Chapter 64: You Have a Bentley? (Updated)

"You have a Bentley?"

Diane stared at the white SUV, genuine surprise slipping through her usually confident expression. Somehow, she had already known Liam had money; ever since meeting him, there had been this strange instinct in the back of her mind telling her that he was far wealthier than he looked.

Still, knowing someone was rich and seeing a gleaming white Bentley sitting there waiting for an eighteen-year-old freshman were two very different things. For a moment, she simply looked from the car back to Liam, as if quietly adjusting her estimate of exactly how rich he actually was.

"Yes, I have one."

Liam nodded. Classes had already ended for the day, and Diane had tagged along with him instead of heading straight back to her dorm. By the time they reached the edge of campus and stepped out toward the road, she was still beside him, clearly in no hurry to leave and apparently happy to keep hanging around for a while.

Clara opened the driver’s door and stepped out of the Bentayga. At first, her attention naturally went to Liam, but then her eyes slowly shifted toward the girl standing beside him. Diane was pretty—very pretty—and Clara’s expression immediately changed as her eyes narrowed slightly.

The last time she had seen Liam standing around with another beautiful woman, that woman had been Alexandra. Not long after that, Liam had calmly explained that Alexandra was also with him and that Clara would have to share. Remembering that conversation, Clara looked at Diane again, then back at Liam, her narrowed eyes silently asking whether history was about to repeat itself.

"She’s Diane, a classmate."

Liam smiled as he said it. The moment he saw Clara’s narrowed eyes, he already understood exactly what she was thinking. After what had happened with Alexandra, it wasn’t difficult to guess why another pretty girl standing beside him had immediately made her suspicious.

"That’s a bit harsh. I think we can at least call ourselves friends. And you must be Clara—Liam’s girlfriend and Megan’s close friend, right? I’m Diane Nichols."

Diane smiled and stepped forward, offering her hand in a friendly way. Clara looked at it for a brief moment before returning the gesture, her expression easing slightly as they shook hands. The introduction was simple enough, but Liam could still tell Clara was quietly sizing her up.

"You wanna grab dinner? I’m starving, but I really don’t feel like eating at the Inn again."

Clara looked at Liam as she asked, with Diane still standing between them. Her tone was casual, like she had already decided she wanted to go somewhere else and was only waiting to see whether Liam agreed.

"Sure."

"You wanna join us?"

"I... I’d be happy to."

Liam agreed almost immediately, while Clara turned to Diane and invited her along mostly out of courtesy. To Clara, it was just a polite suggestion, the kind of thing you said when someone was already standing there with you.

Diane, however, seemed to take it much more seriously. For a second, she looked like she had been put on the spot and couldn’t exactly refuse without making things awkward.

Liam noticed the difference instantly and looked between them in mild surprise. Clara had clearly meant it casually, but Diane’s hesitant answer made it sound like she had just accepted a formal invitation. For a brief moment, Liam wondered if this dinner was about to become much more interesting than he had expected.

Liam had actually wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but Diane had already agreed before he could say anything. At that point, correcting her would only make the situation more awkward, so he let it go and simply decided to treat it as a normal dinner together.

Liam politely gestured toward the Bentayga for Diane to get in. Clara looked slightly surprised by how quickly things had moved from a casual suggestion to Diane actually joining them, but she understood the same thing Liam did—it was already too late to take the invitation back without making it weird.

"I wanted to invite her to dinner too, or at least treat her to a meal sometime."

Liam said as he settled into the driver’s seat. Clara took the front passenger seat, while Diane sat in the back and quietly looked around the Bentayga’s interior. The soft leather seats, polished trim, clean stitching, and wide cabin made the SUV feel far more luxurious from the inside than it had from the outside.

Diane had seen expensive cars before, but she had never actually sat inside something like this in person, and for a few seconds, her attention kept drifting from the dashboard to the rear controls and the finish around the doors.

