Chapter 204 - 202: Is This Right?

Jane Sterling, with a sudden burst of enthusiasm, rushed right up to Jasmine Sterling. "I’m a friend of Saul Thorne’s. My name is Jane Sterling, but you can just call me Jane."

Jasmine Sterling’s mind hadn’t quite caught up, but a smile instinctively appeared on her face. "Nice to meet you."

’This young lady is so frank and warm, and she’s quite cute and perky.’

Saul Thorne was stunned too. He knew Jane Sterling wasn’t shy around strangers and warmed up to people quickly, but ’isn’t this a bit too abrupt?’

’Being so enthusiastic toward his girlfriend’s mother?’

’Doesn’t she have any sense of boundaries?’

Worried that Jasmine Sterling might feel uncomfortable, Saul Thorne quickly explained, "Ma’am, Jane’s grandfather and my grandfather are old family friends. She grew up abroad, so she has a more extroverted personality."

’No wonder she’s so enthusiastic.’ Jasmine Sterling nodded in understanding.

Jane Sterling didn’t mind in the slightest. ’Cecilia and I are good friends, so what’s wrong with being friendly to her mother?’

She looked down at the coat in Jasmine Sterling’s hands. The price tag was still on it, so it was clearly an item from the store. "Ma’am, are you picking out a coat? This one is great! It really complements your skin tone. It’s cashmere, right?"

"I like it too, and I was about to buy it," Jasmine Sterling said, turning to the salesperson. "I’ll take this one. I won’t bother with the stackable discount for spending twenty dollars. Just give me the 12% discount."

"Of course, ma’am. I’ll go ring this up for you. Please wait a moment."

But just as the sales associate was about to leave, Jane Sterling stopped her. "Wait a second. It’s a mall-wide stackable discount promotion, right?"

The sales associate nodded, and Jasmine Sterling looked at Jane Sterling in surprise.

Jane Sterling grinned and held up the shopping bag in her hand. "I just happened to buy a watch. It cost over two hundred dollars."

The sales associate looked troubled. "I’m sorry, miss, but the person who made the purchase has to be the one to use the discount. That’s the rule."

"I know," Jane Sterling said. "I’ll buy the coat!"

Saul Thorne, watching from the side, couldn’t help but smile. He walked over to Jasmine Sterling and said in a low voice, "Ma’am, let Jane buy it with the stackable discount, and then you can just transfer her the money."

It dawned on Jasmine Sterling. This little trick would save a lot of money.

The sales associate also understood what they were planning, and there was indeed no problem with doing it that way.

In the end, the twelve-dollar cashmere coat, after a 12% discount and an additional 25% off, was purchased for only seven dollars and twenty cents.

After leaving the store, Jasmine Sterling eagerly added Jane Sterling on WhatsApp and transferred her the money. "Jane, thank you so much. Since you know Saul Thorne, too, we were just about to get some roast duck. Why don’t you join us?"

Saul Thorne listened from the side without saying a word. ’In any case, the lady’s in charge today.’

He had expected Jane Sterling to politely decline, but to his surprise, her eyes lit up as she readily agreed. "Okay! Thank you, Ma’am."

"Don’t be so polite. I’m the one who should be thanking you."

The two women walked ahead arm in arm, talking and laughing, while Saul Thorne watched from behind, his brow slightly furrowed.

’Is this right?’

"Ma’am, let me tell you a secret... Cecilia and I are actually good friends, and that blockhead Saul Thorne still has no idea."

Seeing that Saul Thorne hadn’t caught up, Jane Sterling secretly shared this little secret with Jasmine Sterling.

Jasmine Sterling’s eyes lit up. With this revelation, Jane Sterling’s seemingly over-the-top enthusiasm from earlier suddenly made perfect sense.

"No wonder! So you’re one of Cecilia’s friends."

Jane Sterling smiled sweetly, shaking her head with a hint of smugness. "Yup! We even had dinner together the day before yesterday. Ma’am, let me tell you about this hilarious, farcical situation. I had just gotten back to the country, you see, and my grandpa tried to set me up with Saul Thorne..."

