Tessa lowered her gaze, and her eyes fell on the keys before lifting them to glance at the white McLaren parked nearby.

Her voice was calm and measured as she said, “Quentin, the McLaren P1 is priced at over two million dollars, if I’m not mistaken. It’s not worth spending that kind of money just to apologize for what happened on New Year’s Eve, don’t you think?”

Without missing a beat, Quentin kept up the lie. “Why not? I made you mad that night, and Naomi’s been nagging me about it ever since. Two million isn’t a big deal.

“I know you’re not short on money, but it’s just a token of apology. Just take it, alright? Otherwise, Naomi will keep harping about it to me. Consider it doing me a favor, yeah?”

Tessa’s expression remained composed, her clear, bright eyes reflecting a faint light as she looked at Quentin. “Tell me the truth. Did Stephen buy this car?

“Tell him that I don’t need it. There’s no need to get entangled anymore since we’ve broken up.”

Quentin’s scalp tingled as dread crept over him. Man, lawyers were impossible to fool.

Good thing he’d given Naomi a heads-up in advance.

These past few days, Naomi hadn’t stopped griping about Stephen, so when Stephen asked him to deliver the car, Quentin had gone home and told her right away, saying Stephen was feeling guilty and bought the car as a breakup compensation.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Just a lousy car? Seriously? Stephen is way too stingy.”

“There’s more,” Quentin replied. “There are several limited-edition Hermès bags in the car too. Stephen said you and Sienna each get one, and the rest are for Tessa. But he needs you two to help him out.

“Just tell Tessa you bought those bags to cheer her up. Don’t mention they’re from Stephen.”

At the mention of limited-edition Hermès bags, Naomi’s eyes had lit up instantly. “Bags? Where? Let me see!”

When Quentin showed her, she’d been so thrilled she practically started drooling with excitement.

“Damn! I tried to buy this white one before, but it was impossible. Being the Jacobson family’s golden boy sure has its perks. He scored three of them just like that! Nice!

“Sienna and Tessa both love this style. Three bags, one for each of us. Not bad- Stephen actually thought this through.”

Quentin then pulled out a black credit card. “Take this, too. The law firm’s going on winter break soon. Take Tessa on a trip somewhere nice. All expenses are on Stephen.”

Naomi plucked the card from his hand with her index and middle fingers before letting out a cold snort. “Now that’s more like it. But don’t think this means I’m taking his side. As far as I’m concerned, he will always be a heartless jerk.”

Quentin sighed and rubbed his temples. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Just do me a favor and look after Tessa with Sienna these next few weeks.”

Of course, he couldn’t tell Naomi the real reason behind Stephen and Tessa’s breakup.

“Let them call you a jerk if they want, man. You brought this on yourself. A little name-calling won’t kill you,” he muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, in Stephen’s office, the man had a strange feeling that someone was talking about him.

His features tightened into a frown.

“Yeah, Tessa, the car’s from my brother. Kasked him to buy it to apologize to you. Just take it-it’s no big deal. If you don’t, I’ll nag at him again.” Naomi’s voice came through the phone.

Tessa didn’t believe Quentin, but she trusted her best friend.

“Well… okay, then. It wasn’t that big of a deal anyway. Just don’t be too hard on Quentin. He’s just a bit thoughtless sometimes. I know he didn’t mean any harm.” Hearing that, Quentin, standing nearby, felt a surge of both gratitude and guilt. “Sorry, Tessa. I didn’t mean to lie to you. It’s just a white lie. Hopefully, you won’t hold it against me when you find out the truth someday,” he thought to himself.

After the call ended, Tessa handed Quentin’s phone back to him. “Alright, Quentin. I’ll accept the car. Thank you.”

Quentin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Tessa took the keys, walked over, and opened the car door-only to see the passenger seat piled high with Hermès shopping bags. She paused, then turned to Quentin. “What’s all this?”

Without missing a beat, Quentin lied through his teeth. “Oh, those? Naomi and Sienna bought them for you to cheer you up.”

Tessa snapped a photo and sent it to Naomi and Sienna. The two had already coordinated their story, so their replies matched Quentin’s. explanation word for word. Warmth welled up in Tessa’s heart as she messaged back to thank them and exchanged a few sentimental words.

Once Quentin saw the conversation was wrapped up, he said, “Alright, you’ve got

plans tonight, so I won’t keep you. Drive the car home, okay?”

“But, Quentin, you drove this car here. If I take it, how are you getting back? I could give you a ride.”

Quentin waved her off. “Nah, no

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need. I’ll call the driver to pick me up. Besides, I need to swing by that fruit tea shop nearby. Naomi’s a sucker for their strawberry tea, you know that.”

Stephen’s car was parked in the mall garage nearby. He needed to meet up with him later.

Without a second thought, Tessa waved goodbye. “Alright, then. I’m heading out.

Bye!”

“Bye!”