"Just friends?"
I asked back with the most innocent eyes I could muster.
Gerard loosened his grip on my hand and smiled faintly.
"Ah, Rachel ntioned she doesn't have any particularly close friends. She said everyone is just… friends."
Gerard offered his explanation and then turned his head abruptly toward Gonzalez. His sharp gaze was reading Gonzalez’s expression.
"Shall we head inside then?"
Finishing his observation, Gerard smiled and led us indoors.
"Did it take long to get here?"
The small talk began, but I didn’t need to pay attention.
"No, luckily there wasn’t much traffic…"
"Really?"
"I expected it to take 40 minutes, but we arrived in exactly 27 minutes!"
Dobby efficiently answered every question, leaving no room for anyone else to interject. His quick responses made my silence seem natural.
I used this gap to organize my thoughts.
Just friends.
That was Rachel’s phrase. Gerard was searching among the guests for soone who was "just a friend." Of course, it wasn't in a positive sense—it was a way to identify soone to be cautious about.
He doesn't seem to know exactly who it is yet…
Although I felt he was suspicious of , Gerard’s sharp eyes suggested Gonzalez was also a candidate. He had filtered the two of us based on so unknown criteria.
I can't hide it forever.
Eventually, the fact that I have a personal connection with Rachel will co to light. But that day doesn’t have to be today. There’s an important mission today—gathering information. If the fact that I’m "just friends" with Rachel becos known, their level of caution will spike, making information gathering much harder.
At least for today, I couldn’t let that happen.
"You're here?"
At the end of the hallway stood Rachel. She wasn’t in her usual business attire but instead wore a pristine white dress. The cutout detail near her collarbone naturally drew the eye.
"Rachel! You look so… stunning today!"
"Ha ha, thank you."
"No, really, you're always beautiful, but today, you're on a whole other level… Wow…"
Dobby exclaid in an overly dramatic tone, his expression almost dazed. Anyone watching might think he was her real close friend.
Rachel, thankfully, focused her attention on Dobby instead of , chatting with him warmly. Good. It made it easier to maintain my "ordinary colleague" disguise.
"Are we the last to arrive?"
"Yes. The others arrived earlier than expected…"
We were guided to a drawing room. The space was reminiscent of a European palace: a grand chandelier, marble floors, and luxurious furniture. It was so lavish that it bordered on excessive.
In the center of the opulent drawing room sat a middle-aged woman and six gold-clad lackeys. Rachel led us toward the woman.
"Let introduce you. This is my mother."
To say I was surprised would be an understatent, but Rachel's mother wasn’t particularly stunning. It was surprising because Rachel and her brother’s appearances were so striking. Their good looks seed to be a gift from their father’s side.
"This is Sean, Lanton, and…?"
"Gonzalez."
"Nice to et you. Please, have a seat."
"It’s an honor! Thank you for inviting us, Mrs. Mosley."
Unlike my calm deanor as I found my seat, Dobby was making a fuss again, unusually excitable today.
"Please, call Judy."
"Oh, sure, Judy. By the way, Mr. Mosley…"
"Unfortunately, my husband won’t be able to join us today. Sothing urgent ca up…"
"Father… isn't coming?"
This was shocking news.
The main reason for this visit was to et Rachel's father and gather information about Theranos. And now, the key figure wasn’t attending.
"Sothing’s up."
Rachel's father is a partner at a law firm—not so low-level employee. Missing Thanksgiving due to work was unusual.
‘Are they not getting along?’
Perhaps there was marital discord. Rachel had never ntioned anything like that, but then again, we weren’t exactly close enough to share such details.
Honestly, I was disappointed. But this wasn’t the ti to dwell on it.
‘I’ll focus on Rachel’s mother today.’
This was also an important mission. It might be wishful thinking, but there’s a chance that Rachel’s mother, "Judy," cos from one of the wealthiest families in Arica. Just uncovering her background would be a significant win.
‘She looks so ordinary though…’
Even with expensive clothes and jewelry, she exuded a certain modesty. She lacked the arrogance typically associated with old money.
As soone, likely a staff mber, placed a cup of tea before , Judy smiled and spoke.
"There are other teas available as well. Please let know if this one doesn’t suit your taste."
I focused on her pronunciation and intonation. She likely spent her childhood at her family’s estate. Her accent might give a clue about the region.
‘Let’s rule out Texas, Kansas, and Minnesota.’
There was no trace of the nasal twang characteristic of the South or Midwest.
"The others already know, but what departnts are you three from?"
"The Natural Resources departnt."
"M&A. Sean is with too."
