Chapter 1
It was 5:30 p.m. in late autumn in Lantrie.
The sun was covered by clouds, and the sunlight was trapped in the thick clouds, struggling to emit a few rays of residual light.
Vanessa Green leaned against the table for a long time. Cold sweat was steadily rising from her forehead.
The clear ringtone of her mobile phone was especially refreshing in the mechanical and dense tapping of keyboards. Vanessa gradually became clear-minded.
"Hello, are you reporter Vanessa Green, Miss Green, from Financeweek?"
Leaning against the table, Vanessa struggled to be energetic and answered the phone. "It's me. Who are you?"
"I'm Barron Chance, assistant to the CEO Office of Mondred Bank. A month ago, you made an appointment for an interview with Shawn Yeats, Mr. Yeats. The original date is tomorrow. Do you remember?"
Vanessa suddenly came to her senses and subconsciously straightened her back.
Of course, she remembered it.
She had heard the name, Shawn, too many times these days.
In the beginning, Shawn was well-known because he suddenly appeared in the financial circles as the son of William Yeats of Mondred Group.
After studying aboard, Shawn took over Mondred Bank, the private commercial bank of Mondred Group.
In the insiders' opinions at that time, it was not a good thing. After all, the operation of the bank was between the beetle and the block. Some financial commenters even changed their serious wording, thinking that William gave his son a badly run subsidiary to play.
After Shawn took over Mondred Bank, he tried his best to solve the problems such as excessive dependence on the deposit and loan business and prominent risk. He quickly improved the operation of the subsidiary through the risk management and control system.
At the age of 27, Shawn attracted the attention of the entire financial circle. He got all kinds of glories. The CEO Office of Mondred Bank got a lot of interview invitation calls.
Although he was an overnight sensation, there were very few interviews with him.
Even the most popular media would find it difficult to get an interview opportunity. If they could get a few words from Shawn, it would be enough to be published on the most eye-catching page.
This time, it took the chief editor of the magazine office a lot of effort to get through all the connections to make an appointment.
When the chief editor arranged this task for Vanessa, the others were envious.
The reporter who interviewed him could get the same attention as much as the name "Shawn" could attract in the media.
But the call now made Vanessa worried. She asked cautiously, "Is there any change?"
"Here is the thing." Barron said, "The interview was scheduled for nine tomorrow morning, but Mr. Yeats will be busy with his work tomorrow."
Vanessa, "Then..."
"Maybe he will be busy in the next few days." Barron asked, "So if it's convenient for you, can we postpone the interview to a week later?"
No.
The financial exclusive interview should be timely. If the interview was held a week later. After it, they still needed to draft, which would be checked, and then published. The interview would be worthless.
"Sorry, a week later doesn't work for me. Would you please make some time? A phone interview also works."
Barron said, "I'm afraid I can't do that. I can't tell you the specific work, but Mr. Yeats won't have time until a week at the earliest."
"What about tonight?" Vanessa asked anxiously, "Is Mr. Yeats free tonight? Three hours, or two hours."
Without waiting for Barron's answer, Vanessa gritted her teeth and said, "An hour will do. Please make an exception."
She had prepared for this interview for nearly a month, and thoroughly understood Shawn's public financial trends. She was counting on earning the honor for herself with this manuscript this year.
After a moment of silence, Barron lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Yeats has an important banquet tonight. Maybe. I just said that maybe Mr. Yeats can spare some time halfway. What do you think..."
"I'll wait." Vanessa agreed without hesitation, "Please give me the address. I can wait there."
Before hanging up the phone, Barron stressed again, "Miss Green, I can arrange a place for you, but I can't make sure that Mr. Yeats will have time. You may not meet him."
...
There was only a mechanical sound of "toot toot" on the phone. After hearing it for a long time, Vanessa leaned back on the table. The tension in her mind slowly dissipated and she felt melancholy.
She should have been happy to interview Shawn.
Since this matter happened to her during her period, she was extremely upset. Vanessa was absolutely not in a good mood, and even a little sad.
Today was the birthday of her boyfriend, Jackson Scott.
This was the first birthday they would spend together since they became lovers.
Jackson had specially booked a restaurant and bought movie tickets, waiting for her to celebrate after work.
Now she couldn't celebrate his birthday with him, and she had to work with a sickly body. She might even not meet Shawn.
Vanessa patted her face to cheer herself up. She took a few deep breaths with her eyes closed. Then she turned off the computer and began to pack up her things.
Tracy Jones was concentrating on writing when she heard the noise at the opposite table. She raised her head and asked, "What's wrong?"
Vanessa stood for a while, supported by the table. When the pain in her lower abdomen was gone, she said, "The interview is ahead of schedule. I have to go tonight."
"What?" Only then did Tracy notice the expression on Vanessa's face.
Vanessa's skin was fair. But now, there was no trace of blood at this time. It was almost transparent. One could tell something was wrong with her body from her face. She was not as lively as usual.
"Are you OK?"
