Touch Of Solicitude

ONCE

He looked back at the mirror, "The view from this place is remarkable," He commented, "Do you agree?"

"Yes," I looked at the view and saw what he was witnessing; he was not lying when he said that the place was remarkable, "You don't need to force yourself. If you don't like the place, we can change our destination, or call it a day. We can reschedule this interview elsewhere," I shook my head.

"No, I am fine with this. We don't need to switch locations, also, it's getting late, we should stay," He looked back and nodded, "You can start asking me anything you'd like to know. These are all going to the papers, right?"

"Yes, please bear with me," He just raised his eyebrow, signaling that I could start, "First of all, I am very much thankful that you agreed to be interviewed. I planned to convince you at the party, somehow, we ended up here. Thank you, Mister Ferreiro,"

"Hearing that you agreed to the interview brings me to much glee, you denied and disagrees with these kinds of setting. You know, invading your private space, however, please rest assured, The Bulletin is not your easy company," I uttered, "The Bulletin is Ylury's leading business and finance publication. Each issue of a Bulletin Magazine subscription covers a wide range of topics and contains rigorous, to-the-point business analysis that will be useful to anyone in the business world, from the CEO to an individual investor."

"It is a pleasure to work with you, Mister Ferreiro, you made the right choice to pick The Bulletin," I heard his tongue click, making me stop, "It's your request," I slowly nodded.

Once I finish this interview, I will not see him again; that is a relief; I find him strangely similar to someone I do not want to see or meet ever again. He is not avoiding and dropping the conversation; we can finally start and work; I started recording.

"This interview will be part of the special issue, now that you've returned to Ylury, which you said was your homeland, you must have too many things to do, so now, are you ready?" I asked him; he nodded, "Whenever you are,"

I took a deep breath, "To what or who do you owe your success?" It was an introduction, "Well, you are very young to be this established there must be a reason that made you this way," I commented.

"To different people, success can mean different things. For some, a title, large salaries, and a plethora of other things equate to success. Others define success as having the respect of family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and superiors." He started, "Professionally, my success came from moving up the ranks in the fields of business and finance. Yes, I made a lot of money, but I also had the respect of my coworkers. That was success for me. I worked very hard to get to where I am now. I didn't give up until I got to where I wanted to go."

"Thank you, that sounds nice. Next question, as a famed financier who is sought by other companies, how long will you stay in Ylury? Do you have any plans to leave, in the future maybe," He shrugged, "If I were to say, I would love to stay here personally, forever if possible. However, it all depends on one person," The moment our eyes met, I felt awkward, immediately avoiding his gaze.

"Can you disclose- no I mean, next question, that was too private," I cleared my throat, composing myself, I cannot let things go ahead, "Do you have any interests outside of work? You're unmarried-" I stopped.

Who made these questions? I should have revised or made it myself; I am throwing myself into the grave after this. I never felt so embarrassed for the rest of my life. "Forgive me, next-" He raised his hand, making me stop, "I'll answer, no worries,"

I looked at him awkwardly, "It might be too personal or private, you can discard that one, let's move on to the next question," He loosened his tie, "I'll answer. For now, I do not have any besides having someone acknowledge who I am,"

He kept mentioning someone; it made me curious; I do not want to throw him off of his private space. The Bulletin is not the kind of magazine that snoops around and ruin their reputation.

"Do you have plans to give consultation, private or public that can help other businessman or others who plans to start a business?" He took a while before answering, "My job entails working for an investment bank or an asset manager. To assess a company's financial situation, we examine financial and nonfinancial data, micro and macroeconomic data, and other variables. We frequently use this analysis to make a recommendation about the company we are analyzing, such as whether to buy or sell a stock. To put it simply, we specialize in raising and spending public funds."

"I believe I can provide consultations by evaluating external companies; financial consultants provide corporations with internally-focused financial advice to help them increase shareholder value and improve capital efficiency; however, this is not the case at the moment." He narrated, "I have a current goal in mind that I cannot fail, so I must focus on it first. This may sound self-centered, but I haven't changed my goal since the day I was born, left Ylury, and returned. It has not changed and will not change in the future."

His deep looks pierced my soul as if he was portraying and saying something to me. With a look that was stern and warm, I felt bothered by his constant stares. As time passed, I did not notice that we were at the last question.

"Why did you came back to Ylury?" I questioned, "A pledge... I returned to fulfill a promise I made to myself in life and death that I would keep no matter what happened." Somehow, I felt something unexplainable when we saw each other eye to eye, making my stomach churn.