After dinner, Grace Li and Aiden Thompson leave the restaurant together. Grace Li glances at Aiden Thompson and asks, "How'd you know I was here?"
Aiden Thompson smiles and replies, "I just had a feeling. New York vibes, you know?"
Aiden Thompson asked, "Your phone was off?"
Grace Li suddenly remembered and pulled her phone out of her bag, tapping her forehead in frustration. "Yeah, I took a ton of videos at the winery today. Then, my phone just crapped out 'cause the battery died. I meant to charge it, but totally spaced on it."
Aiden Thompson let out a sigh of relief—at least it was just a dead battery, not something worse like he'd been worried about.
He asked, "Do you know why Scarlet didn't show up?"
Grace Li replied, "She said she wasn't feeling well. She called me about it."
"You buying that?"
Grace Li smiled, "Wanna hear the truth?"
"Sure as hell."
"Truth is, no way. But what can I do? In the corporate world here, you can't exactly call out the boss's daughter. Even if I knew she was faking it, I've gotta play it cool. It's all about keeping things smooth at the office, you know? If it was one of my regular team members pulling that, I'd probably still give 'em the benefit of the doubt. But Scarlet's Mr. Harris's daughter, so I'm kinda stuck."
Aiden Thompson relaxed. Grace Li definitely knew what was up—she wasn't someone who'd get easily played.
"I heard Mr. Tang's made some... questionable moves with a client's employee."
"I know. Word's been going around in the VC circle, and we've even talked about it at the office."
Aiden Thompson asked, "Aren't you freaked out by him?"
"Well, look, here's the deal. If I was fresh out of school, yeah, I'd probably be freaking out being around someone like him. But once you've been in the game for a while, you realize there are creeps like him in every industry. If I had a choice, I'd steer clear. But sometimes, it's out of your hands, like today. I couldn't just tell him no. All I can do is stay sharp and protect myself."
She was clear-headed and practical, and Aiden Thompson realized his worries were a bit over the top.
"Next time you're meeting someone like him, you should bring a guy with you."
"Like you?"
"You bet your ass."
Grace Li smiled, "Thanks."
They walked to the parking lot. Grace Li pulled out her keys, unlocked the car, and slid into the driver's seat. After starting the engine, they picked up the conversation again.
"So, what do you think about this inhalable drug project?"
"The project itself has real potential. The domestic market's huge, and right now, domestic brands have less than a ten-percent market share, so there's a ton of room to grow. But like you said, without a strong R&D team and top-notch tech, it's a long shot to break through. European companies are way ahead in this field. Without a unique edge, anyone jumping into this market is just gonna get eaten alive. As for Mr. Tang's project, it's lacking that critical competitive edge. No matter how slick the business plan is, it's all pie-in-the-sky. I trust my own judgment on this. In the U.S., we stand up for what we believe in, especially in business. I'm not afraid to speak my mind, even if it goes against what others think." Aiden Thompson leaned against the car window, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "I'm thinking Mr. Tang wants to rope Nova Capital in because he knows it's a risky move, and he doesn't want to shoulder all the risk himself."
Grace Li laughed. Aiden Thompson was totally on the same page. "I think so too. But for this project, I'm just advising. I don't make the final calls on the investment."
The car stopped at a red light. In the U.S., it's common to see people getting impatient, tapping their fingers on the steering wheel, or checking their phones while waiting. Grace Li, like most Americans, quickly glanced in the rearview mirror to fix her hair.
"It's not far from your place. I'll drop you off."
"Sure, appreciate it."
Grace Li asked, "New Year's coming up. You heading home?"
"Nah."
Grace Li didn't press further, instead responding casually, "No biggie. Everyone's got their own thing going on. Hope you have a blast, though."
The light turned green, and Grace Li released the brake, continuing on their way.
The car was quiet. Grace Li couldn't help but think about Aiden Thompson's warning about Mr. Tang. He was clearly looking out for her, giving her a heads-up.
Then it hit her—Scarlet probably asked Aiden Thompson to come along because she was worried something might happen to her. She felt a bit bad about it.
Suddenly, she thought about Evelyn Garcia. She hadn't mentioned running into her over the weekend and the young guy she was with at the furniture store.
"By the way, I ran into Evelyn Garcia this weekend," Grace Li said out of the blue.
"And?"
"I saw her at the furniture store, and she was dropping serious cash on all this high-end stuff. In the U.S., consumerism is everything. People use their purchases to show off, and it seems like she's all about that 'young lover, high life' vibe. They were all over each other. Must be her new guy."
Aiden Thompson chuckled softly. "What made you wanna tell me this?"
