The airport arrivals hall.
Stella Sterling clutched her bag and hurried through the hall, her face burning.
'I've never been so embarrassed in my entire life.'
Thankfully, there was no one else she knew in first class today.
The humiliation was, at least, contained.
Meanwhile, at the end of the VIP lane.
Three Mercedes-Benz executive vans were parked at the exit.
A few minutes later, Roman Rhodes's figure emerged from the far end of the walkway, flanked by his assistant and bodyguards.
Jude Langley, who had been waiting by the cars with a cigarette between his fingers, walked up and asked in a familiar tone, "Why didn't you take the private jet?"
The man had one hand in his pocket. His voice was low and magnetic. "The pilot's on vacation."
Jude Langley naturally knew this was just a joke, an excuse.
From what he knew, Roman Rhodes had at least three private flight crews on permanent standby.
Jude Langley turned slightly, gesturing toward the executive van. "You wanted to keep a low profile, so I didn't tell anyone else. I'm having my second-in-command handle the dinner party tonight. Let's the two of us go to The Regis for a drink."
Roman Rhodes adjusted the cuff of his sleeve as it slid down to his wrist, a smirk playing on his lips. "I'll leave it to you."
As he was ducking to get into the van, Jude Langley let out a curious "Hm?" from beside him.
Roman Rhodes paused and turned his head to look at him. "What is it?"
Jude Langley's gaze was fixed on the taxi stand diagonally across from them. He watched the person climb into a back seat, talking on the phone while frantically scratching the top of their head, and couldn't help but chuckle. "It's nothing. Just saw someone I know."
Roman Rhodes glanced over, unconcerned. "Going to say hello?"
"No need. Business comes first. Let's go."
The second before he got into the van, Jude Langley stared intently for a few more moments.
'I'm really curious what happened to that girl,' he thought. 'She looks like she's about to lose her mind.'
...
Stellamarina Estates.
At dusk, the sunset dyed the lingering clouds, bathing the entire residential complex in the romantic afterglow of twilight.
But Stella Sterling was in no mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery. She sat slumped in a beanbag chair, feeling like life was meaningless, listening to Claire Shawcross chatter on endlessly.
"Premium VIP membership, unlimited views of other people's profiles, and you can initiate twenty conversations a day. I've already paid the annual fee for you. So? Love me or what?"
Stella Sterling's face was cold. "You think I haven't been embarrassed enough?"
"What's so embarrassing about this?" Claire Shawcross disagreed, retorting, "You don't like anyone in our circle, and the people others set you up with are unreliable. Every trade has its master. When it comes to introductions, you have to go with a professional Matchmaker."
Stella Sterling closed her eyes, her expression blank. 'I'm so tired of this.'
Seeing this, Claire Shawcross grabbed Stella Sterling's phone and expertly unlocked it.
Then she downloaded the app, logged into the account, and sent a [Smile] emoji to the dedicated Matchmaker in the back-end system.
Her movements were fluid and seamless.
Stella Sterling rubbed her face and asked, "How much is the membership fee?"
Claire Shawcross made a fist. "One hundred thousand a year."
Stella Sterling pouted, not wanting to play along with Claire Shawcross's twisted sense of humor. "I don't have the money."
'It's not like I'm an idiot with more money than sense. What normal person would spend a hundred thousand a year for a matchmaker to find them a date?'
'Even Granny Wang did her matchmaking for free.'
Claire Shawcross said, "I'll pay for it. Don't worry, the Matchmaker promised me she'd get you out of singledom."
Stella Sterling's rebellious streak flared up. She played devil's advocate. "And if I'm still single, do we get the money back?"
Claire Shawcross gave a mysterious smile. "If you're not in a relationship by the end of the year, the membership automatically extends to the next."
Stella Sterling: "..." 'Just let the world burn.'
The two best friends chatted for a little while longer.
Seeing Stella Sterling's low spirits, Claire Shawcross suggested they go out and relax.
Still reeling from the shadow of her double "social death," Stella Sterling replied listlessly, "Tired. Not going."
"Really not going?" Claire Shawcross pulled a black and gold, mountain-shaped card from her purse, switching to temptation mode. "Look!"
