Lance brought Cindy along to meet up with York. York didn't waste any time and the three of them got going right away.
Originally, York hadn't planned on driving his own car. He thought if he rode with Lance, he might figure out which project Lance was really interested in. But Lance said it would be easier if they had two cars. That way, everyone could rest when they needed to. York didn't have a good reason to argue.
"Why don't you let Cindy ride with you?" Lance suggested. "She can keep you company in the front seat."
York noticed Lance seemed happy that he'd shown up alone without a driver. He glanced over at Cindy. She looked a little shy and didn't say anything, but it was obvious she knew what Lance was up to. She also didn't seem to mind.
"That works. Cindy can ride with me," York replied, understanding exactly what Lance meant. He and Cindy were engaged anyway, so spending some time together was probably a good idea.
They piled Cindy's luggage into York's car, and she took the passenger seat next to him. Lance was free to settle into his own car, working on his laptop and quietly following Claire's group from a distance.
Claire, of course, had no idea Lance was trailing them.
Her group had four people. Three could drive. Sophia technically knew how to drive too, but she didn't have a license. So, the four of them squeezed into one car and took turns behind the wheel. The trip wasn't tiring at all.
Claire had chosen an SUV with plenty of room for everyone. But the others were pretty curious about the car.
"Claire, this isn't the car you usually drive, is it?" Sophia asked, stretching her neck from the back seat to get a better look at the dashboard.
"Nope," Claire said.
"It actually looks really cool. Is it Edison's?" Sophia asked. She thought it made sense. With Claire moving back in with her real family, her life seemed pretty comfortable now. Money was no issue, and she had a powerful uncle to lean on.
People talked about how Edison was actually the CEO of VIA Group. VIA Metropolis was under that same company. It had been a famous shopping mall for years. Even though new malls kept opening, VIA Metropolis stayed on top, which said a lot about the person running it.
Recently, the brand SUNNY had opened in the mall, bringing in more business than ever. The whole place was buzzing with events and celebrations. For days, it felt like everyone was talking about VIA Metropolis, surprised it was still so popular after all these years.
With all that in mind, Sophia just assumed the cool car was Edison's.
"No, it's a friend's," Claire replied.
The truth was, the car belonged to
was
Nash. They'd met at a car meet.
Nash owned an auto shop, fixing and customizing cars for fellow car
lovers. But really, the car w
was
Claire's Shad bought it and N
Nash
helped her upgrade it until it was
perfect for long trips, fastand super
comfortable.
FindNovel.net
"Wow, this car is amazing," Sophia said, not pressing for more details about the so- called friend.
Claire just grinned, keeping it to herself. Only true car fans would understand just how good this SUV really was.
As Claire drove, her speed crept up little by little. At first, nobody noticed. Then it clicked.
Shirley was the first to say something. "Wait, didn't Octavia say you couldn't drive?"
That was true Octavia never
pictured Claire getting her driver's
license, and even if she did, nobody world've bought hera cardi Octavia's eyes, Claire simply didn't drive. Even if she had a license, she probably only drove once or twice a year and barely remembered how.
But here was Claire, driving like a pro. As soon as they hit the highway, she showed
off her skills, weaving through traffic without breaking a sweat.
"It's not that I couldn't drive," Claire said with a little smile. “I just never got a chance to practice after I got my license."