The Mercedes dealership.
Scarlet, about to leave her job, was surrounded by several female colleagues.
Taking advantage of the quiet morning with few customers, they gossiped in hushed whispers, asking about her boyfriend from every angle.
Everyone looked genuinely concerned.
After all, which saleswoman working here hadn't fantasized about being swept off her feet by a rich guy and living the wealthy housewife life?
In this job, having frequent contact with affluent people, similar tendencies would develop to some degree.
Some of these saleswomen had been in innocent campus relationships with boyfriends before graduation.
After graduation, feeling the heavy pressure of reality, their thoughts gradually changed.
It wasn't that they no longer liked their college sweethearts—it was just that their desires inflated, and they were no longer satisfied with "love being enough," instead demanding higher material standards.
At school, meals and housing were subsidized, so expenses were minimal.
Only after working did they realize that, setting everything else aside, just rent each month was a significant expense.
Bayside was still relatively affordable. If you worked in a major city, renting even a bedroom in the suburbs could start at one or two grand a month.
Not to mention buying a house, a car, raising kids later... every item was a major expense.
Therefore, when they learned Scarlet's boyfriend was still in school, the sales team was insanely envious.
This was getting both youth _and_ financial security!
"Wait, seriously, is this Arden guy actually tall and handsome?"
The person asking was a heavily made-up saleswoman.
Her name was Madison Lee. She'd happened to be off yesterday, so she hadn't seen Arden.
Before Scarlet started, she'd been responsible for filming promotional content for social media, then Scarlet took over her position.
There was no way around it—from looks to figure to temperament, she was completely outmatched.
Scarlet was simply a natural bombshell.
To be honest, Madison was thrilled that Scarlet had successfully hooked a rich guy and resigned.
If this woman actually became permanent and stayed long-term, that would be tragic! Madison didn't know how long she'd be overshadowed!
Madison had always hoped some local tycoon would sweep her off her feet.
But in her expectation, the guy who'd take Scarlet should've been some greasy middle-aged dude—that way she'd feel more balanced.
"Madison, it's true. I was on shift yesterday and stared at that guy for ages... Oh, at the time I just thought he was good-looking, no other meaning. You won't be mad, Scarlet, will you?" a saleswoman joked.
"Hehe, it's fine. Looking at hot guys isn't illegal," Scarlet said with a smile. "Go ahead and look all you want—you just won't get a taste~"
"Ooh, sounds like our Scarlet already got a taste."
"How much did you get last night? Did he satisfy you?"
"You're terrible, saying such weird things..."
Amidst the girls' playful banter.
The tall, upright Arden strode into the dealership.
The chattering girls immediately quieted, overwhelmed by the handsome man's presence.
Actually this was pretty common. When an attractive, distinguished-looking guy approached, girls chatting in groups would suddenly go quiet, sneak glances at him, then excitedly discuss him after he'd passed.
"Morning, everyone."
Arden greeted them generally, then approached Scarlet, gave her a hug, and gently kissed her forehead.
Scarlet was slightly surprised but responded with a light kiss on Arden's cheek.
This immediately drew cheers from the girls.
"Oh my god, why is someone showing PDA this early in the morning..."
"So embarrassing!"
"Scarlet, you might as well just kill me. Us single people are dying of jealousy!"
"..."
Arden handled them with a few pleasantries, then asked Scarlet: "Did you get all your resignation stuff sorted?"
"Yep, all done. I can leave with you anytime." Scarlet held Arden's hand, her face full of sweet expression.
It was truly her luck to meet him.
Arden nodded, pulled out his phone, and called Derek.
"Derek, I'm planning to pick out a car for Scarlet. Since she's already resigned, I'll need you to come handle the paperwork."
"Haha, no trouble at all!" Derek waved enthusiastically. Who'd complain about commission?
"Arden, are you really buying me a car? You don't need to—I don't really need one usually. It's too wasteful," Scarlet said.
She protested, but her expression was quite surprised.
"Of course I'm buying one. You need to get around on your own sometimes. Bayside's huge—it's more convenient with a car."
Arden insisted.
Having established an intimate relationship with Scarlet, he could get cashback by letting her spend freely.
"Alright then... since you think it's necessary, let's get one. But don't buy anything too expensive—if it's too pricey and I don't use it much, that's wasteful."
It had to be said Scarlet's emotional intelligence was quite high. If she were a greedy gold-digger, given the chance to get a car, she'd naturally pick the most expensive one.
After all, it wasn't her money, so why would she care?
But Scarlet didn't think that way. If the car she drove was more expensive than Arden's, wouldn't that feel weird and seem really inconsiderate?
Actually, it didn't even need to be more expensive—even similar pricing wouldn't be quite appropriate.
What status did she have to drive a car at the same price point as him?
Scarlet had a very clear understanding of her position. She was his girl, and humility was appropriate.
The more he spoiled her, the more aware she needed to be of her place.
Instead of being like women in TV dramas or romance novels who became arrogant from favoritism.
Scarlet thought briefly and quickly made a choice.
Having been in sales for a while, she was very familiar with the Mercedes lineup.
"An entry-level C260L will work. Don't need high-end features—all the functions are plenty complete."
"Really?" Arden felt this model didn't offer enough cashback though. "How about an E-Class? The E-Class looks a bit nicer."
"No, the E-Class is almost seventy grand even after discounts. It's unnecessary. Actually, if I wasn't worried about you losing face, I'd be fine driving a thirty-thousand-dollar compact—it's just transportation anyway."
Scarlet stuck out her tongue, a playful, somewhat innocent expression appearing on her foxy, enchanting face, which was absolutely devastating.
Arden couldn't help pinching her cheek. "You're so frugal and good at managing finances."
"Hehe, of course! I'm already yours, so obviously I should help you save money."
Derek maintained a professional smile but internally was frantically complaining.
Damn, just pick up the car and leave already. Do they have to stand here being all lovey-dovey?
Single people are suffering here.
Complaints aside, picking up the car was actually very quick, because the C260L, as a classic entry-level luxury Mercedes C-Class, had plenty of stock.
Furthermore, since Arden paid in full, there was no need for financing paperwork.
Once insurance was settled, they were pretty much done.
The result was that by nine o'clock, Arden and Scarlet were already driving their brand-new cars, one behind the other, toward the JW Marriott Hotel.
Watching the two pristine cars majestically drive away from the dealership, saleswoman Madison was a bit dazed.
"He really was a hottie..."
The moment she saw Arden, her heart fluttered, and she really wanted to take the opportunity to flirt a little.
However, she simply didn't have the confidence to pull that off in front of Scarlet.
Forget it. Man, who told Scarlet to be naturally gorgeous with amazing luck? I'm so jealous!