Picking up on his guarded, hyper-analytical gaze, the short-haired girl couldn't help but run a quick self-diagnostic on her outfit before locking eyes with him. "Is there an issue with my look?"
"Uh, no—sorry, clear my throat—hey, how's it going?" Nick snapped back to reality, forcing a polished executive smile onto his face to mask the slip.
"Hey there, I'm Yuzuki." The girl's lips curved into an amused, knowing smile as she confidently extended her right hand to bridge the gap.
"Yuzuki?"
Nick went momentarily blank as his brain ran the name, mechanically completing a brief, standard corporate handshake before instantly dropping his grip.
Observing his frozen, robotic processing speed, Yuzuki tracked his micro-expressions and chuckled softly. "This is your absolute first time navigating a high-society charity cocktail mixer like this, isn't it?"
Nick gave a tight, honest nod, letting his guard down a fraction. "Yeah. First time on the circuit."
"Experiencing a bit of severe culture shock?" Yuzuki pressed, her tone trailing with a hint of playfulness.
Nick retreated back into a cool, detached corporate posture. "I'm managing fine."
Witnessing Nick's completely checked-out, stone-cold lack of engagement, Yuzuki felt a quick surge of professional and personal irritation flare up. As a high-status woman who had explicitly taken the social initiative to step into his space, couldn't this guy throw her a basic lifeline of chivalrous etiquette? Even if he was entirely checked out of the networking scene, he didn't have to flash his disinterest so blatantly and leave her standing there hanging in an awkward silence.
Slightly insulted, Yuzuki couldn't resist throwing a sharp glare directly into Nick's eyes. Just as she was turning on her stilettos to exit his perimeter, a booming, familiar voice cut through the background acoustics of the ballroom. "Vivian! Nicholas! Look at you two locking down the floor!"
"Dad!"
"Mr. Yuzuki?"
"Wait, what?" Nick's gaze snapped back to the girl standing across from him, his eyebrows instantly knitting together. Dad? Was this girl seriously the actual daughter of Hanmaru Yuzuki, the billionaire tech investor? No wonder her facial structure had triggered a massive wave of familiarity the second she walked up; she was the exact same girl from the first-class cabin on his flight out to the West Coast.
"Nicholas, it's been a minute since our last strategic sync," Hanmaru Yuzuki said warmly, smoothly cutting into the circle while swirling a glass of high-end vintage red.
"Great to see you, Mr. Yuzuki. I honestly hadn't anticipated seeing your fund represented on the guest list tonight," Nick replied, his expression shifting into a genuine display of corporate respect.
"Haha, my team anchors a table at this charity benefit every single fiscal year." Hanmaru smiled, shifting his eyes toward Vivian before looking back at Nick with a proud paternal glint. "I was just running numbers with a few institutional partners over by the VIP lounge when I caught sight of you two talking shop, so I figured I'd drift over to say hello. So, how's the alignment tracking? Have you guys managed to establish a solid connection yet?"
"I literally just deduced that she's your daughter," Nick admitted, casting a slightly sheepish look over at Vivian, who was still visibly radiating a quiet, stubborn irritation.
"Haha! I dragged Vivian along to the gala this year to act as my executive companion for the evening," Hanmaru explained enthusiastically, clapping a hand onto Nick's shoulder. "On one hand, I wanted her to get some field exposure and broaden her macroeconomic horizons. On the other hand, I'm trying to get her to interact more with elite, high-performing young founders like yourself so she can analyze your operational frameworks and absorb your execution strategies.
Nicholas, do me a favor and talk her through your process. You guys are operating in the exact same age bracket, so your baseline communication parameters should be completely in sync."
"Uh, Dad, don't waste your breath. The guy can barely bring himself to acknowledge basic human presence," Vivian muttered, rolling her eyes as she threw a grumpy, accusatory glare right back at Nick.
"Vivian!" Hanmaru's tone instantly sharpened, casting a warning look at his daughter before issuing a swift, paternal reprimand. "What kind of attitude is that? You're an adult now; it's time to permanently bench that spoiled temper of yours.
Nicholas is an absolute tier-one operator across every single metric of execution. The more time you spend mapping his logic and learning from his technical strengths, the more leverage you'll possess for your own long-term executive development."
Shifting his posture back toward Nick, Hanmaru softened his demeanor, extending an olive branch. "Nicholas, my daughter has been thoroughly over-indulged by her mother since childhood. Please don't let her attitude disrupt your evening."
"Oh, no, not at all. The friction was entirely on my end—I completely misread the drop. My apologies, Vivian," Nick responded smoothly, flashing a flawless, self-deprecating smile to balance the equation.
"Hmph!" Vivian let out a sharp, dismissive snort at the gesture and glared at him, but her heels remained firmly locked in place; she didn't walk away.
Right at that moment, a heavy, authoritative voice cut through their conversation. "Hmaru, you old fox! What are you doing hiding out over by the buffet? I've been hunting your fund reps down for the last hour."
"Good evening, Uncle He," Vivian greeted the newcomer, her posture instantly shifting into a docile, perfectly manicured display of high-society politeness as she flashed a sweet smile.
"Vivian! Look at you—you've grown into an absolute stunning young lady! Exquisite!"
The heavy-set executive turned his gaze to inspect Nick, then nudged Hanmaru with a sharp, suggestive elbow, letting out a booming laugh. "Hey, Hanmaru... Is this sharp young man the future son-in-law keeping your family trust secure?"
