When Fiona met Barry, the head of the Xinmin Group, she finally understood the deeper meaning behind June's last comment about "experiencing the hardships of life."
Barry was a blatant old lecher. When they met at the airport, he acted decently since there was a driver present, but once they arrived at the private dining room in the hotel, his true nature began to show.
"Rick is really something else. I've been on business trips to Rong City so many times, and this is actually the first time I'm meeting Fiona," Barry said, placing his hand on Fiona's thigh and leering at her. "But I understand Rick; if I had such a beautiful secretary, I wouldn't want to show her off either."
Fiona calmly pushed Barry's hand away.
"Barry, you're joking. Rick treats all his secretaries equally. The reason I haven't met you before is that I wasn't responsible for your company's business," she said with a polite smile.
"Well, let's meet more often then. Next time I come to Rong City, I hope it'll be Fiona who hosts me," Barry said, reaching out again.
"Absolutely," Fiona replied, cursing him internally while maintaining her formal smile. "Barry, please try this; it's a specialty of Rong City."
"I must try the dishes recommended by Fiona. But it seems a bit boring to just eat without having a drink. How about having a drink with me?" Barry suggested, planning to get her drunk to have more control over her.
"I'm sorry, Barry, but I'm not feeling well these days. I took cephalosporin earlier, and as you might know, mixing cephalosporin with alcohol can be very risky. Please, Barry, I'm still young and want to enjoy life. I hope you'll be understanding," Fiona declined in a joking tone.
"It's just cephalosporin. What's there to worry about? I don't believe it's that effective," Barry said, not taking Fiona's words seriously. He opened a bottle of Moutai and poured a small cup for Fiona. "Come on, Fiona, drink up. If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility."
"Barry, I really can't. I've genuinely taken the medication."
"Fiona, you're really not being cooperative," Barry said with a stern expression. "June, who used to handle these meetings, was always willing to drink. She was quite straightforward. Why are you so standoffish? Do I need to call Rick to get you to listen?"
"Barry, that's not what I meant."
"If it's not what you meant, then drink up!" Barry insisted.
Fiona looked at the glass of alcohol in front of her and suddenly realized that, despite not having an official position over the past two years, Rick had shielded her from many such unpleasant situations due to their special relationship. Now that they were separated, he wouldn't be there to protect her, and she would have to face everything on her own.
"Fine, Barry, I'll drink it, but I should warn you that I have a very low tolerance for alcohol. Please don't be offended."
"No offense, no offense," Barry said, eager for her to drink so he could quickly get her drunk and take her to the hotel.
**
After just one glass, Fiona pretended to feel dizzy and weak.
"Barry… I can't… This drink is too strong. My heart is racing so fast… I feel so dizzy…"
"No way, Fiona. Is your tolerance really that bad?"
"I already told you, I really can't handle alcohol. Rick knows I have a low tolerance and rarely lets me handle social events because he doesn't want clients to make fun of me."
Barry believed her and reached out to pat her on the back.
"Then I'll help you upstairs to rest." Barry's room was on the thirteenth floor.
"No, Barry, I'll take a taxi home. My boyfriend is waiting for me at home," Fiona said, inventing a "boyfriend" to deter Barry's lecherous intentions. However, Barry didn't seem to care.
"Just text your boyfriend that you're drunk and staying at the hotel."
"Barry, I…"
"Fiona!" Barry interrupted impatiently. "How long have you been working? Can't you pick up on my hints? I think you're pretty, but your brains are definitely not up to par with June's. June was much sharper."
Fiona was shocked to realize that June had been dealing with such situations in this manner every time.
"I'm warning you, if you don't satisfy me tonight, there will be no more discussion about the Xinmin and Rick Group's project."
The Xinmin project was one of Rick Group's top three priorities for the year. Fiona knew that a significant amount of effort and resources had been invested in this project. If it failed because of her, she would likely lose her job at Rick Group.
"Barry, don't be angry. I understand now. Please help me upstairs to rest. I really feel so dizzy, I can barely stand."
"Finally, you're being sensible," Barry said, taking Fiona's arm and leading her out of the private room.
Fiona wasn't going to sit idly by.
Feigning weakness, she leaned against Barry. When they reached the hotel lobby, she suddenly let out a loud, pained groan.
"Ah…"
The two hotel front desk staff rushed over.