"I have to, or what can I do?"
Vanessa walked to the printer and stared blankly at the ground with a pile of documents in her arms.
The printer operated silently, and the papers piled up orderly in front of her.
Someone's phone rang. Vanessa suddenly raised her head, blinked her eyes, and took out her phone.
She should have called Jackson, but as soon as she looked at the address book, he called her.
"Honey, when will you get off work? I'll pick you up."
Leaning against the printer, Vanessa moved her fingers on the page and said, "I'm sorry. I have a temporary interview. It might take me about two hours. I don't think I can have dinner with you."
She thought for a while and said, "I'm not feeling well today. I may not be able to go to the movies with you at night."
Hearing this, Jackson sighed and said, "Well, I'll find a friend to accompany me for the birthday."
"Well, I'm sorry." Vanessa pursed her lips and said in a lower voice, "I'll make it up for you next time, OK?"
...
After Vanessa hung up the phone, Tracy turned the pen in one hand, propped her chin in the other, and said with a smile, "Has your boyfriend got stood up?"
"Or what?" Vanessa asked, "If I don't stand him up, should I stand Shawn up?"
"Well. He's poor. Your honey was robbed of the opportunity to celebrate his birthday with you by a man he has never met."
"It sounds like I'm going to celebrate the birthday with Shawn." Vanessa picked up the document and bound it aside. "I'm speechless. I don't even know what Shawn looks like, but I have to stand my boyfriend up for him."
Tracy felt a little unbelievable, "By the way, is your boyfriend OK with it?"
"What can he say about such a thing?" Vanessa thought for a while and said, "He didn't complain. He knows about my work."
"Wow, your boyfriend is so reasonable." Tracy turned off the computer and said, "Unlike my boyfriend, he is so clingy. If I stand him up, no matter what the reason is, he must be angry with me."
In a trance, Vanessa was absent-minded for a moment.
A sharp pain came from her finger. She withdrew her hand reflexively to avoid being punctured by the stapler.
But the sharp pain from her fingertip didn't dissipate for a long time. She felt more and more pain inside.
With a file in one hand and her phone in the other, Vanessa was absent-minded in front of the printer for a while.
"I'm off duty." Tracy stood up with her bag and handed over a box of medicine, "I see that you have run out of painkillers. Take this and take it in advance. Don't pass out in pain during the interview."
After saying that, Tracy came closer and whispered, "If you screw it up, the covetous colleagues will get a buzz."
At this time, Vanessa was not in the mood to respond to Tracy's reminder. She could only think of the word "reasonable".
Vanessa thought, "Is Jackson too 'reasonable'?"
Besides, Vanessa just said that she was not feeling well, but Jackson didn't ask the reason.
Since Vanessa had such a thought, she couldn't get rid of it.
Vanessa sat at her table in a trance. After hesitating for a while with her phone, she sent a message to Jackson.
Vanessa: Are you unhappy?
Jackson:?
Jackson: No. I understand. Work is important. There will be many birthdays we can spend together in the future.
Jackson: By the way, you said you were not feeling well. What's wrong? Are you sick?
Vanessa took a deep breath.
It seemed that she was being oversensitive during the period and she thought too much.
Vanessa: Nothing. I just feel uncomfortable on my period. (An expression of crying)
Jackson: I feel sorry for you, babe.
Jackson: Then where are you going to interview? I'll pick you up after that.
...
The address given by Barron was in Warner Manor in the western suburbs.
It was rush hour and there was a traffic jam on the road. Enduring the abdominal pain, Vanessa took the subway, a bus, and a taxi all the way. It took her an hour to reach the destination.
It was true that she was irritable. Along the way, she scolded Shawn many times in silence.
However, the place that Barron arranged for her was the rest area upstairs of the banquet hall. It was spacious and magnificent, but there was no one here, which was enough to magnify the loneliness of a stranger a hundred times.
Vanessa sat on the sofa, her legs swinging with the ticking sound of the wall clock. She looked around, again and again, trying not to fall asleep.
However, the waiting time was too long. She lowered her head several times and almost fell asleep. When the door was pushed open, Vanessa suddenly sat up straight and looked up at the door.
Under the direct light, a man walked in, and the light became brighter and brighter.
After Vanessa confirmed the person who had come, she became sad.
He was not Shawn, but his brother-in-law, Edward Yost, the second chief of Mondred Group now.
Edward had been interviewed by Vanessa several times, so the two of them knew each other.
Edward also caught a glimpse of Vanessa when he came in.
At first, she suddenly straightened her back. Even though she was in the dark, he could tell that she was excited from her eyes.
But when they looked at each other, she suddenly became gloomy.
After a pause, Edward put the phone aside and covered it, "Why are you here?"
Vanessa answered honestly, "I'm here to interview Mr. Yeats."
Edward looked at her up and down and saw her pale face for a few more seconds. He didn't say anything but muttered, "It's so late." Then he left.
Vanessa sat there for another two hours, as long as two nights.