"Just shootin' the breeze."
Aiden Thompson grinned, "You seem pretty interested in her."
Grace Li didn't expect him to say that. She felt a little awkward but replied, "Not really. It's just, as a woman, I'm a little envious she can date someone younger than her."
"Actually, if you wanted to, you could too," Aiden Thompson said, propping his elbow on the window and turning to look at her, a lazy but slightly flirtatious smirk on his face.
Grace Li's heart skipped a beat. Was he implying something?
Her face went red, and she tried to keep her cool, joking, "Well, you'd need deep pockets for that. Compared to her, I'm still living paycheck to paycheck."
Aiden Thompson laughed softly. Grace Li's face got even redder. Was he teasing her?
The mood shifted a bit awkwardly. Grace Li fell silent, trying to cover up her embarrassment by not saying anything.
"Grace Li," Aiden Thompson suddenly said.
Grace Li's heart missed a beat. Aiden Thompson never called her "boss" or "Ms. Li" like everyone else. He always just used her name, and for some reason, it always sounded so nice, so alluring, when he said it.
"Yeah?"
"Dating someone younger doesn't really cost an arm and a leg," he said, his voice still lazy.
Grace Li's heart pounded in her chest, her blood racing. His words had so many possible meanings. She forced herself to focus on the road, trying to drive like normal. Even though her mind was racing, she replied, "You really think so? That's news to me. I might just have to give it some thought."
Grace Li stepped into her apartment in Manhattan, the hum of the busy city still echoing in her ears. She kicked off her heels, a move she always made after a long day of hustling through the streets of the city. Her mind was full of the conversation with Aiden Thompson earlier. Lately, his face seemed to be glued in her head, and that just didn't sit right with her.
For a brief moment, she even wondered if she was on the verge of talking about dating Aiden Thompson. The thought felt like pure delusion.
Grace Li grabbed her phone and shot a quick WhatsApp message to Isabella Hsueh.
Grace Li: Isa, I swear I'm losing it. I can't stop thinking about that young guy at work. [facepalm emoji]
Not long after, Isabella Hsueh fired back a voice message, laughing her head off. "Chica, are you falling for him or what?"
Grace Li: I don't even know, but every time I'm around him, I get all flushed, like my heart's doing backflips.
Isabella Hsueh sent another voice message: "Ooooh, girl, you've got a crush on him!"
Grace Li: Also, I don't know if I'm imagining things, but it feels like he's flirting with me.
Isabella Hsueh shot back with a string of laughing emojis, followed by a voice message: "HAHAHAHA, okay, spill the tea, girl. What did he say?"
Grace Li shared everything Aiden Thompson had said to her today. Isabella Hsueh listened intently, then texted: "Maybe he's low-key hitting on you. When he said dating someone younger doesn't cost much, sounds like he's saying he wouldn't make you break the bank."
Grace Li: But how much is "not much"? [dog emoji]
Isabella Hsueh: A few thousand a month, you can swing that, right? [dog emoji]
Grace Li: But his salary's like twenty grand. If I throw a little cash his way, I don't think that's gonna do the trick.
Isabella Hsueh sent a voice message, barely able to contain her laughter: "HAHAHAHA, girl, just win him over with your charm! Who needs money when you've got that magic? Hahaha."
Grace Li: [facepalm emoji]
Grace Li: Isa, I'm a mess.
Isabella Hsueh sent a huge question mark emoji and followed with: "Wait, what? How did you come to the conclusion that you're a mess?"
Grace Li: I just realized, I'm fantasizing about my younger subordinate. I feel like one of those creepy middle-aged dudes who harass their younger female employees.
Isabella Hsueh sent a voice message, trying to ease her mind: "Girl, come on, don't be so hard on yourself! In the U.S., we're all about being true to ourselves. Crushing on someone is normal. You're not crossing any lines, you're just figuring it out. No need to beat yourself up!"
Grace Li: But those gross guys are always doing stuff like that. Ugh, I'm disgusting. So creepy.
Isabella Hsueh: Grace Li, snap out of it! You haven't done anything yet! Don't go putting yourself in the same category as those creeps!
Grace Li: No, I just need to cool it for a second. I can't keep fantasizing about him like this, or I'm gonna lose my mind. I don't know how I'm gonna work with him after this.
Isabella Hsueh sent another voice message, trying to lighten the mood: "Relax, girl, just take it easy! Hahaha."
Grace Li: What's so funny?
Isabella Hsueh texted: "Grace Li, you're such a scaredy-cat, hahahaha!"
Grace Li: ...