New York Suburbs. Stable Town.
"What?!"
The leader of the rich girls froze, stunned. After a moment, she pointed at Max, incredulous. "Her?!"
"That's right, me!"
Max was a bit dazed too, but after Caroline whispered in her ear, "Now you know what Adam-style extravagance looks like," and remembering how Adam had confidently assured her everything would be fine, she puffed out her chest and fired back, "Yes, me!"
Whether it was true or not, she'd fight first and figure it out later. 😤
"That's a $12 million estate!"
The lead rich girl scrutinized Max from head to toe, eyeing her far-from-luxurious outfit and accessories, refusing to believe Max could afford an estate even she could only dream of.
That's right!
When she found out Caroline had fallen on hard times, she'd desperately wanted to buy the top-tier estate in this stable town. She'd begged her parents countless times.
But it was no use.
It was too expensive!
Spending such an outrageous amount on a vacation home they'd only stay in a few times a year? Her rational, still-sane father would never agree.
If he could afford it so easily,
As his daughter, how could she not even qualify to be in Caroline's orbit?
"Yes," the stable manager, David, beamed at Max with genuine warmth. "Ms. Black has purchased the estate and is now our most esteemed member."
"I don't believe it!"
"No way!"
"Her? Looking so broke and tacky? How could she have that much money?"
The group of rich girls voiced their doubts.
It wasn't that Max was still wearing her old mustard-yellow waitress uniform.
Ever since meeting Adam, especially after graduating college and starting her formal job, under Adam's firm insistence, even though Max was only willing to splurge on Adam,
Her style and appearance had long since changed from the bottom-tier Max of the past.
No way around it.
Some things are expensive for a reason.
Like when Adam took Max to Caroline's coming-of-age party and ended up tearing apart countless evening gowns.
That kind of money, no matter how much it pained Max, couldn't be saved.
Over the years, Max's taste and perspective had naturally skyrocketed thanks to Adam's money-burning antics.
She couldn't compare to top-tier socialites, but she was absolutely far from "broke and tacky."
The reason these rich girls said that was partly out of hostility, but also because Max lacked that "socialite aura."
And that aura—or lack thereof—was glaringly obvious to people who lived in their circle.
The way you walk, smile, wave—every move has to have that vibe!
And clearly, Max, who grew up at the bottom, had already formed her own unique worldview. With Adam supporting her to be herself, she naturally didn't have that vibe.
Her habits, built through years of "tearing things apart," were unconventional.
But Adam loved that raw, unpretentious edge. 😏
Vroom, vroom, vroom!
The roar of a sports car echoed in the distance.
Adam arrived, fashionably late.
"Dr. Duncan!"
Stable manager David's eyes lit up as he hurried over to greet him.
"Adam!"
Max, done arguing with the rich girls, was pulled by Caroline and walked over too.
"So it's him."
"No wonder."
"Wait, how could he like such a tasteless woman? Just because she's fierce?"
"So she's just someone who climbed up by clinging to a sugar daddy, huh!"
"Both of them together!"
"Damn it! Are they worth $12 million?"
"Yeah, no way! I thought he was some big deal, but turns out he's blind, doesn't see our value, and went for them… So tasteless."
"It's normal. It takes three generations to make a noble, you know."
"…"
The rich girls were filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Adam's face was very familiar to them. He was a frequent subject of their daily gossip—no need for introductions.
They already knew everything about him from rumors.
The moment Adam arrived, they no longer doubted the authenticity of the Channing estate purchase. Instead, they were bitter that Adam had spent $12 million on a woman they looked down on, buying her such a luxurious estate.
This was absolutely unacceptable!
They felt they were more deserving of Adam spending that money on them!
Even if Adam didn't spend on them, just based on his looks, they'd be willing to spend on him.
This stark contrast made them seethe with bitterness.
Why?
Just because you're fierce?
With $12 million, anyone could be fiercer than you!
As fierce as you want!
The group of rich girls grumbled and left.
They weren't brainless. They knew who they could and couldn't mess with.
And Adam, who was richer than all their dads combined, was the ultimate "daddy"—absolutely not someone to confront directly.
Staying any longer would just be humiliating themselves.
A few of the less well-off rich girls, as they followed their leader away, kept sneaking glances back at Max, their eyes glinting with cunning.
Heh, men!
The stable manager chatted briefly with Adam, then tactfully left.
"Adam, you bought Caroline's family estate? And spent $12 million?" Max asked, voicing her confusion.
"Yeah," Adam smiled. "It takes time, you know. That's why I had you wait until today."
"Are you crazy?!" Max blurted out, pained. "Just for a sandwich, you went this far? And you even renamed the estate Black Estate. I don't need you worrying about me—you just need to take care of Caroline!"
"Max!"
Caroline, who had been feeling down about her family's stable estate being renamed, turned bright red at Max's words. She didn't dare look at Adam, scolding Max in embarrassment.
"What?" Max spread her hands. "Adam's throwing money around like this, using my name, and I can't even say a word?"
Normally, when Adam bought her things, she'd try her best to stop him.
She didn't know exactly how much money Adam had.
But no matter how rich he was, this wasn't how you spend it.
Dropping $12 million just to show off and add a side dish to a meal?
Adam might not care, but she did.
If it was just about adding a side dish to a meal, she'd have fed it to him herself.
Why waste that kind of money?
She was on a diet anyway. 😤
"Trust me, this isn't a waste," Adam explained seriously. "Think of it as an advance on your bonus. You can pay it back later by drawing Peppa Pig. It's an investment, better than you spending it unknowingly.
And not only does Caroline's Chestnut need an estate to run free, I'm planning to keep a few horses too. We can come here to relax and have fun when we have time."
Hmmm.
Mainly, Adam felt that since Heather, Captain America Caroline, and the others all had estates, Max should have one too. It just made sense.
Duncan-style friends come with estates as standard equipment!
"Explain this clearly—are you just talking about literal horseback riding to relax?" Max asked, realizing this was an advance on her bonus. She immediately stopped feeling bad and threw out a sharp-tongued, dirty joke.
After all, it was her money being spent, not Adam's.
It let Adam show off and gave Chestnut a home.
Pretty good.
She'd just work hard to pay off the debt later.
"Heh," Adam chuckled. "Do you know what my favorite era of the Eastern Kingdom is?"
"What?" Caroline looked over, curious.
"The Tang Dynasty?"
Max, overly familiar with Adam, immediately blurted it out in her awkward Eastern Kingdom language.
"Why?"
Thanks to America's Chinatown culture, Caroline knew of the Tang Dynasty, but she didn't understand why Adam suddenly brought it up.
"Because it was a free and unrestrained era," Adam said seriously. "Alright, let's go see Chestnut first. Then I'll take you, Max, horseback riding. We'll ride to the estate together. I hear it's huge and beautiful."
(End of Chapter)