"New furniture, new curtains, new everything oh my gosh I'm so happy right now!" I squealed.

"How does it feel, to have your own place?" Charlotte smiled taking a seat on the sofa.

"This is crazy. Honestly thank you so much! It's really all thanks to you." I beamed placing the last houseplant down.

"I'm glad you considered my offer, so what do you want to do now?"

"Lunch?"

"Let's go!" She stood up grabbing her bag.

We walked to the little restaurant in the neighbourhood, much like the area the restaurant was quite hip too.

"Is Mia doing well?" I asked her.

"Yeah, after lots of tears she finally gave in. She cried the whole drive to Monaco." Charlotte laughed.

"She definitely has some lungs!" I laughed, "what about Charles?"

"He looked normal, quite happy actually!Russia went pretty well." She smiled.

"Oh!" I smiled.

I felt so hollow on the inside, it had been weeks! Forget Russia even the race at Japan was over and I still wasn't over him. Completely.

"So how was your stay at Monaco?" I asked hoping to distract my mind from it.

"It was wonderful! I met my sister, I met my friends, we went out and obviously there were gelato runs with Mia and Charles." She smiled.

"How are they doing?"

"Mia has finally accepted that schooling is part of her life and Charles seems happy."

"Really?"

"Yeah! He was so bright and cheery, quite a contrast from the last time I saw him. He even said that he's been able to focus better."

"Oh! Good for him." I smiled hollowly.

I felt like an absolute idiot, I was bawling my eyes out for a man who didn't even care. In fact he was doing better now that I was gone.

Even if our relationship wasn't real, was it really such a big burden to him? That he felt weighed down by?

My ringing phone disrupted my train of thoughts, I was getting a call from an unknown number.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Is this Tara?" The person on the other side replied.

"Yes this is she, can I know who I'm talking to?"

"Tara! It's me, Darren..."

"Hi!" I smiled awkwardly.

"So, I'm on my way to the airport now..." I could hear the awkwardness in his voice.

"You were in Nice all this while and you chose, today?" I teased him.

"I was nervous! It took me two weeks to tell myself to call you up."

"Wimp!" I laughed.

"How the tables have turned, Tara Fae is now bullying Darren Ye."

"You did that to me for like two years, so there's no comparison."

"Okay, bullying aside I have to ask you something." He sighed.

"What?" I felt tense.

"Would you like to, you know go out for dinner with me, the next time I'm in Nice?"

My heart was beating so fast! I was at first nervous that this would never happened. Now that it was happening I didn't know how to react. I looked at Charlotte, who was confused at why I looked like a deer who had just seen headlights.

"Quick! Cha, Yes or no?"

"For what?" she looked baffled.

"Just say something!"

"Yes?" She frowned.

I put the phone back on my ear, "Are you still here?"

"Um... Yeah."

"Yes. Let's get dinner." I blurted.

"See you soon!" He ended the call.

"What just happened!" Charlotte exclaimed.

"I just said yes to someone to go get dinner, he's sweet." I smiled.

"Tell me the whole story! Who is he?"

I told her about how a while ago, I ran into Darren. Everyone loves him so much, it used to get to my nerves. He transferred to my Highschool when were in like 10th grade, he was the new kid but he made everyone love him.

He was literally the golden boy, Captain of the football team, face of the student council and did pretty well academically. That last bit used to get to my nerves because academics was my thing, topping the grade and always being in highest percentile was my thing and I used to do it effortlessly.

That was until he showed up, he made me work hard for it and used to literally bully me about it. He reminded me everyday of my life that I was a lonely nerd and I had like three friends. It used to annoy me, it never hurt me though, I have Harriet as a little sister. There's very little that can hurt me.

After Highschool I was so sick and tired of seeing this man, I applied to a university in Beijing and moved there and studied while living with my grandparents. I needed a fresh start, free of bullies. I lost touch with a lot of people back home, Darren was the first one.

"I'm seeing a pattern here." Charlotte smiled.

"What is it?"

"Tara runs to different cities to hide from men." She laughed.

"Charlotte!"

"Go on though, what else do you know about him?"

"From what I know, right around the time we started university Darren set up his own busines. So did I. But mine failed miserably while his took off." I cringed.

"Ouch." She winced.

"Yeah, my parents are able to lead comfortable lives despite me literally draining their wealth with failed ideas but they are not the level of wealthy Darren's family are."

"Tell me more!"

He's old money rich, his father helped my dad set up his second business by agreeing to be a silent partner. My dad ever since that day has just been a Darren fan. 'Such strong work ethic! So polite!

Tara you know him too!' When I came back to Singapore after University, all Aunty Mei and my mum ever did was nudge me towards that boy.

It was annoying okay! I had two failed business and was working a job I hate while this guy's gaming business just took off and everyone loved him even more than ever. Aunty Mei probably has more information on him, I'll talk to her before going out with him.

"Who's Aunty Mei?"

"My mum's older sister, gossip girl of the town. She's a really wealthy widdow but we all think she killed Uncle-"

"What!"

"It doesn't matter! I want to go out with him but on my terms. My mother is just going to push all of this into marriage, it's like she doesn't want me to outshine her achievements-"

"No. stop. stop right there!" Charlotte raised a finger.

"Stop villainizing your mother, she was worried about you." She explained.

"But she tried to get me married off-"

"Was your career taking off?"

"No." I hung my head low.

"Exactly, today you work with me and have a house and lead an independent lifestyle. What if that never happened?"

"I would still be on my sister's couch, financially unstable."

"Your mother was looking out for you, marriage to a handsome young man who will respect her daughter and provide for her seemed like the best option to her."

"You do have a point..."

"Let me tell you something, the society is very unkind to women with no means. You and I are very lucky to have never experienced it. Like you said, your mother is self made. She has worked hard to get where she is. She just didn't want to see you go back to square one and have to do all of that all over again."

"Wow. Thank you so much, like honestly you opened my mind to a thought that didn't even occur to me."

We spent the rest of lunch discussing work plans for the upcoming week and she helped me frame a plan of action for the date with Darren. The more I spoke to her the more I understood where mum's ideas were coming from.

Don't get me wrong, you should marry who you want to. But even today, the way our world works, marriage is an economic proposition that could help someone sustain the rest of their life.