Chapter 2

Before we exited the car, Caroline told me she'd paid for this opportunity to meet the investor with a bottle of wine last night. She was always gracious when it came to business expenses. I've seen Bruce appear on the financial news every now and then in the past two years. He has always been described as having a keen eye and never suffering any losses, especially when he invested in a certain dotcom company half a year ago. That had instantly garnered Bruce fame. Bruce was always expected to become famous in the investment circle, given his background in economics. This was also why he'd been celebrated last night during the reunion. An ex like me should stay away from him whenever possible; but when I saw just how prepared Caroline was for this meeting, I followed her into the building. I figured that Bruce wouldn't have the time to personally hold a discussion with a small game development company like us—and I was right. Three well-dressed representatives sat in a neat row across from Caroline and I in the conference room, listening to our presentation. Two hours went by as questions were raised and answers were given. Afterwards, one of the representatives sent us off. Caroline quickly invited him out for lunch while I gave him an apologetic smile. A sweet voice suddenly reached my ears. "Is that you, Nancy?" I turned around, instantly spotting Cindy and Bruce standing a short distance away. Bruce was dressed in a dark blue suit which accentuated his handsome features and figure. The aquamarine cufflinks on his wrists matched Cindy's blue stud earrings, making them seem extremely compatible. That is if you ignored the brief glint of displeasure in Bruce's gaze, of course. As they walked nearer, Cindy gazed curiously at me and asked, "Are you guys here for a business discussion, Nance?" How smart of her. Caroline quickly picked up on the peculiar atmosphere and extended a hand to Bruce. "I've heard great things about you from Nancy, Mr. Harold. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." This was Caroline's usual line reserved for such occasions. But unlike other times, she was in for a surprise today. Bruce glanced coldly at her before looking at me. "Is that so?" He sneered in disdain. I felt embarrassed when I recalled how confident I'd seemed last night. "You haven't eaten yet, have you, Nance?" Cindy asked enthusiastically. "Our company's food hall is famous for its good cooking. Why don't you have lunch before you go?" Only then did I realize Bruce had already given Cindy a position in his company. This was a great opportunity for someone like her, who hadn't even graduated from university yet. Bruce was already taking care of her so well. I thought about how he'd always make me sit across from him when I used to look for him in the university library, as if afraid I might tarnish his high and mighty reputation. I was even proud of such treatment at the time. "No, thank you." I tried to recover my voice. "We still have matters to attend to. Goodbye." I then shot Caroline a look, only to be met with one of upset. When we got into the car, she asked coldly, "Aren't you going to give me an explanation?" "He won't invest in our company." I sighed before continuing, "I didn't want you to waste your time and energy." Caroline's brows knitted in confusion momentarily before she exclaimed, "No way! Could that douchebag ex of yours be… Bruce Harold?" The cat was out of the bag now. "Shit." Caroline now understood something. "If Bruce Harold looks at our proposal… " We shared a knowing look, realizing the gravity of the issue. The issue lay primarily in the fact that the romance game we were developing centered around a male student majoring in economics who longed to be with another female student but couldn't win her affection no matter what. Things weren't looking good for our project right now. I could only hope that Bruce would toss the proposal into the trash without so much as a glance. At least we wouldn't be mistaken as intentionally taking a jab at him. Based on Bruce's standing in the investment circle, he could make things very difficult for us should he choose to. This would only fuel the fire that would consume a company like ours, which was still in debt. As the day passed, Caroline and I slowly reclaimed our reason and decided to seek out other investors. I returned home at around 9:00 pm that night, tired. The moment I stepped out of the elevator, I saw a figure in the distant hallway. The man was leaning against the wall, his face shrouded in darkness while a cigarette burned between his fingers. It was Bruce. As the motion sensor lights lit up, our eyes met. The air was thick with the smell of tobacco. I looked at him and said simply, "It was a coincidence." Bruce stayed silent. I felt even more pressure, so I continued, "We're already seeking out other investors, so don't worry, Mr Harold." I wasn't afraid of pissing off Bruce, but I did have to consider my company's well-being. Sure enough, Bruce's hostility seemed to lessen when I said this. I went to open the door without another word. Bruce suddenly said, "We can invest in your game." I paused, feeling surprised. So Bruce had read through our proposal. But why? Bruce had his fair share of big projects to invest in. If he wanted to invest in our project, he could've just told Caroline about it instead of waiting out here for me. I looked down, unsure of how to even voice out my many questions. I didn't think things were that straightforward. Sure enough, what followed from Bruce was, "But I have a request." I guessed as much. I looked into his eyes and said courteously, "Do tell, Mr. Harold." "Cindy needs to submit a project before she graduates. I hope she can participate in the development of your game." So Bruce intended to use our hard work to benefit Cindy. My fingers clenched together before loosening again. "I'll let Ms. Whittaker know tomorrow." I was only contributing my programming skills to the project to earn share profits in return. I couldn't just deny Bruce's offer on behalf of the entire company, all because of my personal reasons against him. Plus, the company was in need of a lot of money. Bruce didn't seem to have expected my compliance. He glanced at me and hummed in assent. Usually, this meant an end to the conversation. Thus, I entered my apartment without another word. As the door shut behind me, I waited until Bruce's footsteps faded into nothingness before I crouched down and buried my face into my knees. … The next morning, I told Caroline of Roeval Investments' intention to invest in our project. Caroline was stunned. A moment later, she said, "Douchebag or not, Bruce is still a valuable connection." I felt incredulous but brought up Bruce's request anyway. Caroline patted my shoulder and consoled me, saying, "Think about the 2,400 square feet houses and those hot men in clubs. We need this money." I nodded. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." So Caroline and I went to Roeval Group's office building again. This time, the receptionist led us to the CEO's office on the top floor. We could hear a woman's faint laughter coming from within the office when we entered. Cindy was sitting close by Bruce, laughing her heart out. When she saw us, she quickly leaned away from him and said shyly, "I'll head out first." "No need," Bruce responded. He turned to Caroline and I, then said, "Say hello to your new colleagues." "New…. New colleagues?" Shock appeared in Cindy's eyes but was quickly replaced with grievance. "Do you think I'm dumb, Bruce?" "What are you talking about?" Bruce replied warmly. "Weren't you worried about what to submit for your graduation project? Now you have a readily available project." Cindy looked up, stunned. Caroline extended her hands in a welcoming manner and said, "Yes, Ms. Lane. Welcome to Love Story's team." Cindy gazed happily at Bruce and exclaimed, "You're so good to me, Bruce!" It seemed like Cindy really was touched by this surprise. I was pretty shocked, too. I had given Bruce his fair share of surprises during our birthdays, anniversaries, and whatnot. Now, it was his turn. Though I was somewhat confused by his contradictory actions, they didn't mean anything in the face of money. Bruce ended up investing five million dollars into the game.