Before I could say anything, Dobby eagerly answered on my behalf. Judy smiled and asked a follow-up question.
"M&A? That’s an interesting departnt. Which industries do you usually work with?"
"We cover a wide range of industries."
"Still, isn’t there a focus area?"
"Not really. Investnt banking is broadly divided into industries and product groups. M&A falls under the latter…"
Dobby launched into a detailed explanation, but I nudged him lightly with my elbow, making him pause.
"Oh, sorry. This must be boring for you…"
"Not at all. It’s fascinating since it’s a field I know little about. Please, go on."
Judy smiled encouragingly. It didn’t seem like re politeness—she genuinely appeared interested.
"Industry-specific expertise is handled by the Industry Group, which focuses on areas like tech, retail, and dia telecom. anwhile, Product Groups specialize in financial products like M&A, bonds, and leveraged finance. For instance, if a tech company is conducting M&A, the Tech Group and M&A Group would collaborate to handle…"
Dobby continued his overly thorough explanation, but Judy’s eyes reflected genuine curiosity. She wasn’t just pretending to listen; she truly wanted to know.
‘She’s interested in M&A…?’
That ant she had an interest in managent. However, the basic nature of her questions suggested she had no direct experience in the field.
For several more minutes, Judy focused intently on her conversation with Dobby. The topics all revolved around M&A. Eventually, she turned her gaze toward and Gonzalez.
"You two don’t seem like Aricans…"
"My family is originally from xico," Gonzalez replied.
"xico? Then are you in the U.S. for your studies?"
Judy seed particularly interested in Gonzalez, her deanor noticeably different from when she had asked about our departnts.
"Is she responding to the ntion of xico as a location?"
"And you?" she asked, turning to .
"My family is originally from Korea."
"Oh, really?"
"But I immigrated at a young age and am now a U.S. citizen."
"I see."
I deliberately dropped “Korea” into the conversation, and her eyes lit up for a mont. However, the ntion of being a first-generation immigrant quickly extinguished her interest.
‘Did she not do her howork?’
Judy’s gaze shifted to her wristwatch, her earlier curiosity completely gone.
"Old folks like would just spoil the fun for you young people. Dinner will be at five. Rachel, why don’t you give them a tour before then? We’ll talk again at dinner."
Judy left after saying those words.
It was a rather abrupt exit. However, even that carried aning. True wealth doesn’t waste ti.
‘She got everything she wanted to know, didn’t she…’
Judy had shown interest in only two areas: ‘departnts' and ‘regions.'
It wasn’t about verifying the friends approaching her daughter. Instead, it felt like she was evaluating which of her daughter’s acquaintances might be worth leveraging.
Given her novice-like curiosity about managent…
‘Could it be for scouting…?’
She might be looking for suitable talent among the Goldman employees. It wouldn’t be unusual. After two years at Goldman, employees often get headhunted by companies eager to poach them.
Ideally, it would be soone who has a personal connection with her daughter—soone she can bring in with a degree of trust and groom further.
xico and Korea are erging markets. If she’s interested in those regions, it might an her family operates a global business with multinational ambitions.
‘No, that’s overthinking it.’
I had only collected a few puzzle pieces, and forcing them together would just lead to baseless speculation. It wasn’t the ti to form a big picture yet. For now, I had to focus on gathering more clues.
“A tour? Well… why don’t you all follow ?”
At Rachel’s words, we all rose from the sofa. Rachel scanned the group and frowned slightly.
“Why are you coming?” she asked Gerard.
“Why can’t I?”
“You don’t need a tour.”
“Do you think I’m tagging along for the tour?”
Both of them smiled, but sparks flew. An invisible battle of wills was unfolding.
Gerard, searching for the “just friend.”
Rachel, trying to protect that friend.
“What are you waiting for? Lead the way.”
“Fine, let’s go.”
The victor was Gerard. Since he insisted on joining, Rachel had no excuse to stop him.
The tour began with the library.
“Wow, this place feels completely different.”
“It was recently remodeled…”
Unlike the classical-style drawing room, the library was a strikingly modern space. If the drawing room epitomized grandeur, this was the essence of minimalism.
A quick glance revealed that the books lining the shelves were all old editions—first editions, in fact. The library alone was likely worth several million dollars.
“Is that… Van Gogh?”
“Oh, yes. It is.”
Even the paintings adorning the walls were authentic. Each radiated the unique aura only genuine masterpieces possess. There were over a dozen such works, each worth tens of thousands of dollars.
In the basent, there was a wine cellar encased in glass, a mini movie theater, a swimming pool, a bowling alley, a gym, and a billiards table.
