CHAPTER 11: CHAPTER 11: RENTING A CAR FOR PHOTOS?

The glacier blue Bentley Continental GT, with its uniquely beautiful color, caught Talia Rhodes’s eye.

She really liked this car.

A man in a suit respectfully got out of the car and handed the keys to Talia Rhodes, "Miss Rhodes, this is the car President Jennings sent you."

Talia Rhodes took the keys, feeling a slight stir in her heart.

Adrian Jennings was indeed quite generous to her; this car cost over four million.

"Thank you." Talia Rhodes thanked the man.

"You’re welcome. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave." The man slightly bowed, showing respect.

"Okay."

As soon as the man left, Talia Rhodes received a call from Adrian Jennings.

"How’s the car?" The man’s tone was casual, as if he were asking if today’s meal suited her taste.

A car worth four million sounded like a cabbage from the market in his mouth.

Actually, for people in their circle, giving such gifts to a fiancée was quite common. Perhaps she had lived ordinary days for too long these past three years and became detached from her original world, so when she received this car, she found it a bit hard to adapt.

Talia Rhodes said, "I really like it, thank you, Adrian."

"As long as you like it. I remember you like blue." Adrian Jennings’s voice was deep, with a beguiling warmth.

Talia Rhodes couldn’t help but be a bit surprised, "How do you know?"

As far as she remembered, she hadn’t told Adrian Jennings her favorite color, right?

From the other end of the phone, Adrian Jennings seemed to chuckle lightly, "That year during tutoring, your notebook and stationery were all light blue."

Talia Rhodes hadn’t expected Adrian Jennings to notice even such details.

She indeed liked blue very much, and was truly amazed when she saw this light blue Bentley just now.

"When I saw this car for the first time, I thought you would definitely like it," Adrian Jennings said softly, "Care to drive it? This car is relatively small, quite suited for girls."

"Hmm, I’ll try it later."

Ending the call, Talia Rhodes sat in the car but didn’t start the engine immediately. Her hands gripped the steering wheel, her mind a whirl of mixed emotions.

Talia Rhodes had a driver’s license and hadn’t driven any less in the past three years.

But it was all Ethan Grant’s car; her own car was still collecting dust in the underground garage of Oakhaven’s villa.

Having been with Ethan Grant for these past three years, many times driving his car felt more like a chauffeur than a girlfriend.

Ethan Grant liked to have fun; if he’d been out drinking and was unable to drive, he’d call her to pick him up from the drinking party.

She also heard Ethan Grant’s friends mention that after Ethan broke up with his previous girlfriend, he extravagantly gifted her with a BMW worth over eight hundred thousand.

Ethan Grant knew her job required frequent travel—going to court, meeting clients, discussing cases—but he never mentioned buying her a car.

It’s not that Talia Rhodes coveted his car, but when comparing Ethan Grant and Adrian Jennings now, the difference between caring and not caring was glaringly obvious.

Ethan Grant’s affection was really not something to boast about.

Talia Rhodes was daydreaming when suddenly she heard a gasp.

"Wow! This car is so beautiful! I wanted to buy this one before, but in the end, I couldn’t bear to buy it." It was Vivian Coleman’s voice.

Talia Rhodes looked out through the car window and saw Vivian Coleman and Ethan Grant not far away.

The two were walking toward the car.

Vivian Coleman hadn’t expected to see her dream car—the glacier blue Bentley Continental—at Ethan Grant’s house.

This was her dream car, the one she couldn’t have.

Although her family had been friends with The Grant Family for generations, her family wasn’t what you’d call a wealthy one, at most they were comfortably well-off.

Business has been tough in recent years. Her dad’s company has incurred losses for consecutive years, and now they’re hoping she would marry into The Grant Family for The Grant Group to assist them.

Vivian Coleman saw the car and displayed her admiration without any concealment, walking up to touch it repeatedly, appearing like someone unaccustomed to wealth.

"Ethan, can you take a picture for me?"

Vivian Coleman stood by the car, using the car window glass as a mirror to adjust her hair.

The car window glass was one-way; from inside, you could see out, but from outside, people couldn’t see in.

Talia Rhodes, in the driver’s seat, side-eyed Vivian Coleman as though watching a monkey at the zoo.

Just as Vivian Coleman was engrossed in checking her reflection, Talia Rhodes lowered the window, bringing them face to face.

"Hello." Talia Rhodes smiled sweetly with a greeting.

Vivian Coleman froze.

"Talia Rhodes? Why is it you?" Vivian Coleman looked as if she had seen a ghost.

At this time, Ethan Grant also approached the car.

Seeing Talia Rhodes inside the car, he frowned, "Why did you rent a Bentley?"

He didn’t even ask—a natural assumption that Talia Rhodes had rented the car.

Vivian Coleman adjusted her expression from surprise and feigned a mocking smile, "Miss Rhodes, did you rent the car for photos? As far as I know, renting a luxury car for photos isn’t cheap, right? A single photo might cost you a month’s salary?"

Ethan Grant frowned even more deeply, his disdain barely concealed, "Talia Rhodes, are you renting this thing for photos? Are you crazy?"

Vivian Coleman laughed, "Yes, Miss Rhodes, everyone knows how much you earn, even if you posted the photo on social media, others will only say you are vain, why bother?"

Talia Rhodes looked at Vivian Coleman with amusement, "You know so much because you’ve rented one before?"

The smile on Vivian Coleman’s face faltered.

Because she had indeed rented one.

Before that, some women in the socialite circle flaunted cars and bags, which made her envious. She pestered her dad to buy her a luxury car, but he said the family wasn’t financially strong at the moment and forbade her from competing with others.

Unable to hold her frustration, she was determined to outshine a few women fond of showing off in her social circle, so she rented a Lamborghini for photos and check-ins.

Thinking of this, the awkwardness and embarrassment of being uncovered vanished, and Vivian Coleman suddenly felt relieved.

She had rented a Lamborghini, which cost over ten million, much more expensive than the car Talia Rhodes supposedly rented.

Although Vivian Coleman had indeed rented a car, she would never admit it in front of Ethan Grant.

She raised her chin, her face proud, "I don’t need to rent. The Lamborghini I drove abroad was much more expensive than this."

"Oh, really? Why haven’t I seen you drive it?" Talia Rhodes asked.

Vivian Coleman lied without a blink, "Got bored of it too quickly. Those flashy sports cars are cool, but not suitable for girls. I recently swapped it for a Panamera; I’ll bring it over sometime for you to take pictures with, no charge."

Her words were laced with disdain.

She did have a Panamera, but it had been bought as a hand-me-down secondhand vehicle.

Her family wasn’t what it used to be; her father’s businesses incurred losses every year and nearly mortgaged their family villa.

If not to ensnare Ethan Grant, she wouldn’t have indulged in buying a car just for appearances.

"Oh—" Talia Rhodes dragged out the syllable, replying, "So that’s how it is, weren’t you just thinking of taking photos? Why not let me lend it to you for a shoot?"

Vivian Coleman darkened her face, "No need."

On the side, Ethan Grant interjected, "Talia Rhodes, how come I never realized you were so vain before?"