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I chose to invest in Lionfish because of its location. Within walking distance of my penthouse and my office, it’s one of the most exclusive spots in the Financial District. I’m often here late into the night, watching those who are celebrating and those who are commiserating. I wouldn’t call it insider trading, but seeing a certain fund manager sit at the bar and down shot after shot of bottom-shelf whiskey one night led to my putting in a massive short call on his biggest client the next day… and netted me thirty million dollars.
Checking my phone, I see a message from my executiveassistant, telling me I’ve got a meeting at two o’clock after this interview is finished.
Like I’d forget, but that’s her job, and she does it well. Every detail of my day is scheduled, including arriving early to review Raven Hill’s resume and refresh myself on the details.
It ticks all the boxes. Then again, every resume that reaches my desk ticks all the right boxes, has all the right qualifications.
What I want to know is if Raven will be a good fit for my company in motivation, morale, achievement, and longevity. Can she really handle the bullshit of the day to day and the demanding hours and clientele? The clientele, especially. It takes thick skin to succeed here. Many think they have what it takes… and to be blunt, they don’t. Plain and simple, they can’t handle the pressure, nor the abuse and greed that come with it. And secondarily, can she work in those questionable conditions while creating a revenue stream worthy of the Sharpe name?
Successful interviewees must possess both sides of the coin—toughness and shrewdness.
I want hard chargers, yes. But not those who will literally do anything for a buck. They are all too frequent, and with my reputation, they think they’ll find a common ground with me. But while I might be seen as somewhat of a Machiavellian asshole, and that admittedly isn’t too far off the mark, I’m definitely better than some of the players in this game.
Cold, calculating, all business? That’s who I am, who I’ve had to become to succeed. And though I play dirty, I ensure my clients’ names stay pristine.
And of course, my team is nothing but professional.
Taking another swig, I prepare to move to my reserved table when I hear a familiar voice. Evan Faulkner is a longtime colleague and friend turned enemy turned rival. At one point, I would have considered him one of my closest confidants. He was someone to lean on when I first got started. Someone who went out of his way to make me feel like Ibelonged. Someone I shouldn’t have trusted. But even that was a lesson in itself, and fuck, did I learn from it.
I don’t mind a cutthroat shark. After all, this is business. But Evan exists on an entirely different level of deceit and disgust. Despite his family’s generational wealth, he’s one of the ‘anything for a buck’ types and would throw his grandmother out of her home if there were profit in it. I hate him for what he’s done and what he represents. And that’s barely the start of his assholery.
I watch Evan approach a table,myfucking table, right as a beautiful woman sits down.Raven Hill.Anger rises as I watch what I think is him poaching a potential new hire, only to see something entirely different develop.
She included her social media links in her resume submission, as is required, so I’ve seen what Raven looks like, but the camera doesn’t do her justice. She’s beautiful, stunning in a way that draws attention without her seemingly being aware of it. Her surprise at seeing Evan is gone in a flash, replaced with a warm smile. Despite being a keen observer of others, I don’t need any special skills to deduce that they know each other… intimately.
I narrow my eyes, compiling what I’ve seen of Miss Hill’s resume and online persona into a more complete image with what’s in front of me. She’s too good for him. He’s wealthy and charming in a cobra’s kiss type of way, but surely, she sees through that?
If not, this interview might be over before it begins.
Still looking from my hidden table, I can’t help but feel drawn to her. Curiosity isn’t something I’m accustomed to feeling, but it’s there now, at the back of my consciousness.
I sit back, sipping the finger of my personal stock of Glenfiddich they keep at the bar, and watch while I consider my options. Every possibility runs through my mind.
The most obvious answer is that she’s a plant, spying on my firm for Evan. But if that’s the case, he knows better thanto be seen with her, so I dismiss that outright. Evan’s evil, but he’s not stupid.
So what the fuck is he doing with her, and more importantly, what’s he doing with her right now, only minutes before our meeting?
If they’re as close as it initially looked, there isn’t a shot in hell of her joining my firm. I can’t trust Evan to not try and use any relationship with Raven to either one-up me or hamstring me. I would do the same thing if I had a valuable resource in his inner circle, so he wouldn’t give that a moment’s hesitation.
I’m thinking of further alternatives when everything changes.
Evan says something, and I can see Raven blink in shock. While she hides it well, her eyes flash with outrage. It’s as if someone just slapped her in the face. Probably Evan, by the way those emerald eyes are burning right now.
I’m surprised by my own reaction to watching their exchange play out because I feel pulled to intervene, perhaps even to help her, which is an odd sensation, given I’m far from a white knight. Instead, I absently swirl the whiskey as intrigue settles in.
While I’m no expert at reading lips, Raven’s mouth is in clear view, and I can read one of the words she says.Elise. Elise Draeger is Evan’s assistant and has been seen with him at a handful of meetings. It’s always seemed professional, but perhaps not?
The picture becomes sharply clear in a flash. Raven’s reaction going from warm to icy, her stunned expression, and the anger building beneath her serene guise at the mention of another woman.
Evan truly is an idiot. What makes it worse is that he chose now, in Lionfish, to break up with Raven. He has to know the importance of this meeting, and to choose now…
I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. He really isa callous asshole.
It’s only a matter of seconds before he’s gone.
I watch closely, waiting to see what she does. Will she leave, or stay? Can she put together a sentence after that humiliating experience? The answers to those questions will tell me more about Raven Hill than the piece of paper in front of me.
Her stern expression slowly fades into professionalism, but the haunted look in her eyes doesn’t change. When she takes a sip of water, her hand trembles, but she doesn’t spill a drop. Perhaps she’s made of sturdier stuff than Evan thought. Maybe that was the problem?
