Scarlet Harris had just returned to the office with Benjamin Harris after attending an investment conference, and it was already five in the afternoon. In the New York office building, people who had been busy all day were gradually winding down as the end of the workday approached, and a relaxing vibe filled the office.
As soon as she stepped into the office area, she overheard a bunch of gossip coming from the break room next door. "Hey, did you hear? That really good-looking guy, Aiden Thompson, got a huge bouquet of red roses today. Wonder who sent them?" one of her female colleagues excitedly asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"It's Valentine's Day, right? A guy like him getting flowers is totally expected. Ugh, you know how it is, this world's all about looks. He gets roses, and here we are still flying solo," another colleague sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
Scarlet's curiosity was immediately piqued. She walked to her desk, tossed her bag aside, and headed straight for the consumer team's office. As soon as she walked in, her eyes immediately locked onto Aiden Thompson's desk. Sure enough, there was a beautiful bouquet of bright red roses standing out against the otherwise plain office decor.
She first walked over to Grace Li's desk and chatted with her about work. "Grace, have you seen that market research report? I think we should add a bit more data. What do you think?" Scarlet asked, gesturing as she spoke. Grace Li listened carefully and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think you're right. We could dive deeper into the latest industry trends and add more insights."
Then, Scarlet casually strolled past Aiden Thompson's desk, pretending to just notice the flowers, and said, "Wow, Aiden, these roses are gorgeous! Who sent them to you?"
Aiden Thompson, deeply focused on typing away at his keyboard and staring at the screen, didn't even look up as he replied, "I bought them to give to someone."
Scarlet pressed on, "Who are you giving them to? Come on, tell me!"
At this point, Ryan chimed in, "Haha, of course, they're for his girlfriend! This guy seems all low-key, but didn't even tell us he had a girlfriend—he's been keeping it on the down-low."
Scarlet's face went white in an instant, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open in disbelief. "What? He has a girlfriend?" she thought. "I specifically asked around before, and he was still single back then."
Trying to compose herself, she cleared her throat, trying to act casual, and asked, "You really have a girlfriend?"
Aiden Thompson simply nodded, his response blunt. "Yeah."
Grace Li, overhearing this, gave Aiden a quick glance and instantly understood. She realized that he had bought the flowers today to draw attention to the fact that he was publicly announcing he had a girlfriend.
Grace had always thought that they were quietly starting a relationship, keeping it under wraps. After all, there were many complications surrounding their situation, and she even wondered if one day Aiden might meet someone he liked more, and they'd break up.
But she never expected Aiden Thompson to openly declare he had a girlfriend, using the flowers to send the message and indirectly rejecting anyone who might be interested in him. Thinking it over, it was probably for the best. Lately, it had been pretty obvious that Scarlet Harris was into Aiden, even though he had already made it clear that he wasn't interested. But Scarlet still seemed to be testing the waters. Now that Aiden had made his relationship status public, this whole thing was finally put to rest.
Aiden Thompson left the office right on time at 6:40 p.m. After he left, he sent Grace Li a message letting her know where to meet him. "Babe, I'll be waiting for you outside that coffee shop we always go to. You should be there in about 15 minutes. I'll walk over holding the flowers, that way we'll miss each other and no one will suspect anything."
The location was about a 15-minute drive from the office. Aiden planned to walk there with the flowers, while Grace Li would drive over to meet him. They intentionally timed their departures to avoid drawing attention from their coworkers.
However, just after Aiden left, Grace Li received a notification from Benjamin Harris, asking her to come to his office. Originally, he had wanted Aiden to join as well, but when he found out that Aiden had already left, it was just Grace Li who went.
Grace Li walked into Benjamin Harris's spacious, well-lit office. He greeted her with a warm smile and said, "Grace Li, please, have a seat."
"Thanks, Mr. Harris," Grace Li responded politely, leaning forward slightly to show respect.
Benjamin Harris continued, "The project your team presented this morning, I went through the materials after the meeting. It's really promising. Your investment manager, Aiden Thompson, did a thorough job explaining everything, and I'm pretty interested. How about you reach out to the project team and set up a meeting so we can all discuss it in more detail?"
Benjamin Harris wanting to meet the project team personally was a clear sign he was very interested in the project. Grace Li immediately replied, "Sure, no problem. I'll contact them right away and try to get something on the calendar as soon as possible."
"Also, since the project involves a large amount of funding, you should touch base with Daniel Chou over at BM Capital and see if he's interested in getting involved."
As soon as Grace Li heard she'd have to work with Daniel Chou again, she instinctively felt uneasy. However, Benjamin Harris was unaware of their past history and couldn't understand her feelings. Out of respect for her boss, Grace Li still replied, "Okay, I'll reach out to him. I'll give him a call tomorrow to discuss."
After that, Benjamin Harris spoke with her about a few other work matters.
Grace Li absentmindedly glanced at her watch and noticed it was already after 7:00 p.m. Thinking about how Aiden Thompson was still waiting outside, she felt a sense of urgency, her fingers nervously tapping on her knee.
Benjamin Harris, being sharp, noticed the small gesture and smiled, "It's Valentine's Day today, right? Got a hot date?"
Grace Li was about to deny it but then remembered how Aiden Thompson had openly announced he had a girlfriend today. So, she gathered her courage and admitted, "Yeah, I'm meeting someone. But don't worry, take your time. We can keep talking."
Benjamin Harris, understanding and considerate, said, "Alright, let's wrap this up for today. It's the end of the workday, and I don't want to keep you too long. Don't let them wait too long!"
"Thanks so much, Mr. Harris," Grace Li said, quickly leaving his office and heading toward the meeting spot.