Chapter 13

Sherlyn grabbed the jacket in a hurry and asked, "Be honest, Corinne. Where did you get this suit jacket? How did you even get to know a man who could wear something so expensive?" Corinne glanced disapprovingly at the clothes. "Is it expensive? Some man 'kindly' lent it to me. It's not like I know him well, though." Sherlyn could tell that Corinne was probably telling the truth since Corinne never saw much of the world before. Sherlyn then made a snide remark, saying, "Someone like you can't be acquainted with a man who could wear such a high-end jacket! You'd better return it after you have it washed. "Don't think too highly of yourself and try to climb up the social ladder. Men with decent taste will never take a liking to a bumpkin like you!" Corinne chuckled nonchalantly. "By the way, you haven't answered my earlier question. Where's your husband?" Sherlyn's face darkened in an instant. Seeing as Corinne appeared to be in the dark over the details, she put on a haughty demeanor and said, "Ahem! I changed my mind at the last minute yesterday and decided not to get married. I don't want my options to be limited through marriage, and I don't need a husband!" "You decided not to get married?" Corinne cocked an eyebrow out of curiosity. "Why? The Holdens are a first-tier family. Do you even look down on a family like them?" Sherlyn snorted disdainfully. "Who cares if they're a first-tier family? I can choose to marry any man I want. All I have to do is give them a come-hither gesture. Jeremy has never had a girlfriend, even though he's almost thirty years old, so it's pretty clear that he has some sort of health issue there. He might not even be able to do it! I sure as hell ain't gonna marry someone just to have a sexless marriage. It doesn't matter how obsessed he is with me or how hard he begs to marry me!" Corinne nearly laughed out loud as she nodded. "You sure did put a lot of thought into it. You dodged a big one there, so congratulations!" After packing her luggage, Corinne left after saying goodbye to Marvin. However, Sherlyn secretly caught up with Corinne's taxi. She wanted to find out who it was that lent Corinne the jacket. After all, someone who could wear such high-end bespoke clothes certainly had a net worth of billions. The failed wedding had been nothing short of a sheer embarrassment. If she could use that opportunity to get together with a tall, rich, and handsome man, she could finally regain her pride in front of all her relatives and friends! - The taxi drove toward Old Town Street and stopped there. Corinne got out, dragged her luggage bag to a diner along the street, and took a seat there to eat. In the distance, Sherlyn sneered in her car. She thought that Corinne had finally managed to achieve something in life after being able to borrow such an expensive jacket, but poor Corinne still ate at some run-down restaurant. Perhaps it was difficult for Corinne to shake off her poor habits! Sherlyn was snickering when someone knocked on her car window. She lowered it and saw a stern-looking traffic officer. "You can't park here. This is a violation of the traffic rules. I need your driving license, please. You'll be given a demerit for your offense." Sherlyn snorted and said unhappily, "What's wrong with parking here when there's no one around? I'm a famous public figure, and I'm only parking here because I'm worried about causing traffic if my fans recognize me and surround me when I get out of the car. "This is for your benefit too, you know. I'm helping you reduce your burden!" The traffic officer was unmoved. "Your status is irrelevant. This is a pedestrian street, and no one is allowed to park here. What you're doing is a violation of the law, and if you insist on refusing to cooperate, I'll tow your car away based on the law." "What? How dare you!" Sherlyn took down her sunglasses. "Take a good look at who I am! Don't you know how many millions of fans I have on the internet? You'd better be careful or I'll get all my fans to sue you!" The traffic officer did not even look at her as he picked up the walkie-talkie and called a tow truck to come over. Sherlyn flew into a rage and began to quarrel with the traffic officer, which attracted the attention of a group of passers-by. Nonetheless, few of them recognized her, and everyone accused her of being indecorous. Humiliated, Sherlyn did not dare to be haughty anymore. She could only watch helplessly as her car was towed away by the tow truck, and she later saw Corinne come out of the diner after finishing her meal. Sherlyn remembered her purpose there and no longer cared that her car was being towed away. She slipped away from the crowd at once and tailed behind Corinne. Corinne walked into a large shopping mall on Old Town Street and went straight to a luxury brand's flagship store. She then began choosing her clothes with a swagger. Sherlyn's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she observed everything at a corner. Sherlyn concluded that Corinne had clearly been up to something. There was no explanation for how she could get the money to shop in luxury stores and even choose from the most expensive section. As soon as Corinne picked the clothes, she went out through the door on the other side of the luxury store. Sherlyn was still hot on Corinne's heels when the store manager stopped her and greeted her cordially. "We've packaged all the clothes you chose, Miss Sherlyn. Are you paying by cash or credit card?" Sherlyn was confused and uttered, "You must've made a mistake. I just walked into your store!" The store manager smiled and said, "Aren't you the famous actress Sherlyn Carew? Your assistant came in here earlier and picked them for you according to your size. We've already packed them for you, so you just need to pay for it." Sherlyn frowned. "What in the world is going on? I came here alone without bringing any assistants. I never planned on buying any clothes from your store either!" Some of the store's salespeople gathered together and whispered to each other… "Are the clothes too expensive for her?" "Look at what she's wearing. That style is two years ago!" "The other actresses were very generous when they came to our store. Sherlyn seems to be a little poor, though. I heard that she quit her job in the showbiz industry a few days ago, so I'm guessing money is tight for her..." Sherlyn stared at her and said, "Who told you I couldn't afford it? I just don't like the clothes style in your store!" The store manager said shrewdly, "Don't worry, Miss Sherlyn. These are the latest fashion trends, and the fashion guru Raufoy personally designed them. They are the epitome of fashion. It'd be such a shame if you couldn't afford them…” "Who said I couldn't afford them? I have lots of money! Take my card!" Sherlyn valued her reputation more than anything else, and she could not stand to hear the snide remarks from all the store's salespeople. She gritted her teeth and gave her card. With a swipe, several thousand dollars were gone from her account. She finally realized that Corinne was the one behind this as she must have long noticed that she was tailing her. It was very likely that the traffic officer who came to tow the car away earlier because of Corinne, too! 'Corinne, you b*tch!' When Sherlyn came out of the luxury store with several shopping bags, she began to chase after Corinne quickly. She wanted Corinne to get her car back and compensate for all the money she spent. Alas, she was a little bit late. Corinne had gotten into another taxi as soon as Sherlyn reached the entrance of the shopping mall. Sherlyn immediately hailed a taxi and ordered the driver to follow Corinne. Corinne's taxi eventually brought her to the city center. She got out, and dragged her luggage into a very grand house with a classic design. Disbelief was written all over Sherlyn's face, because property was expensive in the city center, and only the rich or the powerful could afford to build a private residence there! 'How could that b*tch Corinne just strut in this kind of place? Did she really get acquainted with some bigwig?!' At this time, a black car drove over and stopped at the gate of the residence. Francine got out of the car with the help of several maids; she had just been discharged from the hospital after the IV drip. Her complexion did not seem too good. Upon spotting those people, Sherlyn went over and asked, "Excuse me, may I ask who's the owner of this house?" Francine observed Sherlyn's outdated clothes in disdain. "What are you doing here? How dare you enquire about our family's details!" Sherlyn's mind went blank. She lost her confidence in front of Francine as what the latter wore were all limited-edition branded clothes. She merely smiled awkwardly and said, "Uh... I'm here to look for my sister. I just saw her walk in here..." Francine got a little impatient. "Your sister? What's her name?"