Page 79 of Mated By the Alphas
“No, I don’t think it’s beginner’s luck. It takes someone with considerable insight to recognize the potential in a company like Blithe Holdings,” he drawls, his voice almost as smooth as honey. “Now, I believe you’ve been researching a few more companies for me?”
My eyes widen and my throat dries out. “Oh, the reports… they’re for you? I thought they were for Ms. Frost.”
“I requested them,” he says, gesturing to Mr. Fleming’s office. “And he said you should be almost done.”
“I… yes, I’m almost finished with the last one,” I admit. “But they haven’t been reviewed by Mr. Fleming. He wanted to look them over before I send them to Ms. Frost.”
“No need. I want to hear your recommendations, not theirs,” he says, pulling a chair close to my cubicle and sitting down. “Tell me what you think.”
I try to steady my nerves as I sink into my chair and load the reports. Wealthy investors stop by York Financial all the time. This is unusual, because I’m new, but meeting with clients will be one of my responsibilities one day if I ever get an office upstairs.
“Okay, so… Let’s start with Nebula,” I begin, ready to dive in.
Mr. Lumen listens attentively while I explain why Nebula would be a good investment. From my perspective, at least. Good product, good strategy, and a decent market share, despite their price not reflecting it.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” he says, smiling once I’m finished. “What about the other two companies?”
The more I talk to him, the more relaxed I get. This is my job; He’s a customer. Yeah, he’s got some natural charisma, and I had a weird feeling when I felt him watching me, but he’s just another rich guy who wants to get richer. That’s what I’m here for.
“That’s my recommendation,” I conclude. “Nebula if you want the best return, but you may have to hold your position for a while. Droid Tech is an easy investment, but the returns won’t be very impressive. Strategic Spark Consultations shows decent trends, but they’re overvalued, so you’ll likely lose money if you invest in the company right now.”
“Well done,” he praises, and his voice feels like a warm blanket, easing every bit of my remaining tension. “That’s exactly what I needed to know. I’d offer to let Ms. Frost know how impressed I am with your work, but she’ll know that by how much money I invest in Nebula.”
He stands up without another word, and smiles before turning and walking away. Once again, everyone seems to notice him. They stare. They grin. For a moment, it seems like the sunlight coming through the windows bends around him, but I blink and it’s gone. Probably just a trick of the glass, or my overwhelmed mind.
I wait until he’s close to the exit before rushing to my boss’s office.
“Ah, how did your meeting with Mr. Lumen go? He was eager to meet you,” Mr. Fleming says.
“I think it went okay,” I say, the tension returning with a vengeance. “But Mr. Fleming, I… I’ve never met with investorsbefore. Don’t we usually prepare presentations? Have some people from the c-suite involved?”
“Usually, yes, but Mr. Lumen didn’t want to wait,” Mr. Fleming says. “Ms. Frost was confident you could handle a meeting with him.”
“I wish I would have at least known about it ahead of time,” I mutter. “He caught me off guard.”
“There wasn’t time to send you a calendar invite, Ansley,” Mr. Fleming chuckles. “We handle investments for some very wealthy people. We work around their schedule, not ours. Now, here’s the real question. How much money is he going to invest?”
“He didn’t say, exactly. Um, he seemed like he would-” I start, then Mr. Fleming holds up his hand, interrupting me.
“Never mind, I have the answer right here. I just got an email from Ms. Frost.” Mr. Fleming leans forward, reading it and my heart skips a few beats. “Wow, Ansley. Very impressive. The portfolio you’re managing just tripled. Mr. Lumen specifically asked that you manage his investment in Nebula.”
“Oh god,” I say. “That’s an enormous responsibility. I mean, I haven’t been here that long.”
“You keep making good first impressions, Ansley. That’s the ticket to success here,” Mr. Fleming chuckles. “I wish I had your intuition when I first started. I might have Ms. Frost’s job by now… don’t tell anyone I said that or I’ll deny it until I’m blue in the face.”
“I won’t,” I say, still processing everything.
I return to my desk and finish my report on Nebula. After that, I send all three of them to Mr. Fleming. Considering how quickly I get the notification that he forwarded them to Ms. Frost, he must have been happy with them.
I glance at the clock. Still a few hours left in the workday.
Hopefully, there will be no more surprises.
CHAPTER 28
Storm
I’m carving a path through the forest on the outskirts of Chicago.