When Stella Sterling saw the logo on the unique card, her expression softened slightly. "The Regis?"
Claire Shawcross continued to tempt her. "Wanna go, hmm?"
Stella Sterling squirmed around on the beanbag chair for a few moments. Seconds later, she stretched her arm out to Claire Shawcross. "Give me a hand."
"What for?" Claire Shawcross raised an eyebrow.
"Pull me up. I need to change."
Beanbag chairs were great in every way, except for the fact that getting up from them was always a huge struggle.
Otherwise, she would have already changed and been on her way by now.
...
The Regis was a high-end, members-only private wellness club situated at the confluence of Mount Regis and the River Derren.
It was extremely exclusive, and only guests holding one of the limited membership cards could enter and spend money.
The Regis had been open for half a year and had so far issued fewer than a hundred membership cards, which were also tiered into different levels.
As the saying goes, rarity creates value.
Such an exclusionary membership system was both a status symbol and a way to greatly satisfy the cardholders' sense of vanity and belonging.
Stella Sterling had submitted a membership application before, but it hadn't been approved. The reason was unknown.
Stella Sterling suspected her family had pulled some strings to prevent her from getting in, denying her the chance to drink and have fun.
In all of Calderin, at any well-known bar, club, or nightclub, as soon as Stella Sterling appeared, someone would immediately send over a glass of milk for her.
Even at The Gilded Orchid, which was owned by Claire Shawcross, there were waiters "bribed" by her family to keep an eye on her.
In short, she could go to bars, but there was no alcohol for her. Milk and juice, however, were in endless supply.
This was also why Stella Sterling often went to Port Vesper to hang out at bars with Ian Jarvis.
'What kind of respectable person goes to a bar just to drink milk?'
The drive from Stellamarina Estates to The Regis took about an hour.
Claire Shawcross drove while Stella Sterling sat in the passenger seat, fiddling with the membership card for The Regis. "Where did you get this card?"
"It's my older brother's."
Stella Sterling narrowed her eyes. "You borrowed it?"
Claire Shawcross stared straight ahead, her face serious. "Don't talk to me. I can't be distracted while driving."
Stella Sterling: 'Got it. She stole it.'
At eight in the evening, Claire Shawcross's Panamera came to a stop at the end of the winding mountain road.
At the entrance stood a massive, natural Tai Shan rock, upon which the name "The Regis" was carved in Small Seal script.
The membership card Claire Shawcross had "borrowed" worked like a charm.
They handed it to the staff at the reception center, and a private butler immediately appeared to escort them into the interior of The Regis.
The two best friends went to a restaurant in a classical Chinese-style building, deciding to first fill their stomachs with some cloisonné hot pot before going out to have fun.
They had just arrived at the classical Chinese restaurant, ordered their meat, and the pot had just been placed on their table when the private butler returned.
The butler whispered a few words in Claire Shawcross's ear. Although Stella Sterling couldn't hear what was said, the butler's expression was quite intriguing.
Stella Sterling: "What's wrong?"
Claire Shawcross held up a finger. "It's nothing. You eat first. I'll be right back."
Stella Sterling had a bad feeling. 'Are we even going to get to eat this meal?'
Claire Shawcross left with the butler, leaving Stella Sterling to stare at the bubbling hot pot and contemplate her life choices.
And then, barely three minutes later, Stella Sterling was politely asked to leave by a smiling staff member.
Outside the main entrance of The Regis.
Stella Sterling and Claire Shawcross squatted on either side of the Tai Shan rock like a pair of guardian beasts.
Claire Shawcross tilted her head back, stared at the sky, and cursed her older brother in her head for becoming more of a jerk with each passing day.
'He actually reported the card as lost.'
Stella Sterling closed her eyes. "Let's go back to the city. I'm hungry."
Claire Shawcross pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her contacts. "I think I can still salvage this."
As she spoke, several beams of light from a car's headlights flashed past from the road below. Clearly, another guest was arriving.
Stella Sterling yanked Claire Shawcross toward the Panamera. "Stop trying to salvage it, Miss High-and-Mighty. Let's just leave with what little dignity we have left."