Outside the window, it began to rain, with leaves rustling. It seemed desolate.
However, sounds were coming from the banquet downstairs from time to time. Although it was intermittent, one could imagine how lively the banquet was.
Compared with them, Vanessa felt more miserable.
Just as she couldn't resist the sleepiness and almost fell asleep, her mobile phone finally rang.
The clear ringtone gave off an ominous premonition in this empty room.
"Miss Green, I'm sorry. The banquet is over. Mr. Yeats has something else to do, so..."
Sure enough.
After a few seconds of silence, Vanessa said, "I see. Thank you."
Shawn had no time for the interview.
The moment Vanessa stood up, she felt dizzy. She held the sofa to rest for a long time before walking into the elevator in her high heels.
When she arrived at the gate of Warner Manor, as she had expected, the rain was so heavy that she couldn't get out.
She felt the cold wind of autumn night with the rain blowing on her legs.
She had never thought that she would stay outside the room for a long time today. She was wearing an office lady suit, which seemed to be serious. She wore thin transparent silk stockings to show her manners. But she could not resist coldness.
Her legs under the coat were exposed, and her skirt could barely cover her knees. In the cold wind, she had become more eye-catching than the luxury cars at the gate.
Gradually, people came out. Vanessa stepped aside and turned her head. She found that many of them had been interviewed by her.
It seemed that this was a cocktail party of the financial circles.
Vanessa subconsciously wanted to see if there would be Shawn.
But she realized that she didn't know what he looked like.
Shawn was very low-key and rarely appeared in public. Vanessa searched online when she was preparing the materials, only to find his vague figures in some big scenes. He didn't have formal portraits.
...
Not long after, there was a female CFO from an internet financial company who had met Vanessa twice. Seeing Vanessa stand here waiting for a car pitifully, she asked to send her home. But Vanessa refused.
Just now, Jackson told Vanessa that he would pick her up.
Now it was eleven o'clock. His birthday had an hour left.
She wanted to say "Happy Birthday" to him in person anyway.
The parking corridor on the first floor was spacious and clean. The guests drove away one after another, leaving behind a shadow of the tail light.
After a while, there were few people left in the banquet hall.
"Miss Green?" A man stepped forward.
Vanessa looked back and saw a high-ranking executive of a capital company whom she had only met once. But he always took the initiative to chat with her on Whatsapp.
The man walked close to her with a smile and said drunkenly, "Are you alone? Let me drive you home."
This man usually acted politely on social occasions, but now he didn't even greet her. It was clear that he had a bad intention.
Vanessa said, "No, thanks."
The man approached her and grabbed her arm. "Let's go. It's not easy to take a taxi in such heavy rain."
Vanessa frowned and pushed his hand away. "No, thank you. My boyfriend will be here soon."
Hearing the word "boyfriend", the man looked Vanessa up and down. When he met her eyes, he knew that she was not making up an excuse to refuse him, so he turned around and left without saying anything.
Then another young man made the same invitation to her.
He was also an acquaintance of Vanessa. But she knew that he was a playboy from a rich family.
It seemed that it was not a serious financial party today.
After dismissing the man by emphasizing "boyfriend", Vanessa stood by the wall.
Originally, she felt sad for having got stood up by Shawn. After she had been accosted by two men, she became furious.
When Edward walked out of the banquet hall, he saw Vanessa waiting in the cold wind.
Edward sympathized with Vanessa. He turned sideways to Shawn and said, "Isn't she Vanessa? Since she has waited for you in vain all night, you should help send her home. There are many people here. It's inconvenient for me."
Shawn looked over to Vanessa. Her cashmere scarf was looped around her neck, making her face look small. 
Under the bright cold light, her face was a little pale, and the tip of her nose was red with cold. With beautiful eyes and red lips, she looked delicate, bright, and charming, like a carefully carved porcelain doll. She looked a little pity standing there.
...
When Vanessa looked up from her mobile phone, a black car stopped slowly in front of her.
At the same time, there was a sound of footsteps behind her.
Vanessa looked back and met the man's eyes coming up for a moment.
The man still looked at her. The crystal chandelier above his head cast a cold light on his golden spectacles frame, which shook slightly along with the anti-skid chain on his cheek.
"Miss Green?" When he stopped, he made a polite gesture as the curve of his arms was outlined by the suit, which showed a bit of alienation, "Shall I give you a ride?"
Vanessa had never met this man.
But she was wondering how the men from wealthy families were so frivolous now.
"No, thanks."
The bright light shone on his eyes behind his glasses. He had a frivolous expression, but it showed a sense of oppression that was difficult to ignore.
So, in the biting cold wind, Vanessa met his eyes and added, "My boyfriend will pick me up right away."
The word "boyfriend" was emphasized. The subtext meant: I have a boyfriend.
 "..."
Shawn had a faint and cold smile. He put one hand in his trouser pocket and walked away.
The parking attendant opened the door. He bowed in and the car sped away.