Chapter 5

Tiffany's POV

The next day, Tiffany decided that it was best if she put all Shawn Gold business to the side. As she lay awake last night, she had come to the decision that she would tell her father she couldn't marry that man. The company was important to her, yes, but if the price was demeaning herself and condemning herself to a life full of misery to do it, she didn't know if it would be worth it at all. There were more things important to her than money in life, such as dignity, love, and family, and when there was a will, she believed there would always be a way.

She could take a break from school, and join her father in the office. They could merge with a lesser company, and put in the work to bridge the gap. Or they could ask Mr. Gold for help that didn't involve a marriage. Even if they didn't fully merge the two companies, they could still become partners. Mr. Gold hadn't seemed like an unkind person, and afterall he was a friend of her father's. She was sure he would understand. However, she hoped that he wouldn't take it as an insult that she didn't want to marry his son.

Anyway, that was an issue for later. Right now, she had to focus on getting ready for school.

The maid had washed and ironed her uniform in preparation for the first day, and it laid neatly over the back of her study desk chair. She ran a hand over it and put it on piece by piece, then stood to admire her uniform in the full-length mirror that hung on her bedroom wall.

She had always liked their uniform. It consisted of a short plaid skirt with black, red, and green colours that ended somewhere along mid-thigh. It was already getting chilly even though it was still early September, so she paired it with light black leggings that hugged her long, straight legs smugly, accompanied by black boots. Her top was a white short-sleeved collared shirt paired with a dark grey vest and a plaid ribbon tie that matched her skirt. She only had on light makeup, partly because of the school dress code and partly because she knew she always looked better natural. She only ever wore makeup to official events, where a lot of photos would be taken and it might be considered rude to not wear any makeup.

She twirled a bit, admiring her reflection, then picked up her phone to text her friends. There wwere a few messages from friends and acquaintances alike, but she only opened the messages from her group chat.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Queen Freya:

Guyssss, where are you? T-T