Page 31 of Nefarious
Val cleared her throat, eyes on Anthony. He looked up and had the good grace to appear abashed.
With everyone now paying her the same respect they had on day one, she began. “As you are all aware, we provide a mentorship opportunity that can’t be found elsewhere. Fleetwood has among its staff some of the most illustrious financial minds in the world. Your peers might think they were smart to take a position at one of those Wall Street firms, but you all know better. Which is why you’re here. And we expect a great deal from you in turn. By the end of this week, you should be competent enough to take a place on our trading floor in the capacity in which we train you.”
The kids all shifted in their seats, excited at the prospect of real-world trading. Val oversold it a bit, but she was proud of the program she’d set up. Each year, she’d helped mold a cadre of young hopefuls into promising traders. And most of them applied to work for Fleetwood when they graduated. She knew it wasn’t for the cultural attractions. They came to continue to work for her. And with her firsthand knowledge of them, she made quick work of weeding through them.
“Your progress this week will be scored and evaluated as a part of the competition for that coveted job offer to follow the internship, so you’re going to want to show your mentor the same level of respect you’ve shown me and prove you deserve to work here.”
It was all bullshit. There was no objective standard to base the final decision on. Whoever seemed like they’d take the job and fit in at the company would be considered. But she preferred carrots to sticks when dealing with employees, and the contest gave the interns motivation to behave which in turn kept her co-workers willing to participate in this extra work.
The first trader to show up was Steve Lewis who began asking the interns what they knew about hedge funds. Selena covered a yawn with her fist. If she’d been wearing a sorting hat, she would have muttered, “Not hedge funds. NOT hedge funds.” Fortunately, Kristin showed interest and aptitude for the topic, and Steve invited her to join him in his office later.
The same repeated with Lana Cornwall in commodities and Peter Green in bonds.
When Dane entered the room, all the kids sat up a little straighter. Val scanned the group of interns, trying to guess who he might pick. Thank God, Selena had chosen today to wear a short skirt and a blouse that opened enough to suggest a cleavage. Dane couldn’t care less which of the interns could keep up with him. He’d go with whichever might entertain him.
He didn’t bother to glance at Val, and she shook her head at his ridiculous compunction. As if she’d hold it against him for holding himself against her Friday night. Those five minutes had given her something worth thinking about all weekend. But if he wanted to play apologetic scamp, she’d amuse him.
He pulled up a chair and began questioning the interns in rapid fire on topics ranging from futures to securitizations. He even asked them about their experience with java and sql. Whenever the others faltered, Selena managed to answer more or less correctly.
“And who can explain what a shelf company is?”
Selena spoke up before anyone else could. “It’s a company with no employees or fixed assets.”
He nodded. “And what are they used for?” He kept his eyes on her, letting everyone know the question was hers to answer.
She paused, maybe believing her chances hinged on getting this right. “One use might be as a transition from a bank or other structure that is prohibited from selling to the street. The bank could sell assets to the shelf company, which would then be permitted to sell to the street.”
“Good.” He put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “Give me an example of a type of financial instrument that might be sold this way.”
She didn’t hesitate. “Asset-backed securities.”
“One last question, Miss Valencia.”
Val rolled her eyes at the drama. He’d decided to pick Selena from the minute he’d seen her legs. It was fortunate she’d been well-prepared for this harangue. Val figured he’d only let the question-answer session go on so long to amuse himself since the girl could obviously keep up.
Selena’s expression held a nervous hope that the question wouldn’t trip her up. “Yes?”
“Would you like to spend the next week securitizing assets with me?”
Val resisted the urge to tell them to get on with it. They had other interns, and the traders were starting to form a line at the door. Dane had to make a show of everything.
With no climactic surprise, Selena clapped her hands together and then pulled herself back into a professional restraint. “Yes! I’d love to.”
“Great.” He stood. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”
Val ushered Jai Patel in and tuned him out immediately, watching Selena intently. The girl glowed with a victorious glee. It was obvious Dane had been her first pick all along. Good. Maybe his dormant sense of retribution would finally wake up.
Transcript of second quarter board meeting addendum Page 4
Parties present: Noelle Constance, Maxwell Baker, Aloysius Holstein, Amy Waterson, Louis Beauchamp
Noelle Constance:These added features will attract new customers as well as retain our existing client base, leading to increased revenue. And as I’ve demonstrated, the cost savings in our strategic initiatives, specifically as relates to our more efficient storage centers, will increase our overall margins. It is my conservative estimate that we should hit the projected growth of five percent, but of course, we hope to exceed expectations.
Maxwell Baker:Excellent. You’ve clearly done your homework.
Amy Waterson:Yes. It’s quite a relief to have someone competent in your position. We can put that last chapter behind us.
Louis Beauchamp:We are all pleased to have someone of your impeccable reputation on the team.
