By 8:40, coworkers were starting to trickle in. The first to arrive was Aiden Thompson. The moment he walked in, his eyes landed on Grace. He smiled warmly and greeted her.
"Morning."
Hearing his voice made Grace's heart skip a beat, but she quickly steadied herself and replied as casually as possible.
"Morning."
"Want a coffee?" Aiden asked, his tone friendly.
She waved him off. "No, thanks. You enjoy it."
Despite her refusal, Aiden walked over and placed a coffee cup gently on the corner of her desk. "Got two," he said with a grin.
A small ripple of warmth spread through her chest. Could it be he'd gotten it just for her? She kept her tone even.
"Why'd you get two?"
Aiden shrugged, his expression light. "Buy one, get one free."
Grace glanced at the coffee cup and noticed the logo of Starry Brew, the popular café downstairs. She raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't see that promo. Or do you just look like a VIP customer?"
Aiden smirked, his tone teasing. "Probably my good looks—they couldn't resist."
Grace rolled her eyes. His cockiness was borderline ridiculous, but she couldn't entirely deny it.
Seeing her reaction, Aiden chuckled. "What? You don't think I'm good-looking?"
Grace picked up the coffee cup, feeling its warmth seep into her hands. After a moment's thought, she nodded seriously.
"Good-looking enough."
By 9 a.m., the office was buzzing as everyone had arrived. Grace had already been working efficiently for an hour.
Olivia walked in, her voice carrying across the room.
"Hey, who grabbed coffee from Starry Brew? Can you send me the receipt?"
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Why do you need the receipt?"
"Because their app has this promo! If you collect 12 stamps, you can redeem an exclusive Christmas mug. It's adorable, and I need it!" Olivia explained enthusiastically.
Ryan glanced at Aiden's desk, pointing at his coffee cup.
"Looks like Aiden bought one."
Immediately, Olivia darted to Aiden's desk, a playful tone in her voice.
"Aiden, if you drink there again, can you save me your stamps?"
Aiden looked up from his computer, smiling. "Sure, just remind me next time."
"You're the best!" Olivia beamed. She turned to the rest of the team. "Anyone else using the Starry Brew app? Help a girl out!"
Ryan shrugged. "Don't drink their coffee, so no can do."
On her way back to her desk, Olivia noticed the cup on Grace's desk and lit up.
"Grace, you bought one too? Did you use the app to collect stamps?"
Grace glanced at the coffee, her tone casual.
"No, just grabbed it on a whim."
"Ah, what a shame. Next time, help me collect some stamps, okay?"
"Sure, sure," Grace replied, waving her off.
Shortly after, Grace finished reviewing a file when her office phone rang. It was Benjamin Harris asking her to come to his office. Taking one last sip of her coffee, she headed over.
She knocked lightly before entering.
Inside, she noticed a young woman standing by Benjamin's desk. She had shoulder-length light brown hair and was dressed in a camel-colored wool coat that reached mid-thigh, paired with a burgundy turtleneck sweater and slim black pants. She wore brown ankle boots and had a gray scarf tied neatly around her neck. The outfit was simple yet exuded a warm holiday vibe, catching Grace's eye for a brief moment.
"Mr. Harris," Grace Li greeted politely as she entered the office.
Benjamin Harris smiled warmly and waved her over. "Grace, come in. Let me introduce you to someone."
Grace walked closer as Benjamin stepped out from behind his desk. He gestured toward the young woman standing beside him. "This is my daughter, Scarlett. She recently graduated from the University of Reading and interned at Barclays for six months. She'll be joining Nova Capital, and while she's bright, she's still getting her feet wet. I'd like you to show her around and help her settle in."
Grace nodded. "Of course."
Benjamin turned to Scarlett. "Scarlett, Grace is one of my most trusted team members. You'd do well to learn from her."
"Got it, Dad." Scarlett smiled at Grace. "Looking forward to working with you, Grace."
"Likewise," Grace replied with a polite smile.
Benjamin added, "Grace, why don't you give Scarlett a quick tour of the office?"
"Sure."
Grace guided Scarlett through the various departments, introducing her to key teams. Finally, they arrived at Grace's group. The office was buzzing with chatter about holiday sales, the room filled with energy.
Grace cleared her throat softly, and the noise instantly quieted as everyone turned to look. Their curiosity was evident as they noticed Scarlett standing beside her.
Ryan was the first to speak. "Hey, boss, who's the new face?"
Grace kept it simple. "This is Scarlett, our new colleague. She'll be working with us going forward."
Ryan clapped his hands together. "Welcome aboard!"
Scarlett smiled warmly. "Thank you."
Before anyone else could speak, Ryan grabbed a notepad and pen, grinning as he stepped forward. "So, Scarlett, how about leaving your number? You know, in case you need a guide to office survival."