After a tour of the basent, we stepped outside to circle the mini golf course and outdoor pool.
“What’s that building?”
“A guest house.”
“It’s pretty big.”
“It has three bedrooms…”
Rachel stuck close to her female colleagues, never once glancing my way. Gerard loitered near her, seemingly continuing his search for the “just friend.” anwhile, I blended in between Dobby and Gonzalez, moving inconspicuously. Even if Rachel’s gaze did wander in my direction, it wouldn’t necessarily land on .
“Wow, this is incredible… Did you know about this?” Dobby asked.
“Nope.”
I gave a half-hearted answer, but at that mont, I noticed Gerard approaching Rachel.
“By the way, Rachel, didn’t you say you were close to soone in the sa departnt as you? There’s no one here from your departnt, though.”
“What?”
Rachel froze.
There was no one from her departnt in this group. The closest connection was , who had worked with her for a few days during a temporary assignnt.
But revealing that would expose my identity. On the other hand, lying would only make things worse when the truth inevitably ca out.
As Rachel looked flustered,
“Oh, that would be .”
A bold voice chid in next to . It was soone I had shared lunch with once—a guy whose na, if I rembered correctly, was Jim.
“Aren’t you in the Tech departnt?” Gerard asked, skeptical.
“I am now, but during my internship, I rotated with Rachel through Tech, FICC, and Industrials.”
Jim was volunteering himself as the "just friend," completely unaware of the implications.
“Not last year, but this year.”
“That’s unlikely. It’s rare for multiple newcors to be placed in the sa departnt. We don’t hire that many people in the first place…”
Lucky .
Jim was unknowingly throwing up a smokescreen, giving a chance to breathe and regroup.
In any case, the tour had yielded no aningful clues. No family photos, trophies, or objects hinting at a specific company were displayed anywhere. Still, I did pick up on a few things:
‘The couple isn’t on good terms.’
It was evident from the house’s interior. The mother’s spaces were classic, while the father’s were modern. In a shared ho, one might expect so compromise, but instead, they had stubbornly decorated their respective areas according to their own tastes. The result was a mismatched chira of conflicting styles.
‘Forcing us on this house tour is strange, too.’
There’s a difference between staying in the drawing room and being shown around the house. Sure, I had vaguely realized upon entering that Rachel’s family was wealthy. But seeing the gold embellishnts throughout the property made it strikingly clear just how rich she was.
The tour also changed how so colleagues viewed Rachel. By the end, their gazes were filled with awe and reverence. It wouldn’t be long before rumors of Rachel’s imnse wealth spread through Goldman.
She couldn’t be oblivious to this. Maybe that’s exactly what her mother wanted.
I suspected the reason was scouting. If Judy were looking for talent, she’d likely drop a company na during dinner.
“How about a round of bowling?”
With so ti to kill, we headed back to the underground bowling alley. The group split into teams by gender, getting surprisingly into the ga.
As for ? I was simply waiting for ti to pass. Every hour felt like a day, but the clock was rcifully ticking forward.
Finally, it was dinner ti.
As we entered the dining room, Judy was already seated.
“You must be hungry. Please, take your seats.”
The long table was set for twelve. We weren’t seated randomly; each spot had a na card indicating its assigned occupant. Even this was a clue.
Seating arrangents always carried aning. The closer a seat was to the host, the more significant its occupant.
My seat, along with Dobby and Gonzalez, was positioned quite prominently.
And the person sitting next to ? A colleague from the Retail departnt.
‘Retail?’
Retail wasn’t exactly a hot field like Tech. Yet, placing soone from Retail in such an important spot suggested there was a good reason for it.
If Judy was scouting talent, this might be a clue.
Automatically, my mind ran through a list of the top ten wealthy families associated with retail businesses. Only two nas stood out.
Both were at the very top.
One was the Walton family, owners of a globally renowned supermarket chain, firmly holding the number one spot.
The other, ranked third…
“Mother, may I bring out so wine?”
Gerard’s voice snapped out of my thoughts.
“Wine? There’s already so…”
“It’s a special occasion, so I thought we’d need a special wine.”
Judy seed mildly skeptical but eventually nodded. Gerard began walking—not toward the door, but toward .
I thought, No way. But sure enough, he stopped right in front of , placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Hey, buddy. Want to help pick out the wine?”
This was… odd. We hadn’t exchanged a single word during the tour.
“I’m not very knowledgeable about wine,” I replied.
“That’s fine. I know plenty about wine. I just need so company.”
Gerard turned his head toward Rachel, flashing an awkward smile.
“That’s okay, right? He’s ‘just a friend.’”
Damn it. He knows.
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