Reborn Rich: Prices Dropped, My Savings Didn't

Five hours passed. Cecilia alternated between sitting, standing, and pacing. She had repeated this cycle over a dozen times, but the code on the screen was still flashing by at a dizzying pace.

Their eight-person team had written an astonishing amount of code over the course of nearly two years. ’No wonder programmers code themselves bald,’ she thought.

In the midst of her waiting, she received the news that Director Lawson had won his lawsuit. The celebration party was about to start, but the work here showed no signs of finishing.

She had no choice but to call Timothy Rowe over. "How much longer will this take?"

"You must be tired of waiting, huh?" Timothy Rowe glanced at the time before venturing a guess. "Probably another two or three hours."

’Two hours?’

’Doesn’t that mean we’ll be here until eight o’clock?’

"If you have something to do, you should go ahead," Timothy Rowe said. "There shouldn’t be any more issues on our end. You don’t need to wait it out with us."

Cecilia felt a pang of indecision.

Director Lawson’s event was a celebration party, but the victory was already a done deal. There would be plenty of other chances for a celebratory dinner.

This, however, was different. Other members of their team had been trickling in, all wanting to witness the project’s success together. Deep down, she wanted the same thing.

"It’s fine. I’ll wait."

Having made up her mind, Cecilia pulled out her phone and sent messages to Estelle and Director Lawson to explain the situation.

Time ticked by, second by second. Just as Cecilia, who was waiting in a corner, began to feel drowsy, a deafening cheer suddenly erupted from the main office area