Chapter 31: 31: Private investment firm.
After hanging up, Lucy lowered her phone and rose from her desk before glancing around the office.
The employees she had recruited over the past few weeks were already arriving.
Some were already chatting with each other.
Lucy took a deep breath.
How she wished she had someone she could complain to.
Someone she could tell about the company’s finances.
Someone she could tell that their investment company had somehow managed to spend over half a million yuan while producing almost nothing that resembled profit.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t.
As the boss’s assistant, it wasn’t her job to spread rumors.
If anything, it was her responsibility to keep the company’s affairs confidential.
So she put on a smile and walked over.
"Good morning, everyone."
The conversations gradually quieted as they all turned their attention to Lucy.
Lucy maintained her professional expression.
"The boss will be coming in today. I’m sure you’ve all memorized his face from the photo I sent."
A few nodded, one even pulled out her phone to double-check.
Lucy continued, "And remember that we’re here to work."
Her gaze swept across the room.
"Not to judge."
It was her subtle warning as to not make a fuzz when the boss came and tell them that there won’t be any funds to invest.
The employees exchanged puzzled looks but nodded anyway.
"Understood."
"Good."
With that, Lucy returned to her desk.
The moment she sat down, the office slowly became lively again.
A young woman near the coffee machine grinned.
"Hopefully he’s rich, like filthy crazy rich."
Another girl immediately chimed in.
"And handsome too."
One of the older male employees shook his head.
"Being handsome doesn’t pay salaries."
He continued calmly.
"What’s important is whether he’s willing to invest. If the company doesn’t have enough capital, our investment returns won’t amount to much."
The others nodded.
That was true.
Investment firms lived and died by money.
No capital meant no projects.
No projects meant no commissions.
Meanwhile, at her desk, Lucy slowly lowered her head.
Her smile twitched.
Rich boss? You want a rich boss?
Wait until you find out the company survived its first month by borrowing money.
Wait until the boss starts talking about loans again.
The thought alone nearly made her cry.
Just then, the office door opened.
Lucy’s body immediately stiffened.
He’s here.
She quickly sat upright and straightened her expression.
But the person who entered wasn’t Benny.
An elderly man slowly walked inside, dressed in an impeccably tailored suit.
Behind him followed a middle-aged butler carrying a leather briefcase.
The pair moved with the ease of people accustomed to being welcomed wherever they went.
The receptionist immediately stood.
A bright, professional smile appeared on her face.
"Good morning, sir. Welcome to Autumn Investment."
The old man didn’t respond.
He continued walking as if he hadn’t heard her.
The receptionist’s smile visibly paused for a fraction of a second, then it returned.
"Sir?"
She quickly stepped around the desk and followed him.
"I’m sorry, but this area is restricted to company personnel."
The old man remained silent.The butler merely glanced at her before continuing forward.
The receptionist’s fingers tightened slightly around the tablet she was holding.
For a brief moment, Lucy thought the young woman might lose her temper.
After all, being ignored to her face was hardly pleasant.
Instead, the receptionist maintained her smile.
She matched the old man’s pace and continued speaking.
"Sir, if you’re looking for someone, I’d be happy to assist. This floor requires authorization. If you have an appointment, I can help verify it for you."
The old man still didn’t answer and now the atmosphere gradually became awkward.
More and more employees began sneaking glances in their direction.
Lucy sighed inwardly as she stood back up.
It was time to intervene, the receptionist had been more than patient enough despite the arrivals being rude.
Leaving her desk, she quickly walked over.
"Good morning, sir."
Unlike the receptionist, Lucy’s tone carried a subtle authority that came with being the boss’s assistant.
The old man finally stopped as his gaze shifted toward her.
Lucy offered a polite smile.
"My name is Lucy. I’m the assistant manager here. If you’re looking for someone, perhaps I can help."
The old man studied her for a few seconds.
Before he could answer, the receptionist quietly stepped back and released a small breath of relief.
Lucy pretended not to notice.
The young woman had handled the situation surprisingly well.
Much better than most newcomers would have.
Now all that remained was finding out who exactly this elderly gentleman was and why he had walked into the company as though he owned the place.
The old man studied Lucy for a moment before nodding slightly.
"I heard a new investment firm opened in this area."
His gaze wandered around the office.
"So I thought I’d come and invest a little."
Lucy nearly choked.
Invest?
For a brief moment, she imagined what a normal investment company would say.
Then reality returned.
Autumn Investment was not a normal investment company.
Maintaining her professional smile, Lucy answered politely.
"I’m sorry, sir, but there appears to be a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?"
"Yes."
Lucy nodded.
"Our company doesn’t accept outside investment capital."
The old man’s eyebrows rose slightly.
Lucy continued.
"Autumn Investment is a private investment firm. We don’t manage client funds. We don’t pool investor capital and most importantly, we don’t provide wealth management services."
The old man became visibly interested.
"Then how do you operate?"
Lucy was silent for half a second, then she gave the only truthful answer she could.
"We use the boss’s money."
The old man blinked.
"The boss’s money?"
"That’s correct."
Everything was funded by Benny after all, and technically, because he hadn’t gotten the proper papers for it, they can’t legally accept outside fund or manage others fund.
The old man looked around the office once more.
Then he slowly asked, "So you’re telling me this entire company operates solely on the owner’s capital?"
"Yes."
"And you don’t accept outside investors?"
"No."
"And you don’t manage external funds?"
"No."
The old man was quiet for several seconds before he suddenly chuckled.
"Interesting."
Very interesting.
In all his years, he had met countless investment firms.
Some were large, some were small but most of them were fraudulent.
But this was the first time he had encountered a company that openly refused investment and insisted on using only the owner’s money.
For some reason, that made him even more curious about the mysterious boss behind it.