Fiona clutched at her collar, using all her acting skills to portray someone who was struggling to breathe, as if she were on the verge of collapsing or seizing.
Barry, standing closest to her, could clearly feel her sudden, labored breathing and see the tight line of her jaw and the bulging veins in her neck.
Damn, this woman wouldn't really have taken the cephalosporin and be unable to drink, would she?
"Ah…"
Fiona slowly slid to the floor from Barry's embrace.
"Ma'am, what's wrong?" the front desk staff asked urgently. "Do we need to call 911?"
"Call 911! Call 911! She's taken cephalosporin and drank alcohol!" Barry shouted, cutting off Fiona before she could say anything.
"Barry, I… I…"
"Don't talk, don't talk! We need to get to the hospital, that's the priority! The hospital is the priority!" Barry was now genuinely terrified, hoping that Fiona wouldn't suffer any serious consequences. He didn't want to return from this trip with a death on his conscience.
**
Fiona was taken to the hospital by ambulance. This was her second trip to the emergency room in just two days.
Maria, who was about to go out for dinner with colleagues, saw Fiona being carried in on a stretcher and rushed over in alarm.
"Fiona, what happened? Are you running a high fever again?" Maria asked, grabbing her hand with concern. They had parted ways that morning, and she had seemed fine then.
"The patient took cephalosporin and drank alcohol, resulting in convulsive shock," an emergency doctor explained.
Fiona tightened her grip on Maria's hand and made frantic eye signals in a direction where Barry couldn't see.
Maria, who had been friends with Fiona for many years, quickly understood her unspoken message.
"Jacob, this is my friend. I'll handle her. Let me take over," Maria said.
Jacob, from the emergency department, looked at Maria with some suspicion. Maria patted his shoulder, and Jacob immediately grasped her intention.
"Alright, then it's all yours."
"Thanks."
Maria had her colleagues push Fiona into the stomach-pumping room and closed the door, leaving Barry outside.
"Fiona, what's really going on?" Maria asked softly.
"Shh." Fiona sat up from the stretcher and pointed to the door. "The man outside is a client who tried to get me drunk and take me to a hotel. I had no choice but to resort to this."
"What! That lecher! I'll deal with him!" Maria said, rolling up her sleeves and preparing to confront Barry.
"Wait, calm down!" Fiona grabbed Maria. "He's an important client of Rick Group. I can't afford to offend him."
"Wait, you really mixed cephalosporin with alcohol?"
"I only drank a little, and I took the cephalosporin this morning, so it should be fine."
"'Should be fine'? You're already showing signs of an allergic reaction." Maria tore open Fiona's collar. "Look at yourself in the mirror. Your neck is covered in rashes. I'll prescribe you some medication. Take it quickly."
"Is just medicine enough? Can you make it more serious? That way, the lecher will give up."
Maria thought for a moment. "Given your symptoms, it could be serious or mild. Here's what we'll do: I'll arrange for a hospital room, administer glucose to accelerate the metabolism of the alcohol and medication, and provide some oxygen for observation."
Fiona was taken to a hospital room for oxygen and intravenous fluids. Seeing her lying still with her eyes closed, Barry was clearly rattled.
"Doctor, how is she?" Barry asked anxiously.
"What's your relationship with the patient?"
"Colleague."
"So you were drinking with her, right?" Maria, looking furious, glared at Barry. "Didn't you know that drinking alcohol after taking cephalosporin can cause a disulfiram-like reaction? In severe cases, it can lead to cardiac arrest and be life-threatening!"
"Will she… will she die?"
"What happens next is uncertain and needs to be monitored." Maria said sharply before turning and walking away.
Barry was suddenly filled with dread. Fiona was Rick's secretary, and if anything happened to her, it would definitely affect their cooperation with Rick Group. Although he had been confident in his threat to Fiona, Xinmin Group actually needed the project they were working on more. If the project failed, his company might not survive the year.
Realizing this, Barry decided to call Rick to give him a heads-up.
Rick was at a film and television city event, as his entertainment company planned to go public this year. Besides some company artists, several executives were also present with him. As soon as Rick arrived, he was invited to speak on stage. After his speech, as he was about to sit down, June approached him.
"Rick, Barry from Xinmin Group is on the phone. He says it's urgent," June said, leaning in to hand the phone to Rick.
Rick took the call. "Barry."
