Page 13 of I'm Looking for a Man in Finance
From the moment she walked into the Grangers’ kitchen with her extremely loud friend, I was drawn to her. Even with the room already humming with people, she stood out—not because she was loud or trying to command attention, but because she didn’t need to.
While Roxie turned heads the second she entered, all striking features and effortless allure, Hallie had a quieter kind of presence. The kind that lingered. Roxie moved like she was born to be the center of the room, Hallie didn’t need the spotlight—she just showed up fully, completely herself.
When everyone else tried to appear how theythoughtthe world wanted them to appear, Hallie was refreshingly real. And maybe that’s what pulled me in the most. She didn’t try to impress. She didn’t have to.
She had that effortless beauty that others spent thousands of dollars trying to achieve. Her eyes and hair were a rich chocolate color, her skin was a creamy porcelain, and her small frame made her appear almost doll-like.
But even if she didn’t come from the same place that thewomen I grew up with did, she was no different. They were all the same. All of them looking for someone with a trust fund that could support the lifestyle they wanted—take them to fancy restaurants or buy them a Birkin. At best, they hoped they’d find a man that would get down on one knee with a ring from Tiffany’s and a family house ready to be passed down to them on the coast in Connecticut.
I’d already faced disappointment once, and I didn’t want to experience it again.
I hadn’t lied when I said I needed to leave. When my phone had gone off during dessert, I’d expected an automated notification on the markets after they’d all closed. Instead, I’d gotten a cryptic message from someone I hadn’t expected to hear from—Theodore Drake.
The Drake family owned Rooster, the world’s first search engine. They were one of the most powerful families in the country and probably the world. They had grown their small family tech business into a world-renowned gladiator that now led the way in multiple different fields. All the message said was that he had some important, time-sensitive information for me that would apply to Berkley Williams, the company I worked for, and one of the largest investment firms on Wall Street. Theo and I had met in passing at various parties. We barely knew each other, but in investment banking, connections were key.
And the message was too tempting to pass up. If Theo had valuable information, it could not only avoid a potential disaster for the firm and its clients, but it could boost my career. It could even help me get one step closer to opening my own investment firm. If Theo’s message wasas big as I predicted it to be, my intervention tomorrow could sway the loyalty of some of the firm’s clients to me.
Theo had asked to meet at The Nest, one of many of Manhattan’s private clubs, known for its exclusivity and privacy. Staff checked phones at the door, and the club’s board hand-selected new members. They picked their clientele on a variety of factors that were a mystery to the public, but many guessed it aimed to create a diverse space for its clients for both business and pleasure.
The lobby was nondescript and appeared more like the lobby of a hotel than a club housing some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world. The concierge greeted me with a lockbox, which I placed my phone in before they gave me a card that would grant me access to the floor Theo was on—one of the many bars in the twenty-thousand-square-foot facility.
The room was dimly lit by gold wall sconces, lavishly decorated with round velvet booths that provided privacy, high-top tables in the middle of the floor if one wanted to be seen, and a bar that took up one entire wall serving clients looking to make business deals or simply decompress from the day’s events.
In the darkest corner of the room, Theodore Drake reclined in a booth. His hair, a light blonde, was short on the sides and messier on top. Tattoos snaked up his neck, peeking out from his collar. He was the exact opposite of what a leader of the largest tech company in the world would look like, which is probably why his brother Peter was the CEO while Theo worked as a vice president.
“Theo, it’s been a while.” I slid into the booth. A waiter appeared moments later to take my order. Theo wasnursing a glass of scotch already, the sweat on the outside of his glass showing he’d been there for quite some time.
“It has.” Theo brought his glass up to his lips for a sip. “I’ve been debating all day on whether I should even do this. What we are about to talk about could be considered illegal. It’s in a definite gray area. But the topic itself is far more illegal than this mere warning will be.”
I had to school my features lest I give away my surprise at Theo’s bluntness. People knew him for being aloof.
The waiter dropped my Old Fashioned down in front of me. “I’m all ears.”
“My brother will complete a deal tomorrow that will make Rooster a monopoly. It won’t be obvious, but itwillbe a monopoly. Tonight, I’ll be breaking the news to the press. I have a reporter coming after I meet with you.”
Measuring my thoughts, I tapped the side of my glass with my ring.
Tink. Tink. Tink.
“Why are you tellingmethis?” I asked. In this business, information like this never came freely.
“Because I know that you’ve been aiming to open your own investment firm. Leveraging information like this could gain you the upper hand within your firm and its clients.”
Theo’s blue eyes were nearly clear—icy like his demeanor could be—and as sharp as knives as he studied me. But instead of feeling like his prey, this felt like a lone wolf pairing up at the most opportune time.
“What do you want in return, Theo?” I took another sip of my drink. “Information like this never comes free. You and I both know that.”
Theo’s gaze was predatory. He took his time watching me from across the booth. Unable to resist playing with food, even if he had no intention of eating this time. “I’m gathering favors for when the time is right.”
“What company will be there to take over if you saddle it with antitrust lawsuits?” I asked, my brain already working on how to mitigate the fallout at work with Rooster’s stocks sure to plummet.
“That’s my worry. Not yours, Rossi. Rooster is so large that it can afford to have some limbs cut off to remain intact. Peter will have to step down and finally allow the company to step into a new age. Rather than repeating past successes without adding anything new, Rooster needs innovation.
Then, like a snake uncoiling, Theo stood from the booth and re-buttoned his jacket. “Now, I have the reporter waiting for me upstairs. I presume we’re finished here?”
“Sure.” I left my glass half-drunk on the table and stood. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Theo.”
“I look forward to the future.” Theo gave me one more meaningful look before disappearing into the club.
