Attorney Channing immediately noticed Adrian was in an unusually good mood. “Big client?” he asked.
Adrian nodded.
Attorney Channing’s curiosity got the better of him. “How big are we talking? I’ve never seen you this happy.”
Adrian’s lips curled into a rare smile. “If I win this case, I’m finally going home to get married.”
Every lawyer in the conference room stared in shock.
Adrian was infamous throughout the Capital Circle as the most eligible bachelor–practically allergic to relationships, utterly immune to romance. Thanks to his line of work, no one dared try any clever maneuvers around him, male or female. Anyone who’d attempted it had ended up with a summons to court or a visit from the police.
The meeting room buzzed with excitement. Just what kind of client–and what kind of case–could make Adrian Shaw decide it was time to start a whole new chapter
in his life?
*
Selene hadn’t been waiting long when the manager from Quantum Horizon Capital
called.
“I have six million dollars I’d like to invest in the market,” she said flatly.
The manager nearly choked. “Six million? Miss Thompson, you’ll need to come in to set up your account in person.”
Selene took Daph with her to Quantum Horizon Capital’s glass–towered offices. Daph’s eyes were wide as she took in the bustling lobby, all marble and chrome.
Manager Holt welcomed them and led the way to a private VIP suite, where he handled the paperwork himself.
Daph sat quietly, watching her mother negotiate the commission. She had never seen this side of Selene before–sharp, commanding, her presence unmistakable, like a hawk circling for the kill.
In the end, Manager Holt caved and gave Selene the lowest commission rate he’d ever offered in his career.
1/3
22:29
“Miss Thompson, how would you like your assets allocated?” he asked, voice measured.
Selene slid a small notepad across the desk. “Tomorrow, please buy these stocks for me.”
Manager Holt glanced at her list. He spent his days surrounded by numbers; just a glance at those ticker symbols conjured up all their recent charts in his mind.
Suddenly, his expression shifted. “You’re planning to put the entire six million into the market?”
“Yes,”
“No interest in diversifying into anything else?”
“None.”
He took a long breath. “Let me make this clear–the market’s shaky right now. In a week, you might be down to less than a million.”
Selene’s smile was calm, almost gentle. “In a week, I expect these stocks to rise by around twenty percent.”
Manager Holt stared, then let out a short, dismissive laugh. The kind that said he was done wasting words on someone he assumed was hopelessly naive.
“As long as you’re prepared to lose big, Miss Thompson,” he replied, thinking to himself that as long as she didn’t try to throw herself off their building after losing it all, he’d consider it a good day.
Selene had barely left the building before Manager Holt grabbed his phone and dialed Adrian. “Mr. Shaw, you’ve sent a real cash cow my way!”
Before Adrian could respond, Holt barreled on. “She wants to dump the entire six million into the stock market. Can you believe it? Is she out of her mind?”
“She’s not crazy–you don’t know how sharp she is,” Adrian shot back, voice firm. “She used to be naive, sure, but I won’t allow anyone to look down on her.”
Holt snorted. “Give it a week, and you’ll see just how foolish she really is.”
Adrian’s reply was immediate. “Whatever Selene’s buying, I want a piece of it too. Match her trades.*
Holt swallowed his retort. If Adrian wanted to burn money, that was his business. At least it meant more commission for him.
22:29 #
Chapter 29
As soon as he hung up, Holt was already dialing the assistant.at Vaughn Enterprises.
The call was transferred straight to Harrison Vaughn.
“She’s really putting the whole six million into the market?” Harrison stood at the top floor of a gleaming skyscraper, gazing down at the city skyline, a ruler surveying his domain.
“Yes, sir. I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted.”
A cold, thin smile tugged at Harrison’s lips. So, Selene’s return to the Vaughn family would happen sooner than expected.
A woman raised in a small town–no matter how many years she’d spent as a socialite–had never handled money like this. Now, flush with sudden wealth, Selene thought she was ready to take on the world.
In less than two weeks, she’d be so deep in the red, she’d be desperate enough to jump.
“Understood,” Harrison said, voice cool and certain.
