The sudden ring of the office landline broke the silence, and Vera's husband Gap glanced at the phone.
"Hello?" A moment later, he raised his eyebrows slightly, "Really, I see... Of course, I have a social engagement tonight, you know, it's a critical time now..."
After a brief conversation, Mr. Gap hung up the phone. He pondered for a moment before taking his eyes off the phone, looked at the female secretary, and then turned his gaze to the sofa. The female secretary quickly understood his considerate gesture, and with her bright red high heels, walked over to the sofa.
Ristone Group, a massive company spanning multiple fields, can be regarded as the economic backbone industry in Sabin City. Consequently, Ristone Group faces an overwhelming number of financial report issues every cycle.
As an exceptional audit accountant, Gap plays a very crucial role. An outsider by origin, he had relocated here after accepting the position.
Currently, it is the most pivotal moment in his life, as the group company plans to make adjustments to the management, including the finance department.
He has always collaborated smoothly with the company's management and upper echelons. The deputy general manager of the group company told him that if he could take a step up, he could become a partner of the group.
Even at the lowest level of partnership, it would be a substantial leap in social status for Gap. As long as this step is firm, he could achieve a leap from Middle Class to high society in three to five years.
Indeed, he has a social engagement tonight, but it is not what Vera and most others might envision — discussing work in a semi-public setting — instead, it involves a bribe.
Behind any growth, there needs to be sufficient nourishment; Gap is well aware of that. He has a direct connection with this nourishment, these numbers, knowing exactly how to fertilize himself correctly.
He headed to the sofa, soothing the secretary while quietly instructing her on the overtime work for the evening.
Over an hour later, the female secretary had already entered the lounge to rest before the evening's social engagement, while Gap sprayed some perfume on himself, hesitated for a few seconds, and picked up the phone.
"It's me, check up on my wife and the company where she works. I want all the information on that company, and also, find out what they've been up to tonight..."
After hanging up the phone, a hard-to-describe expression appeared on Gap's face. He was half-sitting by the desk, staring out at the scenery outside the window. After a while, he turned around back to the desk, burying himself in countless numbers and bills.
Later in the evening, Lynch and Vera arrived at a supposedly decent restaurant on the outskirts of the city center.
Decent, meaning the restaurant's ambiance wouldn't be too low, while not requiring a queue. Without waiting, they were guided by the waiter to a table at the edge, offering a view straight out onto the street.
As for Richard and those three, they were merely temps without even an employment contract, not considered company employees, thus not joining this inauguration celebration.
"Ladies first…" As the waiter handed the menu to Lynch, he smiled at Vera, and one couldn't deny that his handsomeness paired with such gentlemanly behavior almost fulfilled every woman's fantasy of the opposite gender.
Whether it was due to the lighting or the rising heat of the evening, Vera's cheeks flushed as she deeply glanced at Lynch, not opposing, and took the menu to begin ordering.
The menu here was relatively simple, without a jumble of flashy items, usually showcasing a colorful photo of the main course with descriptions of various appetizers and side dishes below. If adjustments were needed, it could be discussed with the waiter.
Vera quickly made her decision, ordering a fish fillet, while Lynch casually chose a steak and added a bottle of red wine.
While waiting for their meal, the atmosphere between them seemed a bit awkward. Vera wanted to avoid communicating with Lynch, while Lynch kept watching her, which made her even more uneasy, forcing her to speak up.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "What made you think of starting this business?" She noted further, "I never thought the change business could be profitable!"
Throughout the day, she had recorded over thirty thousand in change and watched as the change quickly transformed into whole bills. She was aware that, perhaps Lynch's business wasn't entirely regular, yet it couldn't be called illegal either.
No coercion or inducement took place; anyone could come to exchange change. Even on the Great Empire Company's registration certificate, it clearly stated "change exchange business."
The social service bureau acknowledged it as a business, making it legal, and Lynch successfully exploited a legal loophole.
Lynch shrugged casually, "See, we are a service company. As long as there is demand, there is a market, we provide services. We don't do illegal things, don't evade taxes, don't dodge taxes, don't discuss those potentially controversial matters. This business is actually doing quite well."
What he said made sense, and Vera merely wanted to say something to ease the subtle awkwardness. However, she felt at this moment that Lynch was quite a special person.
Smart ideas, precise targeting, excellent thinking skills, and his attitude towards certain matters, Lynch seemed nothing like someone who just entered society after high school.
A woman before thirty years old, or before suffering heartbreak from a few bad men, often bases her choice in men on their looks and physique.
But only after the baptism of time, washing away the frivolousness, gaining a deeper understanding of the world, will they be enamored by a man's talent and demeanor.
Lynch was undoubtedly a talented, charismatic, and handsome young man, meeting all contemporary women's yearnings for the ideal partner.
In merely a day's time, Lynch had earned over two thousand, which was an astonishing pure profit. This was from a company with only a hundred registered capital, achieving over twenty times the company's asset value on its first day of operation. This rate of profit was terrifying!
More noticeably, Lynch's fiery gaze, humorous conversation, and aggressive demeanor often made Vera's heart race.
"Actually, your figure is great..." Lynch's remark surprised Vera, and he looked over to the waiter who had just brought their plates and her grilled fish.
Most people would opt for steak as the main course. On the one hand, dietary habits have been this way from the start, while steak was also easier to obtain.
Fish fillets weren't the same, not traditional fare, especially with Sabin City being far from the coast.
In recent years, the popularity of fish fillets has ties to some nutritionists, who believe using fish fillets is healthier, with lower fat content, better suited for those needing to maintain or slim down.
Whether it's accurate is up to the professionals. Lynch merely felt Vera's figure was great, without any excess fat visible.
She touched her cheeks shyly, "Is it...," she whispered, before lapsing into silence again.
The conversation drifted back to work and observations of society, the rapport between them growing more intimate, until Lynch unexpectedly spotted a paper headline.
He sneakily entered a nearby alley, his expression darkening.
However, this little episode did not spoil the current atmosphere. In a friendly ambiance, they wrapped up the initiation celebration. Lynch even escorted Vera home, behaving like a gentleman with no slight advances.