The next day, Summer Thorne continued making the rounds at various banks, only to be met with one rejection after another.
After leaving the bank and just as she settled back into her car, she suddenly received a call from Ivan Gray.
"Miss Thorne, do you have a project proposal on hand for attracting investors and securing loans?"
Summer Thorne glanced at the documents on her passenger seat, but when she opened her mouth, she answered with a single word: "No."
Ivan Gray clearly hadn't expected that answer. He seemed to choke, taking a moment to recover. "You can't be serious. Didn't you just leave the bank?"
"Then why ask the obvious?" Summer Thorne said.
Ivan Gray cleared his throat in embarrassment. "It's just an icebreaker..."
After a pause, he added, "In that case, would you be free to meet this afternoon?"
Summer Thorne didn't say anything more, simply replying, "Alright. See you this afternoon."
...
