Saturday was the day Grace Li would take possession of her new apartment. She invited Isabella to come along.
Grace's new place was 89 square meters in total, with 73 square meters of usable space. It had two bedrooms, two living rooms, and both a large and a small balcony. The location was about a 30-minute drive from downtown New York, which was considered a pretty solid spot in the city.
The apartment was fully renovated, so as they did the walk through, Grace and Isabella started making plans for how they'd deck the place out.
After checking out the place, Isabella looked at Grace with envy. "Grace, I'm seriously jealous. I've been dreaming of having my own space."
"You'll get there soon enough," Grace said with a grin.
Isabella had been practicing law for seven years, but it was only in the last couple of years that her salary had really started to pop. When she first started out, she was an assistant attorney, barely pulling in six figures. Back then, she was making a bit over $100,000. But after taking on her own cases four years ago, her income shot up. Even so, with New York's crazy housing prices, Grace's place—at $4,800 per square meter—was over $4 million. The down payment alone was nearly $1.3 million, and the monthly mortgage was a whopping $16,000. Isabella couldn't even dream of affording a place like that.
After finishing up the paperwork, the two of them went for lunch, and then spent the afternoon shopping for furniture.
They'd been best friends for over a decade, so there was always a lot to chat about—work, life, love, you name it.
As they walked through the furniture store, sipping on bubble tea, they laughed about how much they'd already spent and scouted out different pieces of furniture.
When Grace mentioned taking on the boss's daughter, Isabella gave her a playful tap on the shoulder. "Wow, your boss really trusts you, huh? Handing you his only kid to look after?"
"I'm not sure about the trust part," Grace said with a chuckle. "But yeah, it's a little awkward. Normally, new hires just do the grunt work—organizing files and all that—but she's not like that. It's weird. I can't treat her like a regular new hire."
Isabella shrugged. "Sounds like a pain in the ass. You can't just boss her around."
"Exactly. I have to be extra careful, especially with how I talk to her."
"My guess? Your boss wants to train her to take over the company one day. Who knows, maybe she'll end up being your boss."
"Yikes, I don't even want to think about that. But honestly, she's pretty chill. She's generous and treats everyone to coffee or afternoon tea. The team likes her."
They plopped down on a sofa to take a break, and Isabella asked, "So, what about that cute guy you mentioned? What's the deal with him?"
Grace gave her a confused look. "Why are you asking about him?"
"I was just thinking, if he's into rich women, what are the chances he's eyeing your boss's daughter?"
Grace thought back to the past week. Scarlet Harris had mentioned Aiden Thompson a few times, but his expression had been as cold as usual, with none of the enthusiasm he'd shown for Evelyn Garcia. Back when Aiden was with Evelyn, he'd been extra polite and way more talkative.
"I don't know… Maybe it's just me, but I think he's more into older women."
Isabella nearly choked on her bubble tea. "Whoa, hold up. So he's into older women? What's the deal with that?"
Grace laughed awkwardly. "I don't know, but he's not really my type."
Isabella leaned in, intrigued. "You sure? Sounds like you're defending him, Grace. You into him or something?"
Grace shifted uncomfortably. "Look, I don't know if it's on purpose, but sometimes he does stuff that really bugs me."
Isabella raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Well, last week at a networking event, John Lewis made a scene and tried to embarrass me in front of Daniel Chou. Aiden stepped in and totally had my back. You should've seen it—he saved me."
Isabella's eyes lit up. "John Lewis is a real jerk! What did he say to you?"
"He used to chase me around, and I told him I had a boyfriend in Europe. Then, he went and told everyone in front of Daniel that I had said Daniel was my boyfriend."
Isabella rolled her eyes. "Ugh, typical John. What did Daniel do about it?"
"Nothing. He just let it slide."
Isabella sighed. "What a loser. So how did Aiden save you?"
"Aiden just showed up out of nowhere and said in front of everyone that he was my boyfriend from the Europe."
Isabella's jaw dropped. "No way! He actually said that?"
Grace nodded. "Yeah, right there in front of everyone."
"Wow, okay. He's got game, I'll give him that," Isabella said. "Maybe he's not just into rich women, maybe he's into older women with power. You might be in luck."
Grace hesitated. "I don't know… It feels like we're from different worlds. He's just doing this because I'm his boss."
"Just keep an eye on him. If he's into you, there's no harm in seeing where it goes. And hey, he's pretty cute. You've got nothing to lose."
Grace smiled. "We'll see."
Isabella grinned. "Don't wait too long, okay? Go for it! I'm rooting for you."
"Thanks for the pep talk. I'd almost forgotten I'm still single at this age," Grace said, half-laughing, half-sighing. At nearly 30, she hadn't been in a serious relationship. Isabella, on the other hand, at least had been married once—though it lasted all of a few months.
Isabella smiled sympathetically. "Girl, you're basically a catch. Back in school, you had dudes falling over themselves to get your attention. You just didn't vibe with any of them."
Just then, Grace spotted a familiar couple walking toward them. She quickly grabbed Isabella's arm. "Let's dip this way."
Isabella frowned, whispering, "What's going on?"
Grace murmured, "Just some people I know. Don't want to deal with them."
Isabella raised an eyebrow. "What, you're turning into a social hermit?"
Grace shook her head, ducking behind a display. "Depends on who it is."
She peered out from behind the display and saw Evelyn Garcia, draped in a fur coat, walking arm-in-arm with a younger guy, probably in his early twenties. He was fit, with a solid build, and they were clearly close. Grace thought, That's how rich women roll—bouncing from one partner to the next like it's no big deal.
