Ms. Claire gently turned the glass with her fingertips and shook her head:
"I stayed in this city to teach because my marriage was here. Now I'm ready to resign and then go out for a trip first."
She pinned her falling hair behind her ears, and this action made the bruises on her wrists faintly visible:
"But it's not clear what to do after that. Maybe I'll start my own business! Experience what entrepreneurship is like! I studied business administration at Stanford as an undergraduate, and later received a master's degree from Cambridge in England. If I fail, it's no big deal—I can always come back to teaching."
Ethan was surprised:
"So Ms. Claire studied business administration! I always thought you were an English major."
Ms. Claire was amused by his exaggerated expression, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye trembled slightly with her smile:
"What? Looking down on people? I got my CFA back then."
She picked up a piece of bread:
"What about you, college student-to-be? Why are you so concerned about your teacher's affairs?"
"Not at all! I was just a little surprised—a master's degree in business administration from a top university came to be an English teacher. That's like using a sledgehammer to crack nuts!"
Ethan picked up a piece of tender lobster and said casually:
"Ms. Claire, instead of taking risks on your own, why don't you join a startup first to gain experience?"
Ms. Claire smiled bitterly and shook her head:
"Easy for you to say. Where is such a suitable..."
"What a coincidence!"
Ethan suddenly put down his fork, his eyes brightening amazingly:
"I have a newly established company here. Would you like to try it?"
Ms. Claire said with a puzzled face:
"You have a suitable one? You're not joking!"
Ethan took out his phone, added Ms. Claire on messaging, and then typed a line to send to her.
"Buzz buzz~"
Ms. Claire stared at the phone screen, and after she saw the company information Ethan sent, her eyelashes trembled slightly:
"Chairman of Red Bean Capital... Ethan Miller? Wait! Isn't this you? Have you started a business?"
Ethan smiled and said:
"Yes! However, the company has just been registered, and now there are two people. I sincerely invite Ms. Claire to be my right-hand person, with a probationary period of one month, a monthly salary of $20,000, and salary and benefits after becoming permanent—how about it?"
My company has just started. So far there's only Diana. Today I found a master's degree in business administration from a top university, and she's still an old acquaintance—I must bring her in!
In the future, the company would diversify, and there would be too many management talents needed.
And right now Ethan was in short supply. How could he let this go!
In the early stage of this kind of entrepreneurship, she would definitely be able to help him a lot! He often had to grasp the general direction, and the implementation of some specific events often required talented people!
"Ethan, are you sure you're not pulling my leg?"
She stared at the freshly graduated student in front of her, trying to find a trace of joke in his eyes.
Ethan put down his fork, and his eyes replied seriously like never before:
"Ms. Claire, does it look like I'm joking? Of course, you don't have to worry about the company's funds. I sincerely invite you to join, but the company's office will be located in New York. If you agree to join the company, you can still travel and relax first, and when school starts, just come to New York to find me!"
Then he opened his mobile banking and handed it to Ms. Claire to check his balance.
After all, Ethan was just a student who'd just graduated from high school. It could be said that no one would take it seriously when he talked about entrepreneurship. But if he showed the bank account balance, naturally he wouldn't have to explain so much!
Ms. Claire looked at the long string of zeros on Ethan's phone and felt that her breathing had stopped for a few seconds, her ears buzzing.
"This... Is this really yours?"
Ms. Claire's voice trembled incredibly, her fingers subconsciously grabbed the edge of the table, and her nails were slightly white.
She looked up at Ethan, trying to find a trace of joke or deception on his young face, but all she saw was calm determination and confident composure that transcended his age.
"If it's fake, you can sue me for fraud."
Ethan took back his phone, his tone as flat as if he was talking about today's weather:
"Ms. Claire, I sincerely invite you to join, not because you're my teacher. It's because of what I need from you—a background from a top university, an international perspective, solid language skills, and management potential."
Then he continued:
"Similarly, you need a new starting point right now, and 'Red Bean Capital' can give you a platform that's far beyond your imagination."
Ethan's words were like heavy hammers, hitting Ms. Claire's fragile and confused heart at the moment.
The food on the table seemed to still be steaming, but Ms. Claire's heart experienced a fierce storm.
She picked up the iced water on the table and drank more than half a glass. The cold liquid made her confused thoughts a little clearer.
She put down the glass, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled, as if to expel all the depression and hesitation in her chest.
"Ethan, let me pay for this meal. Just think of it as the new employee's... 'letter of introduction' submitted to the boss?"
Her voice no longer trembled but brought a kind of calm and determination after breaking down. She didn't answer directly, but this sentence already showed her attitude.
He suddenly smiled, his smile sincere and bright:
"Ms. Claire, you should be the new partner."
Ms. Claire also smiled, and finally revealed a trace of relief that hadn't been seen in a long time:
"Okay, Mr. Miller! Then for this meal, I'll treat the boss as a partner. Please give me your guidance in the future."
"Happy cooperation, Ms. Claire!" Ethan stretched out his hand.
Ms. Claire didn't hesitate and held it firmly.
Ethan held the slightly cool hand and found a faint tan line on her ring finger. The two hands clasped above the steaming plates, officially forming an alliance at the dining table filled with the aroma of Italian cuisine.
Two hands—one young and powerful, the other slender but with the flexibility of an intellectual—officially formed an alliance at the table.
Walking out of the Italian restaurant, it was already late evening.
The summer night breeze brought a hint of coolness, blowing away the heat in the restaurant and the tension of the conversation just now.
Ethan looked at Ms. Claire, who was shining again, and proposed:
"Ms. Claire, to celebrate the addition of a tiger to our 'Red Bean Capital,' and also to celebrate you saying goodbye to the past and embracing the new future, let's go to karaoke and sing a few songs? Relax completely!"
Ms. Claire was stunned for a moment. Karaoke? The last time she went to a place like that seemed to be when she graduated from grad school. What happened after that? Then it was days and nights of marriage, cooking and cleaning...
After the divorce, she'd never thought about such a noisy and lively place.
But at this moment, looking at the invitation and vitality flashing in Ethan's eyes, and feeling the urge in her heart that had just ignited to break free from the shackles, she nodded vigorously:
"Okay! We won't stop until we're hoarse tonight! No, we won't stop singing until we're happy!"
...
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