"Why don't I drop you off first? It's pretty much on the way," Grace Li suggested.
Aiden Thompson glanced over and asked, "Where do you live?"
"Greenview Apartments."
Aiden punched the address into the car's navigation system, then said, "You go ahead and crash for the night. I'll just grab an Uber."
Grace thought it over and nodded. "Alright, that works. Make sure to expense the ride later—don't let Ryan give you a hard time about it."
The car rolled back onto the main road, merging into the evening traffic. After a moment of silence, Aiden unexpectedly spoke up. "You said earlier you used to live in Brook Village."
"Yeah," Grace said, leaning back into her seat. "When I first graduated, I was flat broke—like, living paycheck to paycheck kind of broke. I only had about a grand to my name during my first month, and my internship check didn't come in until the end of it. Every penny I spent felt like a big deal. I rented the cheapest spot I could find, packed my own lunches every day, and even superglued my shoes when they fell apart. It wasn't glamorous, but I got through it. Once I started earning more, I upgraded to a nicer place."
Aiden glanced at her, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "You're pretty open about your past."
Grace tilted her head, intrigued. "What makes you say that?"
"Just a vibe I get," Aiden said with a shrug, keeping his eyes on the road.
Grace laughed softly. "That's funny. I've always thought I was pretty guarded."
Aiden nodded slightly. "You are—when it comes to work."
Her curiosity piqued, Grace asked, "How so?"
He took a second before answering. "Take today, for example. The way you grilled Jack during the meeting? You weren't pulling any punches."
Grace chuckled. "Fair point. In this line of work, you can't afford to take things at face value. Every dollar we invest is a risk. If it doesn't pan out, we're the ones left holding the bag. That's why I ask the tough questions. It's not about being rude; it's about getting to the bottom of things."
She shifted the conversation. "Speaking of work, I'll need you to put together a report on today's meeting by tomorrow morning. Just the key takeaways—nothing fancy."
"Got it," Aiden replied simply.
His short, to-the-point responses added to his reputation for being "chill but distant." Ryan always joked that Aiden had the whole "cool guy" vibe down to a science. But when Aiden smiled, even just a little, it had this effortless charm that made him seem approachable in a way that caught people off guard.
When they arrived at the gate of Grace's apartment complex, Aiden parked the car and ordered a rideshare to get home.
Contrary to Grace's assumptions, Aiden did live in Brook Village, but not in one of the crammed, older townhouses in the middle of the neighborhood. Instead, he stayed in a furnished long-term rental on the outskirts, near the subway station. The building was sleek and modern, with decent amenities, and the rent was about $1,800 a month—affordable by New York standards for someone playing it smart with their finances.
His choice was practical. Apartments closer to the central business district (CBD) typically ran over $4,000 a month for something comparable, and Aiden wasn't about to shell out that kind of cash. From Brook Village, driving to work took around 40 minutes. If he felt like saving gas, he could walk to the subway station and take two trains, which added up to just under an hour—a totally reasonable commute by NYC standards.
At the entrance of his apartment building, Aiden had just stepped out of the Uber when a voice called out behind him.
"Master Aiden."
He turned to see Tom, the family's long-time butler, standing by the door of a black Bentley. Next to him was the family chauffeur. The car door opened, and a woman stepped out—elegant and poised, dressed in a perfectly tailored Chanel suit. She looked to be in her early fifties, with every detail of her appearance, from her jewelry to her heels, exuding understated wealth.
"Mom," Aiden said, walking over. "What are you doing here?"
"I've been worried about you, so I came to check in," she said, her eyes scanning him with maternal concern. "Is this where you're staying?"
"Yeah."
She sighed, her voice softening. "Why are you doing this, Aiden? What's the point of fighting with your father? He's been cooling off these past few days. Just go back and apologize—it'll make things easier for everyone."
Hands in his pockets, Aiden shook his head firmly. "That's not happening."