But more than anything, she wondered if Evelyn and Aiden were really over for good.
It was a Monday at work, and Christmas had arrived.
Grace Li parked her car and, as she walked out of the building, headed straight to a nearby coffee shop. As soon as she walked in, she saw a beautifully decorated Christmas tree standing right in front of the glass door. The walls were lined with all kinds of little holiday ornaments, and the baristas were all wearing cute Santa hats. The place was bursting with Christmas cheer.
The barista spotted her and greeted her warmly. "Hey, pretty lady! We've got some holiday drinks going on, and if you buy one, you could win a special Christmas cup!"
Grace looked at the cup in the clear display case. It was dark green with a gold foil Christmas tree design, elegant and classy. No wonder Olivia had been so obsessed with it. She couldn't help but feel drawn to it too.
"What's on the holiday menu?" Grace asked.
The barista quickly handed her the menu. "Here's what we've got: Black Forest Mocha, Cranberry Latte, and Snowy Velvet Matcha Latte."
Grace glanced at the menu with the festive images. Everything, from the drink designs to the cups, screamed Christmas vibes. She pointed at the Snowy Velvet Matcha Latte. "I'll go with that."
After paying, the barista handed her a raffle ticket. Grace pulled one out and opened it: Thank you for your patronage.
Yep, no luck again.
The barista smiled kindly. "Don't worry, maybe next time you'll win!"
Grace was really hoping to get that cup. She imagined herself sipping coffee from it on a chilly winter day, all cozy and festive. She asked, "Can I buy this cup?"
The barista gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, we can't sell them. If we did, what would happen if someone won it in the lottery? But the event runs through New Year's, so feel free to try your luck again tomorrow!"
Grace sighed a little, "Okay, thanks."
"Morning~"
Grace turned around, and to her surprise, Aiden Thompson was standing right behind her. He was wearing a gray mid-length coat, and his tall frame made him look even more striking.
"Morning."
Aiden's eyes immediately landed on the clear gift box by the counter, where the Christmas cups were on display. "How do I enter the raffle?"
The barista showed him the menu. "Just buy any of our holiday drinks, and you'll be entered into the raffle!"
Aiden pointed to the Black Forest Mocha. "I'll have one of these."
"Got it," the barista said, and then turned to Grace. "What about you? What'll you have?"
Grace waved her raffle ticket and shrugged. "I've already ordered."
After Aiden paid, the barista handed him the raffle box to draw his ticket. Grace stood off to the side, quietly hoping for some good luck.
Aiden casually picked a ticket. When he opened it, it read: Congratulations! You've won a Christmas-themed coffee cup!
"Wow!" Grace exclaimed, covering her mouth. "Aiden, you actually won!"
Aiden didn't look overly excited. He handed the ticket back to the barista.
The barista smiled and said, "Congratulations, sir! You've won a Christmas cup!"
Aiden turned to Grace and said, "Please give the cup to her."
Grace froze for a second, not sure if she had heard him right. Was he giving it to her?
"Aren't you keeping it?" she asked.
Aiden shrugged. "That cup suits girls better."
Girls?
Hearing that, Grace's heart skipped a beat. Did he mean her? It had been a while since anyone called her that.
"Thank you."
Aiden's Black Forest Mocha and Grace's Snowy Velvet Matcha Latte were ready and placed on the counter. The cups were both in Christmas colors—red and green—and they seemed to match, almost like a couple's set.
They grabbed their drinks and headed toward the elevator. It was still early, and the elevator was empty except for the two of them.
Grace held the winning cup and stood next to Aiden, a little nervous. "Merry Christmas."
Aiden nodded and smiled. "Merry Christmas."
The atmosphere was a little awkward. Being alone with Aiden in such a small space made Grace's heart race. She wondered if she should start a conversation to distract herself from the tension.
She thought about the other day when she had seen Evelyn Garcia with a young guy at the furniture store. She wasn't sure if she should tell Aiden about it. But, she wasn't even sure if Aiden and Evelyn had ever been officially together. Bringing it up now might seem out of place.
Soon, the elevator reached their floor. Grace snapped out of her thoughts and realized that Aiden hadn't moved. He was still holding the elevator door open.
"Why aren't you leaving?" she asked.
Aiden smiled softly and said, "Ladies first."
Her heart skipped again. This damn gentleman act. But he probably treated Evelyn Garcia the same way.
Once they got to the office, the others started trickling in.
Olivia spotted Grace's Christmas cup immediately. Her eyes lit up. "Boss, you got the cup before me! Did you collect twelve receipts or something?"
Grace explained, "No, there was a raffle today."
"Your luck is insane! I heard the chances of winning are only one in a hundred!"
"Actually, someone won and gave it to me," Grace added.
"Wow! Who's that nice?"
Grace glanced over at Aiden, who was nearby. "A kind-hearted guy."
Aiden chuckled softly. It was barely audible, but Grace heard it.
Olivia gasped, "Oh my god! Does that mean you two are, like, together now? Giving a cup is pretty serious!"
Grace almost dropped the cup in shock. She quickly glanced at Aiden, hoping no one would get the wrong idea. She hurriedly said, "Do you really think he just didn't want it after winning, and I got lucky?"
"Wow, you really hit the jackpot."
Grace tried to change the subject. "Aren't you still one receipt short?"
"Yeah, Ryan said he's gonna buy a coffee later, then I'll be all set. I'm gonna get my cup during lunch break," Olivia said with a grin.
"Okay, congrats," Grace replied with a smile.