Novel Square
Pursuit of money
A couple of years ago…
“Mia, what’s your plan after high school? Are you heading to college?”
Seated on the swings, enjoying ice cream, the two lively friends discussed their future.
“Hmmm, I’m thinking of going to college, and I’ll be interning as a TV presenter.”
“Wow, that sounds great! Let’s do it together,” Martha exclaimed, her face lighting up.
“Where should we pursue our internship?”
“Hmmmmm, BY Network.” Mia declared with determination.
“Huh? Isn’t that owned by Max’s family?” Martha inquired, her eyes widening.
“Technically, it is.” Max appeared from behind, embracing Mia.
Mia blushed deeply and playfully fed Max ice cream.
“Ah, I envy you two… So adorable,” Martha giggled.
____
Present day.
“You’re welcome, once again. I assure you, you’ll enjoy your time here. If you excel, there’s potential for a full-time position within the company.” The manager of the human resources department smiled warmly, concluding his speech.
“Later, we’ll host a welcome dinner for you all. Take the opportunity to familiarize yourselves with your superiors and show respect. Best of luck.” With that, he headed back to his office.
Apart from Mia and Martha, two additional interns joined-a boy and a girl-the girl, surprisingly, from their own school and Mia’s former classmate, Veronica Clifford.
Upon entering their new office space, Mia was notably taken aback seeing Veronica, more surprised than Martha.
Veronica, initially shocked by Mia’s presence, quickly regained composure and greeted Martha while avoiding eye contact with Mia.
Before the HR manager departed for his office, he had guided each of them to their respective cubicles, allowing the four interns to promptly settle in.
However, before they could find a moment to settle in…
“Intern, fetch me my coffee.”
“Is there an intern available? Take these files to the studio.”
“Grab those boxes and follow me.”
“Research this topic and report back in five minutes.”
“Submit this to the Chief Editor.”
Enjoyment indeed!
Despite feeling utterly confused and overwhelmed, Mia found this new experience surprisingly exhilarating. She recognized the need to adapt to her transformed lifestyle.
From the moment they arrived until closing hours, the interns didn’t have a moment to spare. Exhausted and drained, they finally exited the building.
“Good night, everyone,” Josh, the sole male intern, waved before heading off.
“Bye, Martha. My ride’s here,” Veronica bid farewell to Martha and walked past Mia as if she didn’t even notice her.
She opened the car door and took a seat beside her aunt.
“Hi, Aunt,” she greeted with a bright smile. “Why is it you who came?” Veronica asked, fastening her seatbelt.
But Yvonne seemed distracted. As the car smoothly left BY Entertainments, her gaze remained fixed on a particular person-the girl from the other night. She was the one. Her eyes wouldn’t mistake her.
“Aunty Yvonne?” Veronica tapped her lightly.
“Oh, Vee,” Yvonne jolted, blinking life back into her eyes. “How was your first day at work?”
“Hectic,” Veronica sighed as she sank into the seat.
“Don’t worry; you’ll get used to it,” her aunt reassured, forcing out a small smile while her eyes remained fixed on the rearview mirror.
“Um, Vee… That girl… Is she your friend?”
“Who? Martha?”
“Is that her name? The one in white and black…”
“Oh, Mia,” Veronica said dryly. “She’s not my friend. Never will she be my friend. The heavens forbid,” she spat.
Yvonne stole a glance at her niece before focusing on the road.
“If I knew she was going to intern here, I wouldn’t have come. Eish!” Veronica clicked her tongue irritably.
“Why? Is she that bad?” Yvonne’s brows furrowed.
“Eiya! She’s terrible. A boyfriend snatcher! She took her best friend’s boyfriend! Thank goodness Martha got Max back. Do you know BY Entertainments belongs to Max’s uncle? She was after his family wealth. Shameless!”
Yvonne was astonished. “Really? That’s indeed terrible.”
Her best friend’s boyfriend…
Ah, was that it? Yvonne wondered. ‘Is the girl playing a game, intentionally toying with Shawn and Damien?’ Her eyes darkened.
Her man and her brother.
The two influential men in the country were head over heels for her, acting like lambs at her feet. Was it all a game? A pursuit of money?
Too bad. Now that her secret had been exposed, it was over for her.
‘I’ll deal with you,’ Yvonne vowed within herself, her hand tightening around the steering wheel.
Back at BY Entertainments.
Right outside BY Network, two cheerful friends stood together.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
“Do you know who’s coming to pick me?” Martha blushed deeply, “Max.”
“He should be here any time soon. He worries too much about me-I told him not to worry, but…” Her voice trailed off.
And right on time, a car pulled up in front of them. As expected, the person behind the wheel was none other than Max Anderson.
He stepped out of the driver’s side and opened the passenger’s door for his girlfriend.
“Aww, my sweet.” Martha was all smiles as she stepped in. “Max, could you please drop off Mia? She needs to ride with us.”
Max took a quick glance at Mia and then looked away. “Okay.”
“Huh, no. That won’t be necessary. I don’t want to inconvenience you… I’ll find my way.”
Martha frowned. “Why are you being shy? Get in; Max will take you.”
Mia smiled, “don’t worry yourself. I have somewhere I must be-I’ll take the bus.”
Hearing this, Max muttered, “okay.”
Before returning to the driver’s side, his gaze lingered on Mia’s fingers-devoid of a ring, still.
“I’m her husband.” Ever since he heard those words on the phone long ago, peace of mind eluded him.
For reasons unknown, those words clung to his thoughts, creating a web of questions about Mia’s mysterious marriage. When? How? To whom? Uncertainties flooded his mind.
Perhaps, that person had played a prank on him.
Unconsciously, Max let out a sigh as he reentered the car.
“Bye, Bestie,” Martha waved to Mia as the car drove off.
As they exited BY Entertainments, Martha’s gaze remained fixed on the passenger side mirror.
As anticipated, after their car had traveled a short distance, another car pulled up in front of Mia, and she got in.
‘Lying wench!’ Martha sneered.