Chapter 8 - Finally, Employed! (2/2)

Finland also fell silent.

Then a minute later the two laughed out loud...

How could they take him seriously when he crazy things such as buying the Continental Hotel? Come to think of it, Caspar often said things that sounded ridiculous. Okay, maybe he was not a scammer. Maybe he was a joker!

”Never mind... just take it as an entertainment,” Jean said later. ”The incident was indeed very funny. I am happy to hear that those bad girls from your high school were taught a lesson. We have to thank whoever is responsible for kicking them out of the hotel.”

”Yes, but the gang leader now works in the same office as me ...” Finland sighed sadly. ”When my three-month probation is over, I'll look for another job.”

”Psshh... cheer up. The important thing is you work as well as you can and don't get involved in office politics. Later, if your probation period is over and you really want to quit working from LTX, you can find another job. Finish your three-year mandatory work in Singapore. Later when I retire from modeling we make our own agency in Paris. You can help me here.”

Finland nodded in enthusiasm, her heart felt calmed down. Talking with Jean always made her feel excited about life. Jean was probably the only good thing in Finland's unlucky life.

They were both mixed and when they first met in the Design class, they clicked immediately and continued to sit together throughout the school year.

Jean's full name was Jean Pierre Wang. His mother was a French model and his father was a Singaporean businessman. His parents divorced when he was five years old. He did not have any siblings, so he could really relate to Finland's loneliness. He never used his full name and always asked to be called by his first name, Jean.

He was very stylish because he learnt a lot from her mother, who was famous in the fashion world. Before graduating from high school, he was already scouted for modelling. He then secured a contract to become the face of a famous jeans brand.

Jean casually applied study at NTU because he wanted to feel like a normal student, and that was where he met Finland.

Contrary to most people, Jean did not consider Finland's name strange, instead he said that Finland was one of the most beautiful names he had ever known, and he immediately told her about his wonderful experience visiting Finland.

From Jean, Finland learnt that during the summer the sun does not set in Finland for 73 days. Furthermore, Jean made Finland appreciate her own name when he told her that he wanted to be known only by his first name like Madonna and Kesha,

Finland helped him a lot in college, especially during the first year when Jean was very busy on the runway. She lent him her notes and sometimes helped with his assignments since he was abroad most of the time.

In the second year, Jean was forced to take some time off from college because of his busy schedule. Finally, in the third year, he had no choice but to quit altogether. They both remained good friends until now.

You could say, to Finland, Jean was like family. At times like these she was very grateful to have a friend who genuinely cared for her. Finland decided to follow Jean's advice and avoid getting engaged in political issues in the office. She would focus solely on completing her three-year work obligation in Singapore and then she would follow Jean to Paris.

To her surprise, the first week of work passed by without any issues. Finland tried her best to avoid Meilin and did not attract attention. After the one-week training she and her team began working on ongoing company projects.

She spent the second week working on a boring database collection. During that time Finland did not hear anything from Caspar. They had no contact with each other after their dinner date; the date where Finland left in a hurry before dessert.

Finland finally assumed that her chance encounter with Caspar had become a part of the past. He probably gave up scamming her.

***

Today was an exciting day for Finland. After work she rushed to the ATM to check her account balance.

Finally, after a full month of hard work, she earned her first salary as a full-time employee. She was overwhelmed with emotion and almost shrieked! She held back her emotions when when she saw the queue of people behind her.

She came out of the ATM room with a big smile on her face and walked home to Robertson Road. As usual, she imagined herself walking on a runway, like Jean…

Ah... soon she must say goodbye to Jean's apartment which had been her home for the past two months.

When she got home, Finland made herself a cup of tea, opened her laptop and looked for advertisements for rented rooms on the internet. She also searched for advertisements on local newspapers. She did not want to trouble her friend any longer.

There were several listings within her budget, but they were located too far away from her office. She managed to take note of three cheapest property listings that were located at a reasonable distance from her office. She was about to close her laptop when she suddenly saw a newly posted ad.

”Renting a room in an old house in the city center. Owner is often abroad so a tenant is needed to help take care of the house. Room rental only 500 dollars per month.”

Finland almost shouted in joy. This was the dream room of every poor employee! She was so lucky to see the ad just when it was posted!

She quickly picked up the phone and dialed the contact number on the ad. She must move fast not to let this perfect room be taken by someone else!