Description:
This novel is a scandalous tale of the bad behavior that goes on in the world of high finance. In the background, the nation's economic crisis is unveiling as the banks play a central role. It is told through the eyes of 30-something Leigh Boyer, who is thrilled when she is hired as Director of Corporate Citizenship at a major Wall Street firm, Metropolis (Metro) Financial. Leigh feels that she has finally "made it," successfully hiding a provincial inferiority complex by reinventing herself as a "real" New Yorker, replete with Jimmy Choo shoes, full-body aggression on the subway, and a Wall Street job where the everyday madness would shock her polite Midwestern family. Unfortunately, her dream job turns out to be a nightmare, as the Wall Street of Leigh's imaginings is eroded by one eye-opener after another. Leigh quickly learns that she is not alone in harboring secrets-the company is riddled with them. While she is responsible for portraying her employer as a good corporate citizen, in reality, Metro is anything but. Instead she finds herself dealing with infidelity scandals, embezzlement crimes, cad-like behavior, unethical financial schemes, and "accidental" customer deaths. Further complicating matters is her love affair with a hated New York Times business reporter, who publishes the exact secrets Metro is trying so hard to keep hidden. Leigh's escapist James Bond fantasies and a few hard-won allies help her bear the insanity that is business as usual at Metro.
This novel is a scandalous tale of the bad behavior that goes on in the world of high finance. In the background, the nation's economic crisis is unveiling as the banks play a central role. It is told through the eyes of 30-something Leigh Boyer, who is thrilled when she is hired as Director of Corporate Citizenship at a major Wall Street firm, Metropolis (Metro) Financial. Leigh feels that she has finally "made it," successfully hiding a provincial inferiority complex by reinventing herself as a "real" New Yorker, replete with Jimmy Choo shoes, full-body aggression on the subway, and a Wall Street job where the everyday madness would shock her polite Midwestern family. Unfortunately, her dream job turns out to be a nightmare, as the Wall Street of Leigh's imaginings is eroded by one eye-opener after another. Leigh quickly learns that she is not alone in harboring secrets-the company is riddled with them. While she is responsible for portraying her employer as a good corporate citizen, in reality, Metro is anything but. Instead she finds herself dealing with infidelity scandals, embezzlement crimes, cad-like behavior, unethical financial schemes, and "accidental" customer deaths. Further complicating matters is her love affair with a hated New York Times business reporter, who publishes the exact secrets Metro is trying so hard to keep hidden. Leigh's escapist James Bond fantasies and a few hard-won allies help her bear the insanity that is business as usual at Metro.
EXCERPT:
Chapter 1
Sir Richard Branson was even more handsome in person than in photographs. I couldn't believe my good fortune to have him seated not far from me in Business Class. Who would have thought that he actually flew on his own airline? Rumor had it that he had his own handpicked crew. Apparently non-model types need not apply.
He was headed toward me, stopping to shake every passenger's hand along the way, while addressing them by name. He looked like the adventurer that he was: understated in jeans, and tan with long, thick grey hair pulled back in a ponytail.
"Leigh, welcome to Virgin," he said when he reached me. "I have an open seat next to me. Would you like to change seats and join me on this long flight?"
Yes, yes, yes, I screamed inside myself while only managing a nod. I gathered my things and dizzily followed him down the aisle.
Brrrrring! Brrrrring! Brrrrring! The intruding ringing of the phone jolted me out of my delicious daydream and back to the harsh reality of my life.
In the opulent conference room high above Park Avenue, it seemed as if the wall phone never stopped ringing. As Macon Powers strode quickly to answer it, her high heels resounded off the black marble floor with a clicking reminiscent of the old Wall Street stock ticker machines. Her pencil-thin suit and Jimmy Choo pumps matched her personality: sharp, ambitious and self-important. As head of the Public Affairs Department for Metro Financial, she made sure all her direct reports knew who was in charge. From Wall Street With Love
Leigh Boyer is an accomplished professional with experience in the financial services domain.
She currently is Asia Pacific editor for Entrepreneur Today — a magazine dedicated to helping new entrepreneurs make their dreams become reality. She is the former Director of Metropolis Financial’s Office of Corporate Citizenship and oversaw a global commitment to fund financial education projects. Prior to that, she was accepted into the highly competitive internship program with McLean Investments in New York City.
She is the author of a critically acclaimed personal finance book, The Metropolis Money Guide.
Ms. Boyer received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs from Stanford University and her Master’s in International Finance from the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. She currently resides in Hong Kong.
Her first novel, To Wall Street With Love, is available through Amazon.com and is based very loosely on her experiences working in finance.
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