A Love Story in San Francisco

Chapter 7: Lucas' Struggle

Lucas sat in the Prius, his fingers tapping the steering wheel with a struggle in his mind. The Titoni watch on his hand ticked as if to remind him that the clock was ticking. His eyes stared blankly at the pedestrians outside the car, some pacing slowly, others in a hurry to get home, and Lucas was still in the car as night fell. This was a chance to change his destiny - to get $500 million in AUM from Alongso. The money is more than just a number to him; it represents an opportunity, a breakthrough, even the official launch of his career.

But there was a price behind the contract, and Alongso's terms were clear: accept the money, but help him cover up his past mistakes. Those mistakes, although covered in all their glamour, were violations, risks that could have cost him his reputation, and Lucas knew that once he signed the contract, he was stepping into Alongso's ship of thieves, and wherever Alongso drove, he would go.

There were two voices in his mind debating fiercely. One voice is telling him that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and he should grab it, after all, in this competitive financial world, opportunities are fleeting. While the other voice is reminding him that integrity and ethics are the fundamentals of being a human being, he has always been a strict and self-disciplined representative of the best students in the university, and Professor Watson even invited him to join his PhD team ...... Whatever the choice, he chose to suffer.

He began to take stock of the risks of this investment in Alongso.Alongso was right about one thing, Lucas's client was Alongso, Alongso's client was the B family, and as long as Alongso could keep his client happy, Alongso would continue to represent his client's assets; by the same token, Lucas, as long as he kept Alongso happy, could Lucas can continue to manage the asset as long as he keeps Alongso happy. The only risk is to use the money of family B to buy TITI shares of family A, which is obviously depreciating; first of all, the company won't care, at least James won't, because as long as the client doesn't complain, the company will continue to collect the management fee, and family B won't find out the problem, because the overall asset is still intact, as long as Alongso can handle the reporting properly. The risk appears to be manageable.

Just then, Emma sent a message, ‘Lucas, where are you? Just now Alongso told me that you guys had a great chat and he's looking forward to working with you oh, is that true, you're awesome!’ Lucas instantly didn't know how to reply to Emma, so after a moment's hesitation, he simply replied ‘Yes Emma, Alongso is very enthusiastic, I think there's a good chance’ Lucas continued to stay in the car and switched on the radio, attempting to immerse himself in Taylor Swith's voice for a while, forgetting everything, at least. and forget about it all, at least for ten minutes.

But it wasn't to be. Immediately Lucas received a new e-mail from Laura in the company's human resources department, "Lucas, do you have time tomorrow at 10:30am? I've booked Conference Room 3 and would like to talk to you."

His eyes couldn't help but fall on the screen of his cell phone, the preview of that email was like a scar that couldn't be ignored, reminding him of the uncertainty of what was to come. He imagined every possible scenario, and each one took his breath away. Had he made a mistake? Or was the fear he'd been harboring finally coming true?

Lucas felt a cold sweat already covering his forehead, his shirt clinging to his back in a wet mess. He wanted to run away, to drive somewhere where no one could find him, but reason told him that running away was not the answer. He had to face it, and whatever would happen tomorrow, he had to be brave.

He tried to adjust his breathing, closed his eyes, tried to calm himself down. But those disturbing thoughts were like ghosts in the night, constantly haunting his mind. He thought of his family, Emma, their smiles, their expectations, all of which gave him strength and stress.

Lucas opened his eyes again, he knew he couldn't just sit here and wait. He compiled a message and sent it to Alongso, simply saying "Let's do it". Then he started the car and drove off into the night, the headlights cutting through the darkness as if looking for a ray of hope. He knew there was no turning back.

As the car weaved through the night, Lucas' mind was filled with mixed emotions. Despite his fear, despite the fact that he was close to running inside, he knew that he had to be strong. Because behind him, there were too many people who needed him, too many things waiting to be accomplished.