"Frank, what the hell are you babbling about on a recorded floor?" Hanmaru shot back with a sharp, warning laugh, before stepping forward to manage the corporate introduction. "This is Nick, the visionary founder and CEO of Militech Technology. He is the definition of a hyper-growth tech disruptor."
"Ah, so you're the famous Nick! Man, seeing the data in person completely validates the market hype—you are an incredibly impressive talent," the real estate tycoon praised aggressively. He plunged a hand into his breast pocket, pulled out a thick, premium embossed business card, and extended it across the table. "The name's Frank He. It is a phenomenal pleasure to finally get you in my crosshairs!"
Nick accepted the card with both hands, lowering his eyes to scan the executive branding: Chairman & CEO, Fairtree Development Group.
Nick raised his gaze, running a quick, silent calculation on the portly, intensely slick middle-aged man standing before him. Fairtree Group was an absolute juggernaut in the commercial real estate sector, holding a dominant market share across the entire state and aggressively expanding its footprint into neighboring territories. To command that massive of a raw market capitalization in the cutthroat construction and real estate game meant this guy possessed a terrifying amount of political leverage, institutional connections, and raw capital.
"I appreciate the card, Mr. Hess, but I have to apologize—I actually didn't bring any personal business cards with me tonight," Nick admitted, flashing a slightly awkward corporate smile. On the networking circuit, failing to exchange business cards was a major protocol error. But Nick hadn't packed a single case, nor did he possess any personal desire to carry hollow paper assets just to survive a social mixer.
"Ah, don't sweat it for a second, kid! I completely get that you younger tech founders don't operate on legacy paper logistics anymore," Frank waved his hand dismissively, completely unbothered. "My direct cell and encrypted office lines are stamped on the front. Keep it on file. I am deeply interested in exploring some joint integration ventures with a few of your hardware pipelines. Let's set up a private dinner track sometime next quarter."
"Will do," Nick nodded, carefully sliding the heavy card into his internal suit pocket. Even if he had zero intention of entering the commercial real estate space, you still had to show the appropriate institutional deference when a regional whale offered you an opening.
"Haha! Alright, Hanmaru, let's leave the floor to the next generation. Let's head back over to the private lounge; a few of our legacy hedge fund buddies are still waiting on your presentation," Frank patted Hanmaru on the back, his face a mask of intense corporate energy.
"Sounds like a plan!"
Hanmaru gave a crisp nod, then looked back at the pair. "Vivian, Nicholas—make sure you two maximize this face-time. We'll touch base before the main charity auction clears."
The exact moment the two power brokers drifted out of earshot, Nick finally let out a long, heavy breath, his shoulders dropping a fraction. Attempting to match wits and maintain a flawless corporate facade around those seasoned, multi-billion-dollar sharks was a thoroughly exhausting mental exercise.
"You really can't stand his vibe, can you?" Vivian asked, staring intently at Nick's face as her lips curved back into a sharp, knowing smile.
Nick tracked the two executives as they vanished into the VIP crowd, shaking his head casually. "We literally just cleared an introductory handshake, so it's not a question of liking or disliking the guy's energy."
"Bullshit," Vivian shook her head, her tone dripping with total absolute certainty. "If you actually respected his leverage or liked his profile, you never would have pulled that lazy 'I didn't bring a business card' card to shut down his follow-up."
Nick let out a dry, defeated laugh, shaking his head at her diagnostic accuracy. "I am telling you the absolute fiscal truth—I genuinely do not own a personal business card case, and I completely detest carrying those hollow corporate tokens around."
"Oh, please," Vivian scoffed playfully, gesturing with her champagne glass toward Calloway, who was standing roughly twenty feet away, her eyes locked onto Nick's position. "That's your executive assistant over there, isn't it? The one who hasn't broken line-of-sight from you since you cleared security. If you flash her a single index finger, she will deploy to this table in under four seconds. Are you honestly trying to sell me on the idea that a tier-one CEO's personal assistant doesn't have a high-end leather case of your executive business cards backed up in her Chanel bag?"
Nick glanced over at Calloway, who was maintaining her flawless security watch from the edge of the floor, then turned his gaze back to Vivian, a smirk playing on his lips as he decided to tease her back. "You know... girls who are way too smart for their own good usually end up being incredibly unlikable on the corporate circuit."
"Oh, really? So based on that logic, it sounds like your baseline initial impression of my profile wasn't actually that bad," Vivian countered, an expression of pure, triumphant victory taking over her features. She took a step closer into his personal space, tilting her head up to press the advantage. "Come on, be completely honest with me. Your attitude toward my approach earlier was absolutely horrific. Did your brain seriously mistake me for one of those paid promotional models working the red carpet outside the entrance?"
...Nick stared at her in total, deadpan speechlessness, his face twisting into a grimace as if he had just been hit with a sudden, agonizing toothache.
"Oh my god, you totally did! You are unbelievable—you can seriously go drop dead," Vivian laughed, executing a playful, non-contact kick toward his shin before crossing her arms in mock discontent. "What is wrong with your sensory optics, dude? Next time you clear a red carpet, you might as well just wear pitch-black designer sunglasses and call it a day."
"My bad, okay? Your deployment into my perimeter was incredibly sudden, and my processing units failed to register the data profile," Nick explained with a dry, defensive laugh.
"Hmph!"
Vivian let out a soft, amused snort, her eyes locking onto Nick's face with a sudden, highly intrigued expression. "You know... running the data on your body language right now... is it actually possible that this is the first time in your entire life you've been directly approached by a girl at a party?"
...