Chapter 38

Andrew was deep in thought, trying to figure out the perfect plan. Suddenly, a brilliant idea popped into his head!

He drove straight to a nearby car repair shop and handed over twenty bucks to swap the logo on his BMW 760 with that of a 520.

Now, here’s the trick—on the outside, a BMW 5 Series and a 7 Series look almost the same. The real difference? What’s under the hood and inside the car. The 520 was the most basic version of the 5 Series—average engine, average technology, just an all-around basic car. But the 760? That was a beast—top-notch engine, smooth handling, pure power.

As Andrew cruised away in his now “520” BMW, he couldn’t help but smirk. Clara didn’t know much about cars and wasn’t the least bit interested in them. If he told her this was a BMW 520, she’d believe it without question!

The shop owner watched Andrew drive off and shook his head, laughing to himself. This guy looked so honest, but clearly, he had something sneaky up his sleeve. Why else would he go through all this trouble just to change the logo?

After sorting out the car, Andrew remembered his next mission—buying a gift for Colby’s restaurant opening at noon.

Colby was the only classmate who had ever been nice to him back in college, so Andrew wanted to get him something really special. He headed to an art gallery and dropped two hundred thousand dollars on an old painting by Eleanor Van Dijk, an artist from the Amber Renaissance era.

Now, here was the fun part—most people had never heard of Eleanor Van Dijk. So, even though this painting was worth a fortune, no one would have a clue about its true value.

Andrew chose this painting for two reasons. First, he wanted Colby to have something expensive and meaningful. Second, he didn’t want anyone to know how much he had actually spent. If anyone asked, he’d just shrug and say it cost a few thousand bucks.

By the time he finished shopping, it was almost noon. He called Clara to let her know he was on his way to pick her and Loretta up from Blackwood Group headquarters.

When Andrew pulled up, Clara’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “Wait… what? Where did this car come from?”

“I bought it for you!” Andrew said, flashing a proud smile.

“You bought it?” Clara looked at him like he had just said he won the lottery. “With what money?”

“My savings, of course,” Andrew said casually. “I mean, think about it—I didn’t spend a dime when we got married. And all these years, you and your family covered my expenses. Is it so weird that I managed to save up a little cash?”

Clara frowned. “But it’s your money! You should spend it on yourself. Why waste so much on a car? This thing must have cost at least four hundred grand!”

Andrew chuckled. “Come on, you’re my wife! Who else would I spend my money on? Or would you rather I spent it on a side chick? Besides, you’re a director now. People are gonna talk if you don’t have a car of your own.”

Loretta quickly jumped in. “Clara, Andrew is right. You need a car for work. And this one is actually pretty nice! He obviously cares about you a lot—you should be happy!”

Clara sighed, but her lips curled into a smile. “Thank you, Andrew.”

Andrew reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “Anything for you, my love.”

Then, he clapped his hands together. “Alright, ladies, let’s go celebrate Colby’s big day!”

As they got in the car, Clara suddenly turned to Andrew. “Oh, wait—did you get him a gift?”

“Yep!” Andrew grinned. “I got him a painting.”

“A painting?” Clara raised an eyebrow. “What kind of painting?”

“It’s an old one I found at an antique shop. It’s got a picture of pomegranates—symbolizes good fortune. Looked pretty nice, so I bought it.”

“How much did it cost?”

“Just a few thousand bucks,” Andrew said with a shrug.

Clara let out a small laugh. “I hate to break it to you, but I think you got ripped off! You can’t get a real antique painting for that cheap.”

Andrew simply smiled. “Doesn’t matter. It’s the thought that counts, right?”

Clara nodded. “That’s true. It’s the gesture that matters most. Alright, let’s go!”

Colby’s restaurant, The Charm, was in a newly developed part of Beverly Hills. It was a bit out of the way and not too crowded yet. Andrew found it a little strange—why would Colby open a restaurant all the way out here?

Clara explained that big companies, including global giants like FoxConn, were planning to build factories in the area soon. In no time, the whole place would be booming. So, opening a restaurant here now was actually a smart move.

When they arrived, Andrew saw that The Charm was pretty big, with two floors and a stylish exterior. The name itself gave off an artsy vibe.

As he pulled up, he noticed a row of cars parked outside, and a group of guys standing near a flashy golden Visiondot, smoking and chatting.

Andrew recognized them instantly—they were his old college classmates. But they had never been friends.

The one leading the group was John Curtis. Andrew remembered him well—John had been the rich, arrogant guy in college, always showing off. And back then, he had a thing for Clara, though she never paid him any attention.

Right now, John was leaning against his golden Visiondot, soaking up the praise from his friends.

“John, man, you’re killing it! We haven’t even been out of college that long, and you already own a Visiondot? That’s wild!”

One guy whistled. “This has gotta be the 540 model, right? The most expensive one?”

John chuckled smugly. “Oh, this? Yeah, it’s the 540. It’s nothing crazy—just a seven or eight hundred grand ride for daily driving.”

“D*mn, dude! That’s top-tier luxury!”

“Man, I can’t even afford a used compact car. John, you’re living the dream.”

“I bet this thing is crazy fast, huh?” someone asked.

John grinned. “Oh, absolutely. Best acceleration I’ve ever had. Haven’t seen a single car on the road that can keep up.”

Just then, another car rolled up. One of the guys squinted. “Wait a sec—another Visiondot? Is this someone from our class?”

A second later, he gasped. “No freaking way… that’s Andrew! The broke loser?!”

Another guy burst out laughing. “And look who’s in the passenger seat—it’s Clara! He must be driving her car, no way that loser owns a Visiondot!”

John’s expression darkened as he saw Andrew step out of the car. His jaw tightened. “Tch. Just my luck. That guy is like a cockroach—he just won’t go away.”

Meanwhile, someone squinted at the car’s back logo. “Wait… which model is he driving?”

Andrew smoothly reversed into a parking spot, and John’s eyes immediately caught sight of the “520” on the back of the car.

He sneered. “Hah! The lowest, cheapest version of the 5 Series. Only a wannabe like him would drive something like that!”

His friend nodded. “John, your car is the highest model, while his is the lowest. Yours is way better, right?”

John scoffed. “Please. I could buy two of his cars with the price of mine!”

“John, you’re the king!”

Meanwhile, Andrew parked the car, and Clara and Loretta stepped out, heading toward the restaurant.

The moment they appeared, the guys immediately straightened up, eyes wide.

“Whoa, look who it is—two absolute beauties!”

John narrowed his eyes at Andrew, his smug grin widening.

“Oh, this just got very interesting…”