Hearing Liam say that he had already wanted to invite Diane made Clara glance toward him with a little more suspicion. Treating a classmate to food wasn’t strange by itself, but Liam specifically saying he had wanted to do it made her wonder why.

After Alexandra, Clara had become much more sensitive to these things, and for a brief moment, she couldn’t help wondering whether Liam was starting to take an interest in another woman again.

"You wanted to? Why?"

Diane looked surprised as well. From her point of view, Liam barely knew her, so hearing that he had already been thinking about treating her to a meal caught her off guard.

"Yesterday, you wanted me to treat you to lunch, but you didn’t actually take anything."

Liam replied casually, reminding her of how she had teased him about paying before simply choosing something covered by her meal plan instead.

He rested one hand on the steering wheel and pulled the Bentayga away from the curb. From Diane’s seat in the back, the movement felt almost unreal. There was no sudden jerk, no awkward correction, and barely any sense of weight from the large SUV. The car seemed to glide forward exactly where Liam wanted it to go, every turn smooth enough to feel effortless.

Diane looked around the cabin again, genuinely impressed. For a moment, she assumed this was simply what driving an expensive Bentley felt like. What she didn’t know was that most of what she was feeling had very little to do with the car itself. Liam’s God Tier Driving Skill made even ordinary movements behind the wheel look controlled enough to feel like an art form.

Liam took them to Agricola Eatery, one of the better-known restaurants near Princeton. The place had a warm, rustic look, with exposed wood, soft lighting, long communal tables, and an open kitchen that made the whole restaurant feel lively without being too loud. It was known for farm-to-table food made with local, seasonal ingredients, so compared to the Peacock Inn, the atmosphere felt more relaxed while still being upscale.

Liam smiled when he saw the familiar restaurant. He had only eaten at Agricola once in his previous life because it had been far too expensive for him to visit regularly, but he still remembered how much he had liked the food and the warm atmosphere. Back then, it had felt like the kind of place he could only afford for a special occasion, so returning now without having to think about the price made the memory feel strangely different.

The car entered the small parking area beside Agricola, rolling past rows of neatly parked sedans and SUVs before slowing near the entrance. Warm light spilled from the restaurant’s windows onto the pavement, while the wooden exterior and softly glowing sign gave the place a cozy, polished look even before they stepped inside.

I hope they have a table available.

Liam stepped out of the Bentayga and walked around the front of the SUV. Reaching both sides almost at once, he pulled open Clara’s door with one hand and Diane’s with the other, standing between them with an easy smile as if opening two doors at once was the most natural thing in the world.

"You are quite tall."

Diane smiled at Liam’s gentlemanly gesture, while Clara naturally took his hand as they walked toward the entrance. The moment they stepped inside Agricola, they were greeted by the warm smell of roasted food and fresh herbs, along with the low murmur of conversation from the dining room.

A hostess standing near the entrance looked up with a professional smile and stepped forward to greet them.

"Good evening, sir, ma’ams. Welcome to Agricola."

"Thank you. Do you have a table for three?"

Liam asked naturally, since they had walked in without a reservation. From the entrance, he could already see part of the dining room beyond the host stand, with warm pendant lights hanging over wooden tables and the open kitchen visible farther inside. The place looked busy but comfortable, filled with the low hum of conversation and the occasional clink of glasses from the tables nearest the front.

"We should have a table available in about fifteen minutes, if that works for you."

"Ladies?"

Liam turned first toward Clara and then toward Diane, leaving the decision to them. Clara gave a small nod almost immediately, clearly not minding the wait, while Diane followed a second later with a polite nod of her own. Neither of them seemed bothered by fifteen minutes, especially since they had already come all the way there.

"That works."

Liam turned back to the hostess and gave her a small nod.

"Of course, sir. Right this way."

The hostess smiled and led them toward a small waiting area near the entrance, where a few cushioned chairs and a low table sat beside the wall. It was close enough to the dining room that they could still hear the soft conversation and clinking glasses from inside while they waited.