Stoic

With as much patience as he could manage, Noah sat through his meeting. Doing his best to finish it up quickly. Usually it was Steve handling such meetings, as he was the face of the company and the one who is better at the fake smiles and mandatory chit-chat. Noah had always been a person who could only show personal interest in people he had a personal interest in. In other conversations he was direct and to the point. Not wanting to waste anybody's time. But, this quality isn't really suitable when dealing with a new client. Yet, because of Steve's injuries, here he was.

Fortunately for the both of them, although Noah wasn't very good at dealing with the new client meetings, he wasn't completely incapable of doing them. He had the skills, they were just less polished than Steve's. But despite being rusty, as he hadn't done these types of talks since before they had taken on the name Infinity Enterprises, he was still able to use his past experiences to get through this one. Another stroke of luck came from the client's side, as the CEO of Westfield Incorporated seemed to quite like Noah's more direct approach. Because as much as Noah had tried to dial it down, it was a part of him, and he couldn't get rid of it entirely. Especially since he was in a hurry to get it over with. So, despite thinking he was being mother Theresa by the time he had tried to wrap up the meeting, the clock told a different story. But surprisingly the client only commended him for it.

By the time Noah had finished presenting the potential client with the general plan they had drawn up for the company's security measures, allowing them to decide if they wish to sign with I.E. or not, they had barely been five minutes into the meeting. However, despite the short time they had been in the meeting, and despite Noah already having moved quite fast considering they were already finished discussing the plan so quickly after the start of the meeting, it didn't stop Noah from jumping to the next step without wasting another second.

Without cracking a single smile, looking his stoic work-self, he told the man, "So, if you like the idea, you can sign here and we can get started on working out the details." The man chuckled and said, "Well you sure don't beat around the bush do you? We have barely been in here ten minutes and you are already asking me to sign something." But Noah wasn't affected by this question, and just replied, "I am sure we both have a packed schedule and I would hate to waste any more time than is necessary. I presented our plan to you and now it is up to you to decide if it is to your liking or not. If you are satisfied, all there is left to do, is sign. If you have questions, I am happy to answer them of course. But if you weren't convinced by our plan and want to sign with another company, me talking with you here about unrelated matters won't help. So, I find that it is best to be direct when possible."

The man let out another hearty chuckle before he grabbed the contract from Noah's hand and signed it. He then stood up, and Noah did the same, which was followed by the man holding out his hand. They shook hands and as they did the man said, "I like you Mr. Stephens". Before the newly signed client could say any more, Noah made an unexpected joke. He said, "I'm flattered, but I am afraid I am already spoken for." After blinking a few times and realizing that Noah had made a joke, despite all his words having been said with the same stoic expression he had on during the entire meeting, the CEO of Westfield Incorporated burst into laughter. He was so amused by Noah's unexpected joke, that he added a pat to Noah's shoulder to their handshake. A positive sign in the world of business.

Once the laugh was out of his system, the man said, "I think you and I will get along just fine. You don't try to convince me with flattery or by bribing me with fancy dinners or lavish gifts. You let your work speak for you and you are an honest man. Even if it might hurt your deal, you stick to what you believe in. You seem like a man with integrity, which I appreciate in a person and apparently you have a good sense of humour hidden behind expressionless face of yours. I look forward to doing business with you."

Finally Noah showed the man a smile and a nod before thanking him for his business. He then walked him out of the meeting room and asked one of the secretaries nearby to show the man out. He had wanted to do it himself, but he really didn't want to wait any longer to hear what they had managed to find at the warehouse. That information took precedent on properly sending off a client he had already signed.