"The decisions of the higher-ups have nothing to do with you. Don't overthink it," Jamison said. "We're going to the family estate tonight. It's my sister-in-law's birthday, and we're celebrating there."
Ivy was taken aback. "It's her birthday today?"
"Yeah."
"You... seem to remember her birthday quite well," Ivy remarked with a playful, ambiguous smile.
Jamison replied irritably, "It's not me who remembers. My brother called and told us all to come over tonight."
"Oh, is that so…" Ivy chuckled softly.
Jamison huffed. "I don't remember anyone's birthday except yours, alright?"
Ivy's birthday was in May, just over a month away, when she would turn twenty-four. Because of the three years she had lost, she was now twenty-four and hadn't even finished her undergraduate degree.
"Fine, then I'll be waiting to see how you celebrate my birthday," Ivy responded with a grin, then mumbled, "You should have told me earlier about your sister-in-law's birthday. I haven't prepared a gift."
"Don't worry about it. It's the thought that counts."
"Of course not. This is the first time I'm celebrating her birthday. I have to get her a gift." Ivy thought for a moment, then asked, "You gave me several bags last time. Would you mind if I gave one of them to her?"
The packaging was still intact, and it was a limited edition, so it would make a fine present.
"They're yours now that I've given them to you," Jamison said. "You can do whatever you want with them."
"Okay. I don't have time to pick out a gift today. After work, I'll go home first and choose a bag for her."
"Alright, I'll pick you up early then."
"Sounds good."
After finalizing their plans, they hung up.
Ivy returned to her desk. It was almost one in the afternoon, but no one was taking a break. Everyone was busy, anxiously awaiting the afternoon market opening, hoping for a quick rebound to minimize their losses.
But no miracle occurred.
Feeling the heavy atmosphere in the department, Ivy got up around two o’clock and went to see Manager Zoe. She once again advocated for selling, arguing that the rally in film stocks was over and that they shouldn’t delude themselves into thinking it was just a normal correction.
Manager Zoe looked at her, her eyes filled with hesitation. “Why don’t you… call Mr. Shaw directly? He’s still on a business trip and only joined this morning’s meeting briefly via video call.”
Ivy knew that, given her position and experience, she shouldn’t be overstepping her bounds. But with the market in freefall, every second of delay meant millions more in losses.
After a moment of consideration, she decided to call Edmond Shaw.
But the call didn’t go through.
Time ticked by. The only small comfort was a slight rise in the index just before closing, which got everyone excited, thinking the market was still bullish.
But Ivy felt it was just an illusion to mislead retail investors.
Edmond called her back half an hour after the market closed.
Ivy explained her thoughts, and Edmond’s voice sounded grim. “Actually, I share your view. In this morning’s meeting, I also urged caution and suggested we reduce our positions as soon as possible, but the other two executives and several department heads thought I was being too pessimistic…”
Hearing this, Ivy knew that this market crash was unavoidable.
The sudden market downturn had ratcheted up the pressure, and almost every department in the company had to work overtime.
Just before quitting time, Jamison called, saying he’d be at her office building in ten minutes.
“I have to work late,” Ivy whispered. “I won’t be able to leave for a while.”
“How long do you think it’ll be?” Jamison, with his status, had never had to wait for anyone.
“I don’t know. You know the situation today. The two senior executives are still in the office…”
“You’re just an intern. What does it have to do with you? Just leave when it’s time.”
Ivy was thinking the same thing, but before she could pack up, Manager Zoe came over and told her the two senior executives wanted her in a meeting.
Ivy was stunned. “They want me in a meeting? I’m just an intern…"
“It was probably Mr. Shaw’s idea. He’s flying back first thing tomorrow morning and was worried he wouldn’t make it in time, so he wanted you to exchange ideas with Mr. Crawford and Mr. Lawrence first.”
Manager Zoe’s attitude towards her was now remarkably polite; even her request was gentle.
Ivy couldn’t refuse and followed her upstairs.
The discussion ended up lasting for over an hour. Jamison sat in his car downstairs, waiting for a full hour.
Finally, his patience wore thin. He got out of the car and went upstairs.
He went from department to department, asking for his wife. He didn’t find her, but he did attract a lot of curious and admiring glances, especially from the women.
Married or single, they were all captivated by Dr. Ludwig’s striking good looks.
“That’s Ivy’s husband! I saw him in the elevator once. He may look cold, but he’s so gentle with Ivy.”
“Tsk, what kind of luck does Ivy have? She’s beautiful, smart, and she found such a perfect husband.”
“Could it be that… she found such a perfect husband precisely because she’s so beautiful and smart?”
“Well, I guess so…”
Jamison finally made his way to the Proprietary Trading Division.
The gloomy office suddenly came to life when they heard someone was looking for Ivy, especially when they saw it was a tall, handsome man.