Chapter 447

“Don’t belittle yourself. One can’t change where they came from. Besides, rich and powerful families didn’t start out rich and powerful. You’re a talented designer. What you need to do is to work harder.

Soon, the public will acknowledge and accept you—whether they like it or not.” Tiffany waved her hand dismissively.

Just then, the waiter came to serve black truffle, foie gras and a bottle of aged wine.

Swirling the glass of red wine in her hand, Tiffany’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “This is expensive. Is Mr. Larson paying for it?”

Janet shook her head. “My money is mine, and his money is his. I just wanted to thank you for all of your help. I doubt I’d be where I am today without you.”

Tiffany clinked her glass against Janet’s and smiled leisurely. “You don’t have to do this. I didn’t do much.”

Sipping her wine, Tiffany nodded in satisfaction. “But I won’t say no to a bottle of Lafite. So, what’s the real reason why you invited me to dinner? Ask away.”

Rubbing her fingers, Janet smiled sheepishly. “Okay. Well, here’s the thing. I want to be an independent designer.”

Hearing this, Tiffany pursed her red lips. “Has it been a year since your graduation?”

This question made Janet’s heart sink to her stomach.

“No. It has only been ten months.” Janet was so nervous that her palms started to sweat.

Generally speaking, becoming an independent designer was no easy feat. Except for those extremely talented, no one in their right mind would be arrogant enough to open their own studio within a year of graduating. It was expected that they gain experience from working in a company for a few years before going independent.

Tiffany fell silent for a second. “That’s a little tricky. Experience is important for a designer. Plus, it’s somewhat an insult to those experienced designers if you become a successful independent designer at such a young age.”

After a while, she smiled gently. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t see it that way. You’re clearly a talented designer and I’m sure you had a lot of ideas even back in college. But my experience tells me that it’s still early for you to set up your own studio. What if you work for another design company to gain experience first?”

Hearing this, Janet’s expression was complicated.

“It seems that you have something on your mind, Janet.” Tiffany saw through her immediately. “Mr.

Larson doesn’t want you to work for anyone else, am I right? That’s so macho of him.”

“No, it’s not that. Rather, he doesn’t want me to work outside of the city. A long-distance relationship is not for us. If I had the chance, I’d want to go to Barnes. But Seacisco is in the south and Barnes is in the far north. It will not be easy for us to see each other in the future,” Janet explained dejectedly.

She didn’t want to be separated from Ethan, but she didn’t want to be dependent on him either.

Tiffany shook her head and sighed. “You managed to marry a rich man yet you still have a lot of things to worry. Men are indeed the stumbling block to a woman’s career.”

Janet was amused by her opinion. She looked at Tiffany carefully.

Tiffany was beautiful and sexy, but she always seemed to cast aside worldly desires and lived independently.

She was a tough woman. She was professional and capable and it was as though she didn’t need a man at all. Nobody knew whether she was born like this or it was because of something she had experienced.

The two of them proceeded to have a nice dinner. Finally, it was time to say goodbye.

Before getting in the taxi, Tiffany turned around to warn Janet, “This is no small matter. You two had better discuss it and make things clear as soon as possible.”

“You’re right. I’ll see what I can do. Be careful on your way back.” Janet waved goodbye to Tiffany.

When she got home, Janet was preoccupied with thoughts on how to discuss her predicament with Ethan.

Ethan was wearing a dark blue suit and tie, looking tall and mature. With his shiny leather shoes, he was the epitome of a cold, meticulous CEO.

When he saw her come in, Ethan wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her on her cheek. “It’s good you’re back in time. There’s a charity party tonight. Let’s go there together.”