Chapter 203 Chapter 203
Caroline felt that Nicholas was being too lenient. He was spoiling his sister-in-law to a dangerous degree.
“Sis, relax!” Sara laughed, but her hands were sweating on the steering wheel. “My brother-in-law's car is so valuable that I wouldn't dare scratch the paint. I'm driving like a grandmother.”
Sara was so afraid of crashing that tens of millions of dollar Bugatti that she was driving at 30 km/h.
She drove like a terrified novice, but with a smile from ear to ear.
Seeing Caroline's pale and stiff expression in the rearview mirror, Nicholas, who was in the passenger seat (the seat of death), turned calmly.
He smiled, the epitome of calm.
“Don't worry, Carol.” His voice was soft. “Since I let her drive, I'm prepared for the worst. If she crashes, she crashes. Insurance covers everything.”
He shrugged, as if he were talking about a toy car.
“And even if it doesn't, I'm not going to ask her to pay for the repairs. It's just metal.”
Caroline was speechless.
She stared at him with disbelief and a hint of anger.
“That's not what I meant!” Caroline hissed. “Besides, even if you have insurance and unlimited money, we shouldn't waste it like this! Insurance premiums are going to skyrocket.”
“What if Sara thinks she can do whatever she wants just because you pay the bill? You're going to spoil her!”
Nicholas chuckled softly, finding his wife's financial concern adorable.
While most women would be concerned with posting photos on Instagram in that car, Caroline was concerned about the insurance premium.
He really had chosen the right woman.
“I know.” Nicholas smiled, glancing kindly at his worried wife in the rearview mirror. “But cars are meant to be driven, aren't they? It doesn't matter if it costs a thousand or ten million, the function is the same: to take you from point A to point B.”
He shrugged with that annoying elegance of someone with infinite money.
“If you buy a car and become a slave to it, afraid to take it out of the garage... isn't that exhausting? What's the point of having something if you can't use it? In that case, you might as well walk.”
Caroline was speechless.
His logic was so... reasonable. She couldn't refute it.
However, for someone with a “poor mentality” like her, who counted every penny for the supermarket, the psychological burden of driving a mansion on wheels was overwhelming.
If she were behind the wheel, she would be sweating cold. She really thought Nicholas shouldn't give in to Sara's whims.
Suddenly, the traffic light ahead turned red.
Sara braked the car gently (thank God). The vehicle came to a stop.
There was a moment of silence, and then Sara suddenly started laughing. A genuine, loud laugh.
“Sara?” Caroline leaned forward. “What are you laughing at? Are you nervous?”
“No, sis! Look outside!” Sara pointed to the side mirrors and windows, crying with laughter. “These drivers are hilarious! Sis, we have a superpower! Driving a car like this, I don't have to worry about anyone rear-ending me.”
Caroline looked out the window curiously.
And then, she couldn't hold back her laughter.
No wonder Sara was having so much fun. The scene was comical.
Traffic was heavy, rush hour. All the cars were bunched together, bumper to bumper.
Except them.
Nicholas' Bugatti Veyron was surrounded by an invisible “force field.”
There was a vacuum of at least six or seven meters in every direction. The car behind kept an absurdly safe distance. Cars in the side lanes squeezed away, sticking to the curb, afraid to get too close.
No one dared to stop next to him. No one wanted to sell their house and kidneys to pay for a scratch in the paint of that monster.
His car was an island of luxury in a sea of chaos.
Caroline watched the phenomenon for a moment, shaking her head, then turned to the handsome man beside her in the passenger seat.
“Mr. Wolf...” Caroline teased. “Look how ordinary people live in fear. They're terrified.”
As the owner of the car and the cause of this collective panic... do you have any conscience?
She pointed to the empty space around them.
“Do you feel uncomfortable intimidating the entire city?”
The man turned slowly and stared at her with his handsome, sculpted, impassive face.
After a few seconds of dramatic silence, he replied:
“No.”
Pause.
“I feel great.”
Another pause. He looked at the empty space with satisfaction.
“I hate traffic jams and I hate people stuck to me. So this is really good. It's exactly what I want: peace and personal space.”
Caroline sighed, defeated.
What a terribly rich and arrogant person!
Dinner was decided unanimously: a hidden but famous Italian restaurant that served the best pasta in town.Both Caroline and Sara had refined palates when it came to carbohydrates. During Sara's long hospitalization, her diet had been restricted and bland. She hadn't seen a decent plate of pasta in months.
Caroline, out of solidarity (and poverty), hadn't had good pasta in a long time either.
To prevent Nicholas' Bugatti Veyron—which they now knew was a museum piece on wheels—from being accidentally scratched in a tight street parking spot, they opted for safety. Nicholas parked the beast in the secure underground garage of a nearby luxury mall.
From there, they walked to the restaurant.
It was a short but impressive walk.
The trio formed a scene that stopped traffic. Nicholas, with his imposing height, white shirt, and aura of icy nobility. Sara, with her youthful beauty, pale and delicate like a porcelain doll. And Caroline, with her natural elegance and vibrant smile.
They received countless admiring—and envious—glances along the way. People turned their necks to follow the passage of that “visually perfect family.”
But Caroline? Caroline had no idea she was the center of attention.
Her mind was focused on one thing: Ravioli.
As she walked, she held Nicholas's arm on one side and Sara's on the other, chattering nonstop.
As soon as the familiar aroma of butter, sage, and fresh tomato sauce reached her nose at the corner, Caroline's stomach growled.
“I'm going to order three main courses. Seriously!” Caroline announced, her eyes shining with gastronomic greed. “I'm going to stuff myself today! Wow, I can't wait to eat everything. I'm going to order the lasagna, the gnocchi, and maybe a pizza on the side!”
As Sara listened, her mouth also began to water, but she maintained her composure.
Seeing her sister about to drool in public, Sara discreetly elbowed her and whispered: “Sister, control yourself. Be careful with your image. Your brother-in-law is right here, watching you. You don't want to scare him off by acting like a starving woman, do you?”
Caroline froze.