Grace pinched the bridge of her nose. She could already see where this was going.
Scarlett, however, chuckled lightly. "How about I treat everyone to dinner after work instead? That way, I can get to know you all better."
Olivia interjected, "Wait, wait! You're new—you shouldn't have to treat us! It's our job to welcome you."
Scarlett waved it off. "I insist. You can pick the restaurant—I'm still new to the area."
Ryan grinned. "Don't worry, we won't let you spend too much. Right, team?"
Scarlett smiled. "No need to hold back. I'll leave it to you guys."
After the introduction, Scarlett excused herself to head to her desk. On her way to the main office, she crossed paths with a man whose sharp features and calm demeanor caught her attention. He glanced at her briefly before walking past, his focus already back on whatever task was at hand.
Scarlett's gaze lingered on him for a moment before she shook her head and continued on her way.
Back in Grace's office, Ryan leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Boss, where'd you find this newbie? She's not only stunning but super chill too."
Grace gave him a pointed look. "Oh, I forgot to mention—she's Mr. Harris's daughter."
Ryan froze mid-sip of his coffee, choking slightly. "You're kidding, right?"
Grace raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I'm joking?"
Ryan groaned. "Great. So, should I start packing my things now, or…?"
The final dinner location was a popular local American restaurant known for its steaks and seafood.
Scarlett Harris noticed that, compared to the lively mood in the office this morning, the atmosphere at the dinner was a bit tense.
She flashed a warm smile and said, "Don't be shy, everyone. Order whatever you want, this one's on me."
Though everyone knew she was the CEO's daughter, hearing her take the initiative made them relax a little and start discussing the menu.
"This place's onion rings are amazing, we should definitely get an order," Mike said, kicking things off.
"And their grilled corn and creamed spinach are pretty great too!" Olivia added.
Grace glanced through the menu and suggested, "How about we add a couple of mains? Maybe a classic rib-eye and some grilled salmon?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, picking out their favorites. After they finished ordering, the table fell into a brief silence.
To break the awkwardness, Scarlett Harris smiled and said, "What's going on, you all are so quiet tonight. Did I do something wrong? You don't have to be so formal with me."
Ryan finally gathered the courage to speak up. "Actually, this morning I was a little too casual, made some jokes that probably weren't appropriate. Hope you don't take it the wrong way."
Scarlett waved it off with a smile. "No way, I think the vibe at your office is awesome, you guys are really fun." She pulled out her phone, "By the way, you mentioned exchanging contact info earlier, let's do that now."
Ryan was a little taken aback but quickly pulled out his phone, and they added each other.
Scarlett's gaze then shifted to Aiden Thompson. She had noticed him a few times already. From the moment they sat down, she'd glanced his way a few times.
At that moment, Aiden was looking at his phone, seemingly scrolling through something, but soon put it down and looked up at Scarlett.
To keep things light, Scarlett suggested, "Oh, by the way, we never properly introduced ourselves. How about we all share a little about ourselves? I'll go first."
"I'm Scarlett Harris. I graduated this June with a finance degree from the University of Reading in the UK, and I interned at Barclays. Now I've just joined Nova Capital and I'm looking forward to working with all of you."
Ryan couldn't help but comment, "Barclays is a huge name in banking, that's really impressive!"
He glanced at Aiden and added, "Sounds a lot like Aiden. He comes from an investment banking background too, and even interned at Goldman Sachs."
Scarlett's eyes lit up. She had initially noticed Aiden because of his good looks, but now, hearing about his background, she was even more intrigued.
She smiled at Aiden and asked, "You interned at Goldman? That's awesome! Which department were you in?"
Aiden casually replied, "Investment Banking."
"Wow, that's the same department I was in at Barclays! Where did you graduate from?"
"Oxford MBA. I graduated last December."
"Small world! I have a mentor who did his MBA at Oxford too, his name's Alexander Laufer. Do you know him?"
Aiden thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, I don't."
"Guess we're not in the same class," Scarlett laughed. "Still, funny how we both have similar backgrounds."
Her tone was light and friendly, with the occasional smile directed at Aiden, making the conversation seem effortless. Aiden, however, responded politely but didn't seem overly enthusiastic.
Grace quietly observed their interaction, a pang of disappointment settling in her chest. Ever since Aiden Thompson stepped in to help her out yesterday, she'd started developing some feelings for him. She thought to herself, if Aiden really became her boyfriend, even if she had to support him financially, she wouldn't mind.
Though she wasn't particularly rich, she felt like she had an advantage over Evelyn Garcia, who had previously interacted with Aiden. Grace was younger and had a better temperament.
But now, watching how Scarlett Harris interacted with Aiden, Grace realized how naive her previous thoughts were. She knew that among Aiden's many admirers, there were plenty who were younger, wealthier, and more polished than she was. There was no way someone like her could compete.