chapter 36 Spend money on demolition money

Rita had already assumed that Hedy was there to save face for Carver and Cornelia. Smiling, she decided to temporarily give up her plan to mock Cornelia. After all, Hedy had some social connections, and Rita wanted to maintain a good image in front of her. She introduced her brother and sister-in-law enthusiastically, placing more emphasis on her sister-in-law, Rubert, the Vice President of Sales at Ronnie Group. Ignoring Rita's introduction, Hedy walked directly to Carver and Cornelia. She said, "I arrived a bit late due to traffic. Here is the vehicle registration, all done, in Cornelia's name." What? The entire scene fell into astonishment as everyone stared at the blue registration book that Hedy pulled out. Could this be real? Was this car really Cornelia's birthday gift? Even Cornelia was bewildered. "Sister Hedy, is this really for me?" Rita, eager to regain her superiority, approached and snatched the registration book. "It must be fake. Cornelia's family has no money; how could her brother afford to give her a car worth almost two million? This can't be true." As she flipped through the registration book, Cornelia's information was clearly listed, matching the information of the car in front of them. Nelly and others approached, examining the information on the registration book with complex expressions. Could it be that Cornelia's family was a hidden wealthy family, pretending to have a modest lifestyle? Carver took the registration book and handed it to Cornelia. He gently pinched her cheek in a doting manner. "Don't doubt it. This is the birthday gift your brother gave you. Do you like it?" After confirming that everything wasn't an illusion, Cornelia's eyes turned red, and she hugged Carver. "Brother, thank you!" Carver patted her back and said, "You're already a big girl. It's your birthday today; you can't cry. Let's go inside!" "I remember now." At this moment, Nelly exclaimed, "Cornelia mentioned a few days ago that her family would receive compensation of 300,000 dollars for demolition. This car must be bought with that compensation." Rita also remembered this incident and was about to regain her sense of superiority. "So, it was bought with the compensation money. Cornelia, your brother is extravagant. After receiving 300,000 dollars in compensation, he dared to buy a car worth nearly 250,000 dollars. Your family will probably end up renting a house in the future." Others nodded slightly. Compared to Cornelia's family being a hidden wealthy family, they found the explanation more acceptable. Hedy took the initiative to link her arm with Carver's and showed no interest in explaining that Carver had used his own money to buy the car. "Let's go inside." Carver felt a bit uncomfortable but couldn't retract his arm. He reluctantly nodded, "Let's go." As they went inside, Rita and others felt that Carver was guilty because he didn't explain the source of the car. Rita immediately speculated, "Even if it's not bought with compensation money, he probably got close to Senior Hedy to get it." Nelly chimed in, "Exactly, Senior Hedy is already holding his arm. They must be in a romantic relationship." Unbeknownst to them, their comments made Rex blush and feel a sudden resentment towards Carver. Why should he be eating soft food? Moreover, the person he found was a top beauty? ... After the group arrived at Rex's reserved private room, which could accommodate more than twenty people, Cornelia, who was initially happy, showed a worried expression. She pulled Carver aside and asked in a low voice, "Brother, do Mom and Dad know about using compensation money to buy the car?" "Silly girl." Cornelia tapped her forehead gently. "The compensation money just arrived today, and I had already ordered the car before going to Whitecloud City. It's my money that I used to buy this for you. If you don't believe it, ask Sister Hedy." Cornelia never doubted that Carver and Hedy would deceive her. Muttering, she said, "So, that day when you said you'd buy me a car, it was true. If I had known, I would have chosen a more ordinary one. This is almost 250.000 dollars; even a scratch would cost a lot for repairs. I'm afraid I won't dare to drive it myself." Carver smiled, "Silly girl, your brother will cover any expenses. Drive boldly." "Brother, how much money do you have?" Carver replied half-jokingly and half-seriously, "I haven't checked it carefully, but it should be around 25,000,000 dollars. So, don't just say I bought you a car; one day, I'll take you to live in a villa." Cornelia rolled her eyes at him, "Always boasting. But help me explain to Mom and Dad. I don't dare to tell them about the car!" Once again facing skepticism, Carver felt quite helpless. However, he didn't rush to explain; Cornelia would know the truth soon. With everyone seated, Rita stood up and announced, "Today is both mine and Cornelia's birthday. My brother booked a package at Golden Crown Hotel for 6,800 dollars per table. Let's enjoy the good food and drinks." Hearing the price, Cornelia's face turned pale. This meant she had to share 3,400 dollars. Other classmates praised Rita and expressed their gratitude to Rex for exposing them to a higher-class environment. They seemed to have forgotten that Cornelia would have to split half of tonight's expenses, focusing solely on the Quinn siblings. Carver paid no attention to these hypocritical praises. He whispered reassuring words to Cornelia, who looked anxious. "Don't worry, I can afford this." Soon, all the dishes and drinks were served. There were four cold dishes, ten main dishes, one soup, and two bottles of red wine. The dishes were quite lavish, but when it came to the wine, there were only two bottles, making everyone's expressions peculiar. With around twenty people, two bottles of wine clearly wouldn't be enough. Rita, understanding everyone's thoughts, coughed and said, "My brother has also booked the second half of the night at the Ark Bar, so everyone can just drink casually here. We can enjoy more drinks at the bar later. By the way, the expenses there will be shared by Cornelia and me. Cornelia, you don't mind, right?" The dinner had already made Cornelia anxious about the cost, and now the mention of going to a bar increased her worries. "Today is so rare, Cornelia doesn't mind," Cornelia replied. But before she could refuse to go to the bar, Hedy smiled and said, "In addition, I'll pay for Cornelia's share of the dinner. Consider it a birthday gift. Carver, do you mind?" Carver was initially going to decline, but since Hedy said it was a birthday gift, he nodded in agreement. This move, however, made Rita lose the chance to embarrass Carver and Cornelia. Unable to bear it, she said with a touch of sarcasm, "Senior Hedy, today is my brother helping his sister celebrate her birthday. You should let Cornelia's brother contribute a bit, even if you are in a romantic relationship with him. Did my sister-in-law say anything about it?" While the car was purchased by Carver, the luxury car's expense was not to be taken lightly. Carver intended to teach Cornelia about financial management, and he didn't plan to use his money casually. Rita's comment left a cold feeling in Carver's heart. Though he smiled, he felt a hint of displeasure. "Sure, apart from this meal, I'll cover all the expenses that follow."