"Rick, it's bad. Your secretary has alcohol poisoning and might not make it!"
Rick glanced at June. "Which secretary?"
"Fiona."
Rick's brow immediately furrowed. "Where is she?"
"Kangmin Hospital."
Rick ended the call and turned to June. "Get Bob to arrange for the best specialist in Rong City to go to Kangmin Hospital immediately."
"Yes, Rick."
Rick quickly left, with June following him. "Rick, Sally is on her way. Aren't you going to wait for her?"
Rick seemed to ignore her and hurriedly got into the car.
**
Fiona had been feigning sleep, but once she saw that Barry hadn't entered, she dared to open her eyes. Maria had sent a message saying she needed to go back to get some things and would return later. Fiona had just replied with a "Okay" and put her phone away when the door to her room suddenly burst open. Several doctors in white coats stormed in.
Fiona quickly closed her eyes.
"This is the patient Fiona?"
"Yes."
"She took cephalosporin and alcohol, causing a disulfiram-like reaction leading to shock, right?"
"Yes."
"Has her stomach been pumped?"
"No."
"Why hasn't she been given a stomach pump? Quickly, get her to the stomach-pumping room to expel the unabsorbed alcohol from her stomach."
"Yes."
Stomach pump?
Fiona felt a shiver run down her spine.
Where did these doctors come from, and why were they immediately jumping to a stomach pump? Maria, please come back and save me!
Fiona's mind raced as she silently screamed in frustration. Just as she was trying to figure out how to naturally open her eyes and tell the doctors that her condition wasn't so severe, hurried footsteps echoed at the door.
"Rick!"
"How is she?"
The voice of Rick pierced through, adding to Fiona's growing anxiety.
Why was Rick here too?
Her nerves were on edge.
"She's not awake yet. The emergency measures at Kangmin Hospital aren't adequate, so we're planning to transfer her for a stomach pump," one of the doctors said.
Rick approached the bedside and looked at Fiona, who lay with her eyes tightly shut. Her long eyelashes cast a delicate shadow over her cheeks, and the oxygen mask made her face look even smaller.
"Alright…"
Rick's sentence was cut short when he felt his coat being gripped tightly.
He looked down to see Fiona's hand, which had somehow slipped out from under the blanket, clutching his sleeve.
What trick is she playing?
"Get out," Rick ordered the doctors.
"Rick, a disulfiram-like reaction can be life-threatening. We can't delay this," one of the older doctors said.
Rick glanced at Fiona again. "Some people take cephalosporin and alcohol, and they're playing with their lives. No need to rush to save them."
"Huh?"
The doctors were puzzled. Rick had previously summoned them with an urgent, life-or-death tone, so why was he suddenly so nonchalant?
"Rick…"
"Out!"
"Yes."
Once the room was cleared, it was just Fiona and Rick left.
"What's going on?" Rick asked, looking at Fiona on the bed.
Fiona released her grip on his sleeve, removed the oxygen mask, and sat up. "Rick, it's not as serious as it seems."
"If it's not so serious, then why did Barry call me saying you were in critical condition?"
Fiona hesitated, unsure if she should reveal the truth.
"Speak."
"…"
"Do you want me to ask Barry directly?"
"Alright, alright," Fiona said quickly, realizing that if Rick questioned Barry, there was no telling what twisted story Barry might concoct.
"Barry tried to get me drunk and take me to a hotel. I had no way out, and I didn't want to ruin the relationship between the company and Xinmin, so I pretended to be alcohol poisoned."
Rick's eyes flashed with cold fury. "He wanted to take you to a hotel?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I understand. Rest now."
Rick turned to leave the room.
Fiona watched his cold, retreating figure and suddenly felt a foreboding sense.
"Rick," she called out quickly, "I wasn't injured or violated. Please don't pursue this further."
Rick turned back, a smirk on his face. "Fiona, do you really think I'd jeopardize the company's interests just for you?"
"I…" Fiona lost her confidence in that moment.
"Don't flatter yourself too much."
With that, Rick walked out of the room.
Fiona sat on the bed and gave a self-deprecating smile.
Of course, it was foolish to think Rick would jeopardize his business relationship for her. She was just a secretary, and the project between Xinmin and Rick Group involved billions. Why would he risk it all for her? It was clear now that she had been deluded, imagining for a brief moment that Rick might stand up for her.