"Aiden," her voice wavered as she looked at him, eyes glistening with tears. "I'm worried about you. I just want to make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine, Mom. I'm living on my own, and I'm managing. You don't have to worry about me. It's late—why don't you head home?"
Tom chimed in gently, "Master Aiden, please listen to your mother. She only wants what's best for you."
Aiden glanced at the older man but stayed resolute. "I'm not upset with Dad. I just want to see what I can do on my own, without him backing me."
His mother pulled a sleek black card from her handbag and extended it to him. "If you're not ready to come back, at least take this."
"I don't need it," Aiden said, taking a step back.
"You gave all your cards back to your father," she pressed. "How do you even have money?"
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm not starving." He sighed, glancing at the time. "It's late. Please, just go home. I'll be fine."
After watching the car pull away, Aiden turned and headed upstairs to his apartment.
The place was modest but comfortable—a 600-square-foot loft with high ceilings, a small kitchen, and a bright living space. It wasn't anything fancy, but for $1,800 a month, it was a great deal for New York City, even on the outskirts of Manhattan. The building was near the subway, which made commuting to work manageable.
Before leaving home, Aiden had returned all the credit cards and bank accounts tied to his father's wealth. But his internship at Goldman Sachs had allowed him to save a decent chunk of money. He had about $15,000 stashed away in a personal account, untouched by his family.
After paying the security deposit, first and last month's rent, and furnishing the apartment with basic essentials, he was left with about $9,000. At his current rate of spending—around $2,000 a month, including rent, groceries, and other expenses—he calculated he could make it comfortably until his first paycheck arrived next month.
Grace Li was more than impressed with Aiden Thompson's work. Whether it was industry research reports or financial analysis, he delivered exceptional results every time. Some of his unique perspectives even earned Grace's silent admiration.
On top of that, Aiden's good looks had earned him quite the fan club among the female employees in the company. Early in the morning, a woman from a neighboring team was already waiting by the hallway with two cups of coffee. When she spotted Aiden walking by, she immediately approached him.
"Aiden! Good morning!" she greeted with a bright smile.
"Morning," Aiden replied lazily, his tone casual.
"I accidentally bought an extra coffee. This one's for you," she said, handing him a cup.
"Thanks, but I've already had my coffee," Aiden declined politely.
"Oh, come on, one more cup won't hurt!" She practically shoved the coffee into his hands. "Here, take it." Then she quickly pulled out her phone. "By the way, let's exchange numbers! I know we're on different teams, but it'd be great to connect for work, you know?"
"Bad timing," Aiden said calmly. "I forgot my phone today."
Her smile froze for a second. "Uh… alright, maybe next time then."
Olivia, who had been watching from nearby, stomped into the break room, fuming. Coincidentally, Grace Li was there too. Olivia marched up to her, huffing, "Boss, that Amy from the other team is way out of line! She's trying to steal one of our own!"
Grace had seen the whole thing too and laughed, trying to calm her down. "She's just being friendly."
"No way," Olivia puffed up her cheeks. She'd never liked Amy. "Aiden is one of us! She doesn't get to make a move on him."
Grace just smiled and headed back to her office with her coffee. Aiden was already at his desk, and that cup of coffee Amy had forced on him? He'd placed it on Ryan's desk.
Ryan's eyes lit up as he pretended to look touched. "Aiden, how did you know I was just craving coffee? Man, I knew sticking up for you these days would pay off!"
Aiden pulled out his chair and sat down, his tone flat. "She shoved it at me. Didn't feel like throwing it in the trash, so enjoy."
Ryan's expression immediately changed. "I knew it! You're not that nice!"
"If you don't want it, toss it," Aiden said, opening his laptop.
Ryan quickly opened the lid and chugged a big gulp. "Waste not, want not!"
Sitting next to Ryan, Mike chimed in with a grin, "Hey, Aiden, next time someone shoves free coffee at you, think of me, alright?"
