At 7 a.m. sharp, the alarm clock buzzed in a cozy apartment in New York City. Grace Li was curled up under her soft blanket. Hearing the sound, she reached out for her phone on the nightstand, silenced the alarm, and peeked her head out of the covers. Squinting against the morning light, she slowly got out of bed.
Shuffling to the kitchen in her slippers, she opened the fridge, grabbed an ear of sweet corn, and counted out five frozen vegetable-cheese dumplings. She placed them neatly in the electric steamer, setting the timer for fifteen minutes. Then she turned to make herself a cup of rich, aromatic Americano before heading to the bathroom to freshen up. By the time she returned, the kitchen was filled with the mingling scents of corn, dumplings, and coffee—breakfast was perfectly timed.
Grace sat down and took a bite of a dumpling when her phone lit up with an incoming call. The screen showed it was her mom, Huiyun Liang.
"Grace, you're not on your way to work yet, are you?" Her mom's warm voice came through the line.
"Not yet, Mom. What's up?" Grace asked after swallowing her food.
"Your aunt met this young man here in the U.S. He seems like a great catch—good background, good personality. I thought I'd mention it to you. If you have time, maybe you could meet him," her mom said, her tone light but clearly hopeful.
Grace frowned slightly. "Mom, I've told you before, I'm not interested in blind dates. I already like someone."
Her mom sighed on the other end. "You keep saying that, but it's been three years, Grace. Three years, and there's still no sign of him. Even if he's busy in another city, if he really cared about you, wouldn't he have made more of an effort by now? Don't be so stubborn."
"Mom, even if he wasn't in the picture, I'm too busy with work to meet new people," Grace tried to deflect.
"Grace, I'm saying this for your own good. You're 29 now, and you'll be 30 this March. Expanding your social circle isn't a bad thing. Just think of it as making a new friend," her mom reasoned patiently.
"Got it, Mom. Let's talk about it later. I need to finish breakfast and head to work," Grace said, eager to end the conversation.
"Alright, but think about it, okay? Take care of yourself."
"I will. Bye, Mom." Grace hung up and set her coffee cup aside, returning to her meal.
Something crossed her mind. She picked up her phone and scrolled to her last conversation with Daniel Chou. Their last exchange was a week ago, on Wednesday. She had seen a post of his about a business trip to Paris and had sent him a quick message. His reply was polite but brief.
Over the past three years, their relationship had been stretched thin. She was in New York, and he was constantly traveling across Europe and the U.S. They only managed to meet during the Christmas holidays. The first two years, they saw each other a few times. But last Christmas, his hectic schedule didn't even leave room for a visit. Their connection, sustained only by sporadic texts, felt increasingly fragile. Yet Grace held on, clinging to a faint hope.
After finishing her breakfast, Grace applied a light, flawless makeup in front of the mirror, slipped on a sharp blazer and pencil skirt, grabbed her bag, and stepped out into the bustling morning crowd of New York City.
Her first appointment was with an important limited partner (LP), a morning jog enthusiast who had suggested meeting at a café near Central Park. Grace scheduled the meeting for 8:30 AM. By the time she returned to the office, it was just past 10.
Grace Li worked at a well-known venture capital firm and had been grinding there for over five years, climbing her way up to the position of Investment Director. Despite the impressive title, in New York's hyper-competitive financial world, it was just a middle management role. After all, many peers started their careers as Investment Managers right out of school.
As Grace stepped out of the elevator, the receptionist greeted her with a bright smile.
"Grace, the candidate you scheduled yesterday is here. He's in the conference room."
"Got it, I'll head over shortly."
Grace led the firm's consumer investment division, managing a team of five to six people. Recently, one of her Investment Managers had left due to personal reasons, leaving a gap that needed to be filled ASAP. None of the candidates she'd interviewed over the past few days had met her expectations.
Today's candidate, however, had caught her attention while she reviewed résumés last night. A graduate of Oxford's MBA program with an internship at Goldman Sachs—this was a golden résumé in the financial world. Grace wasted no time and headed straight to the conference room.
When she opened the door and laid eyes on the candidate, she froze for a split second. There had been no photo on the résumé, and she had assumed that looks might not be this person's strong suit. But the man standing before her was strikingly handsome, the kind of handsome that made people do a double take.
Dressed in a sharp black suit with a perfectly knotted tie, his fair skin and chiseled features gave off a polished, almost regal vibe. As he stood up, Grace estimated his height to be over 6'1". Confidence radiated from him.
"Good morning," the man greeted her with a slight smile, his tone warm but composed.
Grace quickly regained her professional demeanor and returned the smile.
"You must be Aiden Thompson?"
"That's right."
"Please, have a seat."
Aiden sat down with an ease that carried a hint of arrogance. Grace had interviewed countless candidates, but few fresh graduates carried themselves with this level of poise.
"I reviewed your résumé last night. Very impressive," Grace began, flipping through her notes.
"Thank you," Aiden replied with a calm confidence.
Grace dove into the standard questions about his internship experience and technical knowledge. Aiden's answers were concise and sincere, and Grace found herself nodding in approval.
After about ten minutes, she decided to up the ante.
"With your credentials, you could easily land a position at one of the top three investment banks in the U.S. Why choose Nova Capital, a mid-sized firm?"
Aiden didn't miss a beat. "I've been following Nova Capital's consumer investment projects, and I admire the unique approach you take. It aligns perfectly with my career goals. Plus, I'm drawn to the innovative culture here. I believe it's a place where I can grow in ways that the big banks might not offer."
Grace nodded thoughtfully, impressed by his response. She then moved on to logistics.
"The role involves some grunt work in the beginning. Are you okay with that?"
"No problem at all."
"Here's the deal: the position has a two-month trial period. Once you're confirmed, you'll start as an Investment Manager. Trial pay is $18,000 per month, and it goes up to $20,000 upon confirmation. Bonuses are typically three months' salary, with additional rewards for star projects. Is the compensation acceptable?"
"Works for me."
Grace had been concerned that he might find the pay too low, but his straightforward answer put her at ease.
"If we decide to move forward, when can you start?"
"Tomorrow."
The interview wrapped up, and Grace returned to her office. Her assistant, Olivia, came over with a coffee in hand, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Boss, how'd it go with the hot guy you just interviewed? Did he get the job?"
Grace smirked, knowing Olivia's tendency to gush over attractive men.
"You're really invested in this, huh?"
Olivia shrugged. "We've been drowning in work lately. I didn't leave the office until 11 PM last night. A new hire would be a lifesaver."
Grace didn't tease her further. "He's in. Let's see if he actually shows up tomorrow."
Olivia's face lit up. "Yes! Finally!"
Their colleague Ryan overheard and chimed in. "Olivia, you're so shallow. Just because he's good-looking?"
Olivia shot back, "And you don't stare at every pretty woman who walks by?"
Ryan feigned innocence. "I'm not that shallow." He turned to Grace for backup.
"Boss, what's the deal with this guy? The last few candidates didn't cut it. What makes this one so special?"
Grace leaned back in her chair, taking a sip of water. "Oxford MBA, fresh graduate, Goldman Sachs internship."
Olivia gasped. "Whoa, total rock star!"
Ryan scoffed. "That résumé? Plenty of those on Wall Street."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Coming from you, a state school grad?"
Ryan immediately deflected. "Now you're just offending the boss!"
Olivia panicked. "I wasn't talking about her! Just you, Ryan, and your big mouth."
Grace, used to their banter, cut in. "Alright, enough. The Pfizer due diligence report needs to be finalized today. Let's focus."
The office quickly returned to its usual hum of productivity.