Chapter 23

The next morning, Scarlet Harris showed up bright and early with a latte from the popular coffee shop around the corner, trying to make amends with Grace Li.

"Grace, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I had this brutal headache yesterday. There was no way I could make it to meet the client. I feel terrible about leaving you hanging."

Grace Li could tell what was up, but out of respect for Scarlet's position and the office dynamics, she didn't want to make a big deal out of it. She smiled and said, "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

"By the way, how did things go with Mr. Tang yesterday?"

"We talked briefly about the project. But honestly, I think there's a major issue with their plan. So far, their R&D team isn't all that impressive. Mr. Tang said they'll put one together once they get the funding, but there are too many unknowns. The risks are huge."

Scarlet nodded in agreement and threw up her hands. "Thanks for the breakdown, Grace. I'll talk to my dad and gather a small team to go through the due diligence materials when they come in. We need to make sure we're all on the same page before moving forward."

"Alright then." Scarlet added, trying to be sweet, and gave Grace's shoulder a light squeeze. "Thanks for all your hard work."

Back at her desk, Grace Li glanced over at Aiden Thompson's workstation out of habit. To her surprise, Aiden was looking right at her.

She quickly looked away, trying to act casual.

This is so awkward.

Sitting down at her desk, Grace Li took a sip of the latte Scarlet had brought, trying to calm herself and get back to work.

Her desk was diagonally across from Aiden Thompson's, just a little over two meters away.

Today, she just couldn't help it. Her peripheral vision kept drifting in his direction.

She rubbed her temples, thinking, This really isn't good. Aiden hasn't done anything out of line, but here I am, overthinking everything. If anyone found out, I'd be the office joke.

Calm down.

Grace Li closed her eyes for a moment to clear her head. After a few minutes, she finally felt like she'd gotten Aiden out of her mind.

The second she opened her eyes, there he was, standing right in front of her, and she jumped. Aiden raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Am I that scary?"

Grace Li cleared her throat, trying to act casual. "Not at all. What's up?"

Aiden slid a file onto her desk. "This is the winery inspection report from yesterday."

Grace Li nodded. "Okay, thanks for your hard work."

"Didn't sleep well last night?" Aiden noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes.

Grace Li picked up the file Aiden had just placed on her desk, a little uneasy. "I slept just fine, like I always do."

Just then, Lily Lin from HR walked in, flashing a cheerful smile. "Hey, everyone! This Friday afternoon, our company's having a networking mixer with BM Capital. There'll be a casual cocktail hour to mingle with industry peers and exchange ideas, and also a basketball game. Anyone from your team interested in signing up?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Lily, what's with the sudden mixer with BM? It's kind of out of the blue, don't you think?"

"Well, the company we jointly invested in with BM Capital just went public. Both sides want to build on that and strengthen the partnership. So we're having this event to get to know each other better. You know, building relationships is key in the business world here."

Ryan piped up, "But it's New Year's weekend! I've been looking forward to this break for ages. I've already got plans to hit the slopes in Colorado. I really don't want to miss that. No way anyone will be in the mood for a networking mixer on Friday."

Lily shot back, "Hey, hey, hey! I'm giving you guys a heads-up. This mixer with BM is super important. No one's leaving early. If you do, it'll count as an unauthorized absence. You know, opportunities like this can really open doors for our careers. We can't afford to miss out."

Ryan slumped in his chair like a deflated balloon. "Lily, my flight's at seven Friday night. I've got a long-awaited ski trip booked."

"That's not my problem. You all need to be there. Think about the long-term benefits for the company and your career," Lily said, switching gears. "Anyway, who's signing up for the basketball game?"

The room fell silent. Lily glanced around, a little frustrated, and turned to Grace Li. "Director Li, Mr. Harris said each team should have at least one or two people sign up for the game. Please send me the names by the end of the day."

Ryan looked over at Aiden Thompson, grinning. "Aiden, better bring your A-game. We're counting on you to show BM Capital who's boss on the court."

Grace Li turned to Aiden, hesitating a moment before asking, "What do you think?"

Aiden's lips curled into a smile. "Sure, I'm in. It'll be a great chance to show some team spirit and have some fun."

Grace Li looked back at Lily. "Lily, we'll have Aiden represent our team."

Lily jotted down the name and left the office.

By noon on Friday, after a hectic morning, the Nova Capital team began heading to the venue for the mixer with BM Capital.

