the café menu in parallel. We want customers to feel like they’re stepping into a lifestyle, not a building."

"What about live events?" Maya asked.

Jason turned to Daisy. She nodded and typed something.

"One influencer brunch," Jason replied. "Saturday. Quiet invite-only list. Natalie will host. You’ll casually demo products, but it’s not a sales pitch. It’s lifestyle exposure."

Natalie sat back, satisfied. "I can pull that off."

Maya added, "If you need me doing background skin-prep for the girls, I’m game."

Jason nodded. "Do it."

He looked around the room, then reached into a file folder and passed out NDAs and onboarding contracts.

"Let me be clear," he said. "This brand isn’t for people who want to look good. It’s for people who want to feel better than the people around them. Every bottle, every cup of coffee, every photo—has to feel like winning."

The team was quiet for a moment. Then Hendricks chuckled softly. "You’ve really thought this through."

Jason gave a thin smile.

Just then, his phone buzzed. He tapped the screen briefly, scanning a data update from the app—but only half-registered the contents.

The meeting continued.

Daisy handed out scheduling binders. Social media release times. Influencer talking points. Employee conduct memos.

Natalie added one more thing: "I’ve also been compiling a short video series called ’From Ruin to Redemption’—featuring Hendricks. Short clips. Quotes. Photos from his early days. It humanizes the company. Softens the luxury edge."

Jason was impressed. "Run that. Make sure the comments are screened. Keep trolls off."

Natalie nodded.

They wrapped up the meeting an hour later. Everyone filed out except Jason and Daisy.

He looked at her. "Any word from my fellow Yun’s?"

Daisy shook her head, then gestured: Jane and Alex are quiet. For now.

Jason exhaled. "Good.

Visit freewe𝑏nov(e)l.𝗰𝐨𝐦 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience