The car was uncomfortably quiet, and Grace Li's thoughts were all over the place, unsure of where to start. It was Aiden Thompson who broke the silence first, his voice casual as he asked, "Hey, how'd the dinner go tonight? Did you reel in any big fish?"
"Well, I met a few big names in the industry. A couple of them showed real interest in Hengyue Technology's products. It pretty much went as expected," Grace replied, trying to keep things light.
"That's awesome! You must be wiped out, babe," Aiden said, his concern clear.
Grace stayed quiet. She'd just heard that the chairman of Silverstone Group had announced at the dinner that Aiden Thompson would be his successor. That meant Aiden was about to step back into the family business empire. She didn't ask if he'd be coming back to their startup—she knew the answer already. Their fledgling company couldn't compete with Silverstone Group.
"Aiden, there's something else I need to apologize for," Grace said, her expression turning serious.
"What's up?"
"There's some major drama going on with the family business. My dad's health isn't great, so I need to focus on that for now. I won't be able to come back to our company for a while," Aiden explained, looking genuinely apologetic.
Grace wasn't surprised. She shrugged and said, "Don't worry about it. Ryan and Olivia are handling things on our end. We can take care of it, so just focus on your stuff."
Aiden believed Grace could manage the company, but he still felt guilty for not being there for their startup. "Once things settle with the family business, I'll definitely come back," he promised.
Grace gave a light smile and teased, "You're so stubborn."
"Why do you say that?"
"Silverstone Group is a huge publicly traded company, and Verve Capital's only been around a couple of months. Any regular person would jump at the chance to work for a big company like that."
Aiden looked at her seriously. "Verve Capital might be small, but it's our dream, something we built together. As for Silverstone, I'm just holding things down for my dad. That's all."
Grace laughed. "I never realized you were so... unique."
"Unique?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, you're not like the typical rich kid I imagined."
Their conversation lightened, and Aiden chuckled. "I guess I just wanted to prove I could make it on my own, without relying on my family."
Grace couldn't help but smile.
The car pulled into a spot near her building. Since Aiden's car wasn't registered in the neighborhood, he couldn't park in the underground garage. Grace looked around and frowned. "You're leaving the car here overnight? This is New York, man. It's not exactly the safest spot."
Aiden waved it off. "It's fine. There's security cameras around, shouldn't be an issue."
Grace shot him a look. The car was a Rolls-Royce, worth millions, and the logo alone was worth a fortune. "Just park it in the hotel garage down the street. It's way safer that way."
Aiden smiled and nodded. "Alright, babe, I'll do it your way."
After they parked the car at the hotel, they walked back to her apartment. The place had been quiet for the past ten days, but now that Aiden was back, it felt alive again. Grace had been living alone in New York for years, and it was strange to be by herself again after getting used to having Aiden around.
"I need to take my makeup off. You go take a shower," she said.
"Sure thing," Aiden replied, remembering his things were still scattered around from when he left in a hurry.
By the time Aiden came out of the shower, Grace had already removed her makeup and changed into comfy loungewear, no longer in her glamorous evening dress.
"Are you hungry? I can make you some pasta," Grace offered.
"Nah, I'm good," Aiden replied casually, while Grace walked into the bathroom. He wandered around the living room and balcony, taking in the familiar surroundings. It felt like home again, even though their mansion was huge—this small apartment felt warmer.
Grace came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, her hair still damp. Aiden immediately walked over, gently wrapped his arms around her waist, and placed a kiss on her forehead, followed by another on her nose.
Grace softly reminded him, "My hair's still damp."
"Let me take care of it," Aiden said with a smile.
He guided her to sit in front of the mirror and grabbed the blow dryer. He carefully dried her hair, taking his time with each strand, his movements gentle and focused.
Once her hair was dry, he unplugged the blow dryer and wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing his lips to the side of her neck. He knew how sensitive her neck was, and hearing her soft sigh of pleasure made him feel content.
Grace glanced at her flushed face in the mirror and shyly looked away. Seeing this, Aiden carefully picked her up from the chair and gently laid her down on the bed next to them. She gazed up at him, her eyes sparkling, and she reached up to pull him closer, holding him tight.
**
Grace Li was usually the first one to show up at the office, but today, she was the last to arrive.
As soon as she pushed the door open, Ryan and Olivia bolted toward her like they'd just uncovered a national scandal.
"Boss! You are not gonna believe this—major news!" Ryan said, practically bouncing with excitement.
Grace blinked, slightly taken aback by their intensity. "Okay, okay, what's going on? Quit being so dramatic and spill it already."
Ryan was almost shouting, his voice full of urgency. "I just got off the phone with a buddy over at Nova Capital—guess what? Our very own Aiden—uh, Mr. Thompson—is actually the heir to Silverstone Group!"
Olivia leaned in, eyes wide with disbelief. "Is that true?! Boss, you have to tell us!"
Grace stayed calm. She'd been expecting the gossip to spread, especially after last night's networking event. Benjamin Harris and his daughter Scarlet had been there too—it was only a matter of time.
She nodded. "Yeah. It's true."
Ryan and Olivia both froze. Their jaws nearly hit the floor.
"You knew?!" Ryan blurted out. "Since when?!"
"Last night."
"OH. MY. GOD," they said in unison.
Grace just shrugged. "I was shocked too at first. But I've had time to process it."
"But why would someone like him work a regular office job?" Olivia asked, still stunned. "He's filthy rich! That doesn't make any sense!"
Grace repeated what Aiden had told her. "He said he didn't want to just ride his family's coattails. He wanted to make something of his own."
Ryan let out a low whistle. "Well, if he doesn't wanna be the heir, I'll gladly take that role. No complaints here!"
Olivia smacked him playfully. "Keep dreaming, dude."
"What? A guy can dream, right?"
Olivia looked thoughtful. "Honestly, I always felt like he had a different vibe, y'know? I figured he probably came from a smart family or maybe upper-middle class. But the Silverstone heir? That's next-level."
Ryan scratched his chin, looking like he was piecing something together. "You know, now that I think about it, there were some signs. On his first day, I saw he was wearing an Armani suit. So I asked him if his family was loaded, and he said he got it at some second-hand vintage shop. Can you believe that? Totally crazy, right?"
Grace chuckled quietly. She remembered that day too. She'd taken both of them out to lunch and overheard that same conversation. Back then, Aiden had been living in a tiny walk-up in Brooklyn and had even scribbled "marry rich" on a Post-it note as a joke goal. She'd pegged him as a regular guy with a sharp sense of humor and zero connections.
Olivia leaned in again, eyes glinting with curiosity. "So, how do you feel, Grace? I mean... you're dating the heir to Silverstone! That's wild."
Grace made her way over to her desk and casually tossed her purse onto the chair. "Shocked," she said simply.
"No excitement? No happy dancing? If you guys get married, you'll be a legit rich wife. Like, yachts-and-private-islands rich!"
But Grace knew better than to get caught up in that fantasy. She'd spent years working in finance and had seen the politics and pressure behind ultra-wealthy families. Being with someone like Aiden Thompson wasn't just about luxury—it came with expectations, scrutiny, and rules.
She glanced at the two of them, who were still gawking. "Alright, that's enough celebrity gossip. Get back to work—we've got a packed schedule this afternoon."
Just then, her phone buzzed. It was Tom Wilson.
He told her the CEO of the medical device company they'd met at the party last night wanted to tour the Hengyue Technology factory tomorrow, and asked if she could help show him around.
Grace didn't hesitate. Tom was a brilliant engineer, but when it came to business, negotiations, and strategic planning, he was out of his depth. She had made that clear during the investment discussions—she wasn't just a silent investor; she was going to help run the show.
These days, she wasn't just an outside partner anymore. She was co-running Hengyue Technology with Tom.
Unofficially, Grace Li was the company's second boss.