Chapter 400 - 396: Choosing a Car

Ethan’s reflexive explanation made his mother and two older sisters exchange knowing glances.

She was beautiful and a top student who had already secured early admission, so she didn’t even need to take the exam. Yet, she had made a special trip to the testing center just to cheer Ethan on. Clearly, they were very close.

They exchanged a meaningful look, and the girl, Renee Reid, left an even deeper impression on them.

Renee Reid didn’t have time to explain further. After saying a quick goodbye, she hurried off toward Jameson Stone’s testing center.

Seeing this, Jasmine Sterling asked, "Ethan, is the other classmate that boy who’s always coming over to our house?"

Ethan Sterling nodded. "Yeah. The three of us are best friends."

This statement inevitably sparked their imaginations. The sisters, Cecilia and Lily Sterling, met each other’s gaze, a silent, unspoken understanding passing between them.

’Is this some kind of teenage love triangle drama?’

’Two best friends in love with the same girl... Tsk, tsk.’

"Mom, Lily, Cecilia, Saul Thorne, I’m heading in now."

"Okay. Don’t be nervous. Just treat it like any other test. You’ll be fine," Lily Sterling encouraged her brother.

Cecilia Sterling, on the other hand, tempted him. "Don’t forget the promise I made you. Do well on your exams, and as soon as you’re done, I’ll take you to pick out your car!"

As expected, that was the most effective motivator. Ethan’s eyes instantly lit up, and he was suddenly filled with boundless energy. "Don’t worry, sis! I guarantee I won’t let your money go to waste!"

As she watched Ethan walk into the testing center, Jasmine Sterling’s heart swelled with emotion, and her eyes grew red. Her youngest son was now taking his college entrance exams. With this, she had successfully raised all three of her children, and the toil of the past few decades felt as if it had reached a perfect conclusion.

Her two daughters stood beside her. Sensing their mother’s turbulent emotions, Cecilia and Lily flanked her, hugging her from both sides and offering silent comfort and strength.

"Mom, Ethan’s grown up now. We’ve all grown up!"

"From now on, it’s our turn to take care of you."

With tears welling in her eyes, Jasmine Sterling nodded.

「Three days later, the college entrance exams were over.」

Cecilia Sterling immediately took her brother to the Verrago dealership.

This was the most crowded Cecilia had ever seen the dealership, and most of the customers were parents with children about Ethan’s age.

Clearly, Lorcain had no shortage of wealthy people, and Cecilia wasn’t the only one using a luxury car to reward a child for finishing their exams.

Ethan was both excited and a little shy. The moment he stepped inside, he was dazzled by the array of luxury cars in the showroom.

"Welcome to Verrago, valued customers. Please let me know if there’s anything I can help you with."

A salesperson approached them with a professional greeting. A single glance at Cecilia’s beauty and remarkable presence was all it took to know she was a premium client.

"I’m here to help my little brother pick out a car."

Cecilia said, looking over at Ethan. "Do you want to go straight for the one you picked out, or would you like to look at some others first?"

Ethan had never been to a place like this. He was a bit overwhelmed with excitement. "Sis, I’d like to look at the others first."

Even though he had done his research and already had a favorite model in mind, as a young man seeing so many supercars, he couldn’t help but feel a thrill of anticipation.

Cecilia understood him. She smiled at the salesperson and said, "Then please show him around."

"Of course, no problem. Please, follow me."

Ethan was first drawn to a silver-gray two-seater sports car with a very cool design, but considering its practicality, he only climbed in to test out the seat.

After all, his immediate family included his mother and two older sisters. And if he went out with friends, he had to think about Renee Reid and Jameson Stone. A two-seater was never really an option.

He then tried out a few other models, with Cecilia patiently waiting for him.

"Sis, I can’t look anymore. I feel like I love every single one of them," Ethan said, hopping out of a metallic yellow car. "I can’t try any more."

Cecilia, who had been waiting patiently, heard him and said, "If there are others you like, we can just buy them too. We have a big family; we can all take turns driving them."

Besides, their home garage was huge. Parking space wasn’t an issue.

But Ethan was sensible enough to shake his head. "We can’t just pick them all based on what I like. You said you’d get me one car, so one car is all I’ll take."

’My brother is so considerate,’ Cecilia thought. She didn’t press the issue. "So, are you sticking with the one you chose before?"

Ethan nodded.

"Could you please take us to the lounge, then?" Cecilia said, turning to the salesperson.

"Of course. This way, please."

The glass-walled lounges in the dealership were nearly all occupied by other customers. Cecilia and Ethan had to walk to the very back. The salesperson said apologetically, "I’m so sorry, Miss Sterling. This is our busiest season. It’s like this every year after the college entrance exams; we get a huge influx of parents bringing their kids to pick out a car."

Cecilia smiled, unfazed. "It’s no problem. I understand. My brother is one of them, after all."

Once in the lounge, before the salesperson could even pour them a glass of water, Ethan excitedly pulled out his phone. "Hello, I’d like this car."

The salesperson took the phone, glanced at it, and nodded with a smile. "Ah, the Cayenne series. We currently only have this model in silver-gray. If you’d like a different color, there might be a bit of a wait."

The salesperson continued, tapping away on a tablet. "Let’s see... currently, there’s only one of these available in the country, and it’s at the other Lorcain dealership. It’s a fully-loaded model, priced at around 2.5 million dollars. If you’re certain you want it, I can start the process for you right away."

Upon hearing this, Ethan instinctively looked to his sister.

Cecilia, seated elegantly on the sofa, just smiled and gave her brother a slight nod. "As long as you like it."

With his sister’s approval, Ethan turned to the salesperson in excitement. "I’ll take it! Can I pick it up right away?"

"Once the paperwork is complete, you’ll need to go to the other dealership to pick it up."

"No problem! Please get it done as soon as possible."

The salesperson nodded with a smile, then turned to Cecilia with a compliment. "Miss Sterling, you’re truly wonderful to your brother."

Cecilia arched an eyebrow. ’Of course I have to spoil my own brother.’

The salesperson left the lounge to handle the paperwork for the vehicle transfer.

"Manager, my client wants the available Cayenne from the Southwood branch. They’re ready to sign and take delivery today. Can you lock it in for me?"

The salesperson went to find her manager immediately to reserve the car and the sale. But just as she finished speaking, another salesperson approached. "Manager, my client wants that car, too!"

The two salespeople stared at each other. Cecilia’s was a woman; the other was a man.

The female salesperson said, displeased, "I was here first. Besides, my client had already picked out the car before they even came in. They specifically asked for the Cayenne!"

But the male salesperson retorted, "Your client is new. Mine is a regular who’s already bought three cars from us. He’s a very loyal customer. If we disappoint him this time and lose such a high-value client, who’s going to take responsibility for that? Just have your client wait. It’ll only be a month or two at most."