Chapter 6: Buying a Car

Amanda Vance called a car. The driver had just finished a cigarette, and the car reeked of smoke, making Felix Ford choke and cough.

She frowned and opened a window to air it out. He felt a little better after that.

Amanda Vance stroked his flushed little face. ’I couldn’t drive when we got back, since all my cars are in Aridia. I should probably go buy one first. We’ll be in the country for a while, so having a car will be more convenient.’

It was still early, so she simply told the driver to go to a car dealership.

The dealership wasn’t very crowded yet. When they saw a customer arrive, someone immediately came over to greet them. "Hello, welcome. What kind of car are you looking for?"

"A sports car," Amanda Vance said crisply. She had a sports car back in Aridia and would take it for a drive whenever she had free time. It always lifted her spirits.

The salesperson was a bit surprised, likely not expecting a young woman to choose a sports car. Fortunately, the employees here were all well-trained and professional. He quickly composed himself and started introducing a few models.

A nearby salesperson who was idle rolled her eyes in their direction and pursed her lips. ’A sports car? Give me a break. She’s obviously just talking big. Probably watched too much TV, thinks it’s cool, and now wants one for herself. Can she even afford it? She looks broke. And Spencer, he treats every person who walks in like they’re a treasure.’

She seemed to be some kind of team leader, as the people around her immediately started flattering her. "Of course. Spencer just started; how could he compare to you, Lily? You’ve always been the top seller. We really need to learn from you. Here, Lily, have some water to wet your throat."

Their brown-nosing clearly pleased her. She took the cup, glanced at them, and smugly shared her experience. "When it comes to sales, the first thing is to be perceptive. You need to know who can actually afford to buy and who’s just looking without the cash, so you don’t waste your time."

Just then, a man and a woman walked in. She sized up their attire from top to bottom, her eyes lighting up. With a quick "Watch and learn," she immediately went to greet them. "Sir, Miss, how can I help you?"

As she spoke, her gaze flicked to the woman’s handbag. It was a new model from Chanel, worth over a hundred thousand—nearly her entire annual salary.

’This is definitely going to be a huge sale.’

Shirley Vance noticed the salesperson’s gaze but didn’t mind. She even lifted her bag a little higher to show off the logo and linked her arm with the man beside her. "Simon, darling, having you is enough. I don’t need to buy a car. If I want to go somewhere, can’t you just come and pick me up?"

Her act of being unable to leave his side, looking for any chance to be close to him, was immensely satisfying to Simon Sheffield. He held her hand and said, "It’s fine, it’s just pocket change. There’s a race next week. I’ll take you."

This was a common event for rich kids like them, attended by many truly wealthy and powerful families. Simon Sheffield’s family had a bit of money, but they were nothing compared to those people. Shirley had gotten close to him precisely for this kind of opportunity.

’Finally, the wait is over.’

Hearing this, Shirley Vance was ecstatic. The smile on her face became a bit more genuine as she said in a cutesy voice, "Darling, you’re the best."

As the two were being lovey-dovey, Shirley’s gaze swept across the room and suddenly landed on someone. At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. After a closer look, she lost her composure and exclaimed in surprise, "Amanda Vance! What are you doing here?!"

Amanda Vance was looking at a car when she heard someone call her name in a cloyingly artificial voice that turned her stomach. She glanced back casually before looking away again, brazenly ignoring her.

How could Shirley Vance stand being ignored like that? She glanced at the car Amanda was looking at and sneered, "You think you have the money to buy a car here? The cheapest ones start at a million. Can you even afford that?" Then, she turned to the salesperson, Spencer. "Don’t waste your time. She’s broke."

Spencer’s expression didn’t change as he continued his presentation for Amanda.

Shirley Vance’s face immediately turned cold.

Felix Ford stared at her. ’This bad woman looks a lot like that old hag. It’s easy to guess their relationship. As expected, neither of them is any good.’

Shirley had only been looking at Amanda and hadn’t noticed him. When their eyes met, she seemed to remember something and suddenly gave a meaningful smile. Twirling a freshly styled curl of her wavy hair, she said loudly, "Looks like my dear sister has found another sugar daddy. Well, it’s not the first time you’ve done something like that, has it? It might not sound pleasant, but it’s a quick way to make money, and it’s not like you have anything to lose."

Every word was insinuating she was involved in some shady, disgraceful business.

Amanda Vance shot her a sidelong glance and said coolly, "You seem to know a lot about it. Have you done it yourself?"

"You!" Shirley Vance was furious. Seeing the man next to her staring at Amanda so intently his eyes were practically glued to her, she grew even angrier and gave him an annoyed shove.

Simon Sheffield snapped out of it and glanced at her. He had put a lot of effort into pursuing Shirley, so he couldn’t just dump her now. ’As for this one...’ he thought, a flicker of contempt in his eyes, ’...from what Shirley said, she’s not exactly proper. It’s nothing a little money can’t solve.’

Running into such disgusting people first thing in the morning, Amanda Vance couldn’t be bothered to let them ruin her mood. She looked at the car in front of her. "I’ll take this one."

With that, she took out a card and handed it to Spencer.

That was the most expensive car in their dealership, costing eighty million!

Mentally calculating his commission, Spencer fought to suppress his excitement, stopping his mouth from splitting into a grin. He asked, "Of course. Will you be paying in installments or in full?"

Shirley Vance was stunned to hear her say she’d take it. That was the dealership’s crown jewel—to put it bluntly, it was more for show. Very few people could actually afford it.

And now Amanda was saying she was buying it? ’She’s got to be bluffing!’

Convinced that she was just pretending to be rich to save face, Shirley Vance immediately sneered, "Stop pretending. The truth will come out the moment they swipe your card."

Amanda Vance ignored her. "In full."

"Right away. Please wait a moment."

Beaming, Spencer led her to a nearby sofa to sit down.

Amanda Vance drank her tea with a blank expression and gave her son a cookie. After being disgusted so early in the morning, they hadn’t even had breakfast yet.

Seeing her act this way, Lily also felt her heart pound with uncertainty. She tried to figure out if Amanda was genuinely rich or just putting up a front. She looked at the clothes she was wearing but couldn’t identify any brand. ’Probably some cheap stuff from a street stall.’ At that thought, she became more inclined to believe the latter.

She spoke up in a passive-aggressive tone, "Miss, once an order is placed here, it will be quite awkward for everyone if there aren’t sufficient funds in your account."

Amanda Vance put down her cup, looked up at her, and raised an eyebrow. "And?"

’So, just drop the act.’

Lily frowned, speechless. Some people just loved to pretend they were rich when they were broke. ’Fine, let her keep up the act. It’s not like I’ll be the one who’s embarrassed in a minute.’

Shirley Vance thought the same. She stopped looking at cars and sauntered over to the sofa to sit, pretending to offer a kind reminder. "Sister, there’s no shame in not having money. Why don’t you look at that car over there? It’s only a million. If you’re a little short, I can lend you some. Dad just gave me my allowance this month."

"Is that so? How much did he give you?"

Shirley Vance blinked, feigning nonchalance. "Not much. A hundred thousand."

Amanda Vance took a sip of water and said lightly, "Yes, that’s not much."

Shirley Vance’s face froze, then completely darkened. ’Hmph, still pretending.’

’Let’s see what she does in a little while.’