The event was being held at a well-known entertainment club in Midtown Manhattan, right in the heart of New York's hustle and bustle. The place had a great view of the Empire State Building from its windows. With everything from an indoor basketball court to a tennis court and even a bowling alley, it was the kind of spot that practically screamed "perfect for a company event." The second floor had a swanky restaurant and a hip bar, and the rooftop had an outdoor BBQ area, so it was definitely the place to be for a mixer.

Aiden Thompson was driving smoothly, while Grace Li sat next to him, staring out the window, clearly lost in thought.

It had been over a month since the Daniel Chou thing went down, and Grace thought she was over it. She was trying to move on, but the thought of running into him at the mixer still made her uneasy.

The event was Benjamin Harris's idea—designed to strengthen ties between the two companies. As the investment director, Grace knew she had no excuse to bail.

The car pulled into the parking lot, and Aiden parked. Ryan and Olivia jumped out of the car and headed straight for the club, clearly pumped. Grace and Aiden lingered a moment longer.

Olivia knocked on the car window. "Hey, boss! Aiden! What's the holdup?"

Aiden rolled down the window. "You guys go ahead. We'll be there in a sec."

"Alright, cool. Don't keep us waiting!" Olivia waved and walked off with Ryan.

Once they were out of earshot, Aiden turned to Grace, raising an eyebrow. "You okay? You seem off. You worried about running into Daniel?"

Grace shrugged, not really sure how to explain. "I'm not scared of him or anything… it's just... I don't know how to act around him now."

"Still got him on your mind?" Aiden asked, his tone softening a bit.

Grace shook her head firmly. "Nah, I'm over it. I'm fine."

"Good. Then forget about him. He's just some guy from the past. If you can't look at him that way, then think of him as just some douchebag you don't need in your life. Whatever works."

"You're right." Grace took a deep breath. "But, hey, do you remember the finance mixer thing? You know, the whole pretending-to-be-a-couple thing?"

Aiden smirked. "Yeah, I remember. What about it?"

Grace hesitated, glancing at him. "Well, I'm thinking—if we fake it again at this mixer, it might get... weird. I mean, our colleagues will be here. But if we drop the act, then everything we've done before could come out, and that's awkward too."

Aiden scratched his chin, thinking it over. "So, what's your move? What are you thinking?"

Grace gave him a side-eye. "You tell me. You're the one with the game plan."

Aiden leaned back, grinning. "Alright, here's what we'll do: let's keep it low-key around the Nova team. We're just colleagues, you know? But with Daniel? We go full-on couple mode. Just make it look believable."

Grace blinked in surprise. "Wait—seriously? You think we can pull that off?"

Aiden chuckled. "Trust me. We got this."

Grace still wasn't sure. "I'm just worried I'll mess up the whole 'acting' thing. I'm not exactly a pro at this."

Aiden shrugged, completely unfazed. "Don't sweat it. Just act like yourself. I'll handle the heavy lifting. You've got nothing to worry about."

For some reason, his confidence put her at ease. Grace nodded. "Okay, you've got this."

They got out of the car and headed toward the club. Just as they reached the entrance, they ran into Daniel Chou—and, of course, standing next to him was John Lewis.

Grace froze for a second. Wait, what was John doing here? This event was supposed to be between Nova Capital and BM Capital. Did John switch teams? Was he now with BM?

Her mind raced. Last time she saw him, at that finance mixer, John had tried to throw her under the bus. If he made things awkward here in front of everyone, it'd be a mess. Especially with Aiden around—Grace didn't want him caught up in anything.

Daniel smiled warmly and stepped forward. "Grace! Well, look who it is. Long time no see!"

Grace gave a polite smile. "Hey, Mr. Chou."

Daniel's face twitched. "Mr. Chou? Now that's a first. You trying to make me feel old?"

Grace kept her tone calm, almost casual. "Just getting used to it."

John glanced over at Aiden and couldn't resist. "Whoa, look at you guys, bringing your boyfriend to the company mixer?"

Before Grace could say anything, Aiden shot back with a grin. "I'm just an employee at Nova, same as everyone else. Got a problem with that?"

John raised an eyebrow and forced a laugh. "Nah, just remembered that Nova Capital isn't exactly the biggest fan of office romances."

Aiden smirked. "They don't love it, but there's no rule saying we can't."

Daniel, sensing the tension, pushed up his glasses and stepped in. "Alright, enough chatter. Let's head inside. We can talk more in there."

He made a sweeping gesture toward the door. "After you, Grace."

Grace gave him a polite nod. "Thanks." She walked in with Aiden right behind her.

Daniel watched them leave, his gaze a little harder to read now.