Chapter 5: Parting Ways

The sight of Fiona in front of her suddenly made Meredith feel a bit unfamiliar. The look in her eyes and her tone seemed to suggest that if she stood in her way, she would be simply unforgivable.

"You have a boyfriend now? I've never heard you mention it before. What does your boyfriend do, where is he from, and did he ask you to move in with him? When a man says he will take care of you, it's just an empty promise. Women still need to have a job to have confidence. If you get cheated on, with your soft personality, men will always take advantage of you..."

"Meredith, do you always see me in that light?" Fiona interrupted her.

Taken aback, Meredith explained, "No, that's not what I meant..."

Fiona interrupted again, "He wouldn't lie to me. He's a local, comes from a wealthy family, owns a company. Finding a good man is more important than finding a good job. Once you find the right man, you won't have to struggle. Women deserve to enjoy life. Making money is a man's job. I'm not as capable as you, nor as pretty. I just want to marry a good man and be content."

Their perspectives were completely different.

At this point, Meredith couldn't stop Fiona and said, "If you find a good place to be, I'm happy for you. Fiona, I hope you find happiness. Bring your boyfriend out and let’s meet sometime. If my best friend is taken away from me, I'd like to know who he is."

"He's busy. When he has time, I'll introduce him to you. As long as you support me, I'll be happy," Fiona casually spun a lie, not daring to let Meredith know her boyfriend was Terrence Sterling.

"As long as he treats you well, I'll support you. When are you moving out? Do you need help?" Meredith asked.

Meredith was worried, convinced that Fiona had been deceived. She simply could not count the stories she had heard about men who fooled their girlfriends into living together, before they impregnated them, and finally discarded them.

"No, his assistant will come to help with the move," Fiona said as she peeled potatoes, trying to ask casually, "Meredith, as an intern, you must not have had many chances to see your boss."

"It used to be rare," Meredith said helplessly. "But now, I'm likely to see him every day. I got promoted to the Secretary's Office. I'm now Terrence Sterling's secretary. Fiona, I just told you, didn't you hear?"

Fiona was startled by this news. Distracted, she dropped a potato: "You're now Terrence Sterling's secretary?"

"Yes," Meredith said with concern. "I'm surprised too. I don't know why Terrence Sterling chose me as his secretary. His current secretary, Mr. Shepard, said it might be because I looked plain and thus safe and I mentioned I had a fiancé. Perhaps Terrence Sterling thinks I'm not a threat."

"Fiona, do you like Terrence Sterling? Would you like him?" Fiona's reaction left Meredith puzzled, and she chuckled, "Fiona, what's gotten into you? I'm fed up with it all. That’s Terrence Sterling, a man at the top of the pyramid, he and I are not in the same world."

"That's good," Fiona breathed a sigh of relief, accidentally revealing her inner thoughts.

Meredith didn't understand. "Fiona, what do you mean? What's good?"

Fiona's gaze averted, she picked up the dropped potato and peeled it, trying to hide her unease, "Terrence Sterling is so handsome and wealthy. Many girls like him. I'm afraid you might fall for him. The Sterling family is an aristocratic family, they surely won't allow people like us from the lower class in. I'm worried you'll get hurt."

"Don't worry, I know where I stand." Meredith smiled, "I've heard that women who climb into Terrence Sterling's bed tend to just have no good results in the end. It's best to stay away from such a diamond-tier man."

While Meredith didn't mean it, but Fiona sure took it to heart.

Fiona felt guilty and ashamed of her hypocrisy. While advising Meredith not to fall for Terrence Sterling, she was chasing after wealth and status herself.

Fiona didn't dare ask Meredith about last night. She didn't want to shatter the illusion. Fate had given her a dream of wealth and bestowed upon her a handsome and wealthy man. She must seize the opportunity.

If Meredith didn't value Terrence Sterling, then Fiona couldn't blame her for making the wrong choice.