Olivia wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Seriously, do you guys have no dignity? It's just a cup of coffee—what, like three bucks? You can't buy your own?"
Mike leaned back in his chair, smirking at Olivia from across the desk. "Relax, Olivia. It's just a joke. Why so serious?"
Olivia crossed her arms. "I just didn't think you guys could stoop this low. Disappointing, really."
Just then, Grace received a call on the office line. Hanging up, she called out to the room, "Thanksgiving gifts from the company are here! They're in admin. Ryan, Mike, go grab them." She'd planned it this way since George and Peter had already told her last week they'd need to leave early to catch flights home for Thanksgiving.
Ryan, still sipping his coffee, got up with Mike to head to admin.
This year's Thanksgiving gift was a neatly wrapped rectangular box. Inside was an assortment of fruit, a pumpkin pie, and a $50 gift card.
The gifts sparked a lively buzz in the office as everyone started chatting.
"Time really flies," Olivia said with a sigh. "It feels like we just got last year's Thanksgiving gifts yesterday."
"Hey, Grace," George said, "I've got a flight at 5:30 today. I'll need to leave by 4. That okay?"
Grace shot him a look. "Do you really need to announce it so loud?"
"I'll just say I'm going out for project research," George replied with a grin.
"Same here," Peter added, raising his hand. "My flight's at 6:30, so I need to head out by 5 at the latest."
Grace waved them off. "I didn't hear anything. You guys figure it out."
Earlier, Grace had invested in a custom chocolate company, and today they were hosting a Thanksgiving event. Since most of the team was leaving early, and Olivia's family lived locally, Grace told her, "Olivia, I'm heading to the 'Sweet Moments' Thanksgiving event this afternoon. Come with me—it's part event, part check-in on the investment."
"Sure thing, boss!" Olivia agreed enthusiastically.
"Sweet Moments" was a company Grace had invested in two years ago, founded by two young women who specialized in creative chocolates. They designed chocolates for weddings, holidays, and romantic occasions, and their unique designs had caught Grace's attention. She'd invested in the idea, and the business had grown steadily ever since.
By the time Grace finished her day, it was 7 p.m. The founders had offered to treat her to dinner, but their shop was too busy that night, so Grace declined and headed back to the office. Olivia had gone straight home.
Grace expected the office to be empty—it was Thanksgiving evening, after all. But to her surprise, the lights were still on, and there was Aiden, sitting at his desk, working away.
"Aiden, you're not going home for Thanksgiving?" she asked, startled.
Aiden turned at the sound of her voice. "Nope."
Grace walked over to his desk and set down a gift bag. "Where's home?" she asked.
"Boston."
"That's not far—just a few hours' drive. Why aren't you heading back?" Grace asked, her curiosity growing.
Aiden looked at her and asked, "Do you want the truth?"
Grace suddenly felt like she might be prying too much. She quickly backtracked. "If you don't want to say, it's fine."
But Aiden answered anyway. "Haven't achieved much yet. Not ready to face them."
Grace instantly understood. She thought of what she knew about his background—how his family had fallen on hard times. He was probably under a lot of pressure to succeed before going home. No wonder he always carried that faint air of melancholy.
She didn't press further. Instead, she picked up the gift bag and pulled out a small transparent box. "Here, this is for you," she said with a smile, placing it on his desk. "Happy Thanksgiving."
Aiden glanced at her, then at the box. Inside was a beautifully crafted chocolate Thanksgiving scene: a dark chocolate turkey at the center, surrounded by little chocolate vegetables—carrots, broccoli, corn, and pumpkins. A star-shaped milk chocolate card sat beside the turkey, with the words "Thankful for you—life feels warmer with you in it" written in white chocolate.
"Thanks," Aiden said softly.
"No big deal," Grace said, grinning. "One of the clients gave it to me today. I'm just re-gifting it to you."
"Re-gifting?" Aiden repeated the word, a faint smile forming. He found the phrase oddly amusing and chuckled.