Chapter 07
793 Words
Grace Li returned to her desk, opened her laptop, and started organizing the materials she'd collected from the "Sweet Moments" event earlier that day. She figured if she didn't sort it out now during the holiday, she'd probably forget half of it after the three-day break. The office fell silent for a moment.
Aiden's desk was just about six feet from Grace's, and he could easily spot her. He turned his head slightly and casually asked, "Not heading home?"
"Traffic's probably terrible today. I figured I'd leave first thing in the morning instead," Grace replied. She had planned to order takeout after returning to the office, but chatting with Aiden had made her forget. Her stomach growled—those chocolates earlier weren't enough. "Did you have dinner yet?"
"Not yet."
"I'm about to order takeout. Wanna join me?"
"Sure," Aiden replied.
Grace pulled out her phone and scrolled through the delivery app. After a while, she walked over to Aiden's desk with her phone in hand. "Hey, Aiden, how about sushi? This place has great reviews, and it's still open!"
Aiden didn't even glance at the menu and said, "Works for me."
Grace liked to keep things casual with her team, but she wondered if Aiden agreed so quickly because she was his boss and he didn't want to say no. Testing the waters, she added, "We can order something else if you'd rather."
"Sushi's good. I like eel and sashimi," Aiden replied with clear preferences.
Relieved, Grace started adding items to the cart. "Alright, one eel California roll, a sashimi platter, and a sushi combo. We should get some mains too—ramen or fried rice? What's your pick?"
"Ramen."
Grace handed him her phone. "Here, pick one—spicy ramen, tonkotsu ramen, or seafood ramen?"
Aiden selected the tonkotsu ramen without much thought. Grace showed him the order summary after placing it. "Take a look—this enough for you?"
"Yeah, looks good."
Grace finished the payment, and Aiden immediately pulled up her contact to transfer his share. Grace noticed and quickly stopped him. "No need, my treat."
Aiden looked at her, a faint smile on his face. "You this generous with all your team members?"
Grace laughed. "Only occasionally. Can't afford to do this all the time!"
"Thanks, then," Aiden said, not pressing further.
"No big deal," Grace replied. Then, teasingly, she added, "You know, Ryan and the others are always trying to get me to treat them. Stick around long enough, and you'll see."
Half an hour later, the sushi arrived. Since the company's dining area was closed for the holiday, Grace cleared half her desk, and the two of them started eating.
As they ate, Grace said, "Let me tell you something. In this industry, as long as you stick with it and put in the effort, making money isn't that hard."
"How so?" Aiden asked.
Grace picked up a piece of tuna sashimi, dipped it in soy sauce, and popped it into her mouth. The wasabi hit her hard, and she almost teared up. "Hang on—too much wasabi!"
Aiden couldn't help but laugh at her reaction.
Once Grace recovered, she continued, "Here's an example. I graduated from Arizona State University. Solid school, but not exactly a top name in investment banking or venture capital. My first job was as a teller at a bank. I only lasted six months because I hated it—just no passion for it. Then I joined a private company's marketing department and got burned bad."
"How bad?" Aiden asked, intrigued.
"No health insurance, and the boss just kept making empty promises. I left pretty quickly," Grace said with a wry smile. "Back then, I was completely lost. Now, looking back, I realize how naïve I was. With barely any experience, finding a decent job was tough. But then I joined a financial advisory firm, and that's where I found my passion—investing. Researching startups, analyzing industries, putting money into promising companies, and watching them grow—it was so exciting. I met Benjamin, our boss, during that time. Nova Capital was just a small team back then. He thought I'd be a good fit and invited me to join. I started as an investment assistant and worked my way up. A year later, I became a senior investment manager, and two years after that, investment director."
"Pretty impressive," Aiden said simply.
"You've got way more potential than I did," Grace said. "You're sharp, hardworking, and your reports? Flawless. I'm sure you'll go even further."
"Are you trying to motivate me?" Aiden asked, raising an eyebrow.
Grace tilted her head and grinned. "Maybe, or maybe I'm just humblebragging. Who knows?"
Aiden chuckled softly and went back to his sushi.
- Writer