Jane Sterling poured out the whole farcical story about the three of them—herself, Cecilia Sterling, and Saul Thorne—making Jasmine Sterling laugh so hard she had tears in her eyes.

Following behind, Saul Thorne found the scene increasingly surreal. ’How did Jane Sterling manage to completely steal the show?’

That evening, Cecilia Sterling returned to her dorm after finishing her exam to find only Estelle Goodman in the room.

"Blair isn’t back yet?" Cecilia Sterling asked.

Estelle Goodman, swinging in the hammock chair hanging beside her desk, replied, "She came back, but then rushed out again in a hurry."

Seeing Cecilia Sterling packing a change of clothes, she got up and walked over. "What are you packing for? Don’t you have another exam tomorrow?"

"My mom’s here, so I have to go home tonight to be with her. Saul Thorne and Jane took her out shopping today."

"Your mom’s here?"

"Yeah. Oh, right. After our exam tomorrow, you and Blair should come home with me. My mom made God Jumps Over the Wall—she started stewing it yesterday and told me to bring you guys over for some." Cecilia Sterling looked up, her expression exaggerated. "I’m telling you, the God Jumps Over the Wall my mom makes blows all those so-called high-end restaurants in Lorcain out of the water."

"My mouth is watering just thinking about it." Estelle Goodman giggled. "I want to go eat it today."

"It’s not ready yet. My mom is very particular about this dish; it has to stew for at least 48 hours to bring out the true essence of God Jumps Over the Wall. So many restaurants nowadays use pre-prepared ingredients. There are hardly any places left that actually slow-stew it from scratch."

"Then I’ll go back with you. Blair probably won’t be back tonight anyway, and it’s boring to stay in the dorm by myself."

"Sure. I drove today, so from now on we won’t have to bother Mr. Jennings for rides," Cecilia Sterling teased. "I trust my Cullinan won’t be too shabby for a great lady like yourself?"

Estelle Goodman threw her arms around Cecilia Sterling’s neck. "Of course not! And you know, because of you, I’ve realized how incredibly cool and stylish it is for a girl to drive a car like this. You’re making me want to get my driver’s license. I’m gonna have my dad buy me a Cullinan, too!"

Thinking of Estelle Goodman’s laughable sense of direction, Cecilia Sterling scoffed mercilessly. "For your own safety, and for the safety of others, you should just stick to being a passenger, my dear lady."

"What’s that supposed to mean? You think I can’t pass the test?"

Cecilia Sterling pursed her lips. "I wouldn’t say it’s impossible. I just think it’ll be a long process—so long, in fact, that you’ll probably give up halfway through."

"Oh, is that so!" Estelle Goodman’s eyes widened. "If you’re trying to provoke me, then I’ll take the bait! I’m signing up for driving school the moment vacation starts, and I guarantee I’ll have my license by spring!"

Cecilia Sterling frowned, her expression skeptical. "Let’s not even talk about whether you can pass the test. Learning to drive in a Lorcain winter? You’ll be crying from the cold after two lessons. If you’re serious about learning, wait until spring or fall when the weather is nice. You won’t suffer so much."

"Nope, I want to learn right now!" Estelle Goodman declared, full of conviction. "Just you wait. When I get my license, I’m going to make you eat your words."

Cecilia Sterling shrugged nonchalantly. "Fine by me. I can’t wait to see our ’great lady’ experience the hardships of the common folk."

Estelle Goodman was a woman of action. She immediately picked up her phone and called Charles Jennings. The moment the call connected, she issued an order like a queen: "Charles Jennings, I’m getting my driver’s license. Contact the best driving school in Lorcain for me immediately."

Cecilia Sterling watched her friend’s imperious tirade. After hanging up, Estelle Goodman saw the look on Cecilia’s face and, thinking she disapproved of her attitude toward Charles Jennings, blurted out, "He insists I treat him this way. Don’t you think he’s a total masochist?"