CHAPTER 118: CHAPTER 118_1

Mason Wallace and his wife also left the hotel to stroll around, but the two couples went their separate ways. Although they were acquainted, Glades Horne gave them the impression that he was difficult to befriend, so they maintained merely a nodding acquaintance. In Glades Horne and Julia Bluen’s eyes, Mason Wallace and Sophie Snowdon were merely passersby in their lives.

「Syrena, T City.」

In the Serendipity Cafe, Orlando Evans held a cup of Blue Mountain coffee, gently swirling it. Her melancholic eyes quietly watched the coffee sway with her movements.

Adele Horne sat beside her, her heart heavy as she observed Orlando’s sullen and sad demeanor.

She felt partly responsible for her close friend’s current predicament. If she hadn’t brought Orlando home back then, Orlando wouldn’t have met her elder brother. Without meeting him, Orlando wouldn’t have fallen for him so deeply. If, when Orlando was falling for him, she had prevented Orlando from getting in too deep, perhaps Orlando wouldn’t be as dejected as she was today.

In a mere ten days, Orlando seemed to have lost a significant amount of weight.

"Red, I’m sorry." Adele Horne, typically arrogant and unreasonable, apologized to Orlando, citing her ’remorse.’

Orlando lifted her gaze to look at her, the melancholy in her eyes more evident. She forced a smile and comforted Adele, "I’m okay. It’s not your fault; it’s all mine. I shouldn’t have fallen for your brother. But, Adele, matters of the heart really aren’t within one’s own control."

Adele had never been in love herself and didn’t understand what love truly entailed.

Seeing her friend force a smile to comfort her made Adele even more convinced that Orlando was a good woman, unlike Julia, who she felt was completely unsuitable to be her sister-in-law.

"Your brother... where are they honeymooning now?" Orlando finally asked, though she hesitated at first.

Adele thought for a moment before replying, "Their first stop was the Maldives; they should be in France by now. Orlando, you’re not thinking of going to find them, are you?" Adele suddenly looked at Orlando cautiously. A flicker of fear crossed her mind—her brother and sister-in-law were on their honeymoon. If Orlando chased after them abroad, her brother would surely flay her alive when he returned.

Orlando gave a bitter smile. "Even here, your brother never gave me a second glance. What good would it do to chase them to France? I’d just be humiliating myself overseas."

Hearing this, Adele breathed a slight sigh of relief. Seeing Orlando’s heartbroken expression, Adele felt a pang of sympathy. She reached out, took Orlando’s hand, and suggested, "Come on, let’s go shopping."

At the mention of shopping, a flicker of light returned to Orlando’s melancholic eyes. Ever since she met Adele, Adele had paid for all their outings—shopping, dining, playing, and everything else. Orlando didn’t have to spend a penny and could enjoy the luxurious lifestyle of the Upper Class Society.

Her mother had taught her that if she couldn’t marry into the Horne family, she should at least bleed Adele dry.

But the glint in Orlando’s eyes was fleeting. Adele, being rather unobservant, didn’t catch it. Besides, Adele had always believed Orlando was genuinely good to her and was more than willing to spend money for Orlando’s company, never suspecting her friend was actually after her family’s status.

Orlando nodded silently, the sorrow in her eyes diminishing slightly.

Adele called the waiter, settled the bill, grabbed her LV bag, and led Orlando out of the cafe. Her BMW was parked right in front. The two women slipped into the car, one from each side, and drove off.

Front Street was T City’s Central Street. The city hall was located here, surrounded by skyscrapers, high-end shops, and hotels; residential areas were hardly visible. Street vendors weren’t seen on these streets; the cityscape was impeccably maintained.

Adele drove Orlando to Front Street, taking her to upscale boutiques to shop for clothes. With winter approaching, it was the prime time for new winter collections to hit the stores. Winter clothing was inherently more expensive than apparel for other seasons, and since they were shopping at high-end boutiques, even a single item cost tens of thousands of yuan or more. At first, Orlando feigned reluctance, not daring to buy anything. Later, under Adele’s generous assurances, she began to pick out clothes, though she still hesitated to choose overly expensive items. It wasn’t until Adele picked out a piece for her costing one hundred thousand yuan, which Orlando claimed not to like, and Adele told her to choose whatever she wanted regardless of price, that Orlando finally revealed her greedy nature, starting to select the most expensive and fashionable items.

Adele was used to footing the bill. The bank card her family provided seemed to have no limit; the daily income of Valence Group alone was enough for her to squander for an entire year.

The two women, having indulged their expensive tastes, emerged from the boutique, each carrying two bags filled with designer clothes worth over one hundred thousand yuan.

A faint smile finally touched Orlando’s lips. Seeing her friend smile, Adele’s mood instantly brightened.

It had to be said, Adele must have owed Orlando from a past life.

The two then bought plenty of food, cosmetics, and other items before finally leaving Front Street.

Front Street opened onto Zetta Street. As Adele steered onto Zetta Street, she suddenly noticed a rather worn-out electric tricycle approaching from behind her car. It was laden with clothes that, to her, looked incredibly cheap. Street vendors, she thought, without needing a second glance. Adele usually paid no mind to such roadside businesses. However, as her car passed the tricycle, she casually glanced at the woman driving it and was startled to see a strong resemblance to Julia’s bridesmaid.

She hadn’t paid close attention to Rachel Bailey at the wedding, but they had met. Rachel’s plainness had been a source of inner amusement for Adele for quite some time. So, upon seeing her now, Adele was certain the tricycle driver was indeed Rachel Bailey.

Adele slowed her car, watching Rachel Bailey drive the electric tricycle ahead of her.

Street vendors weren’t permitted on Front Street, but Zetta Street was teeming with them. Although they didn’t dare linger too long in one spot, a variety of their goods would frequently flash before the eyes of passersby.

Rachel Bailey pulled over at an intersection where several other electric and motor tricycles were already parked—the motor tricycles, of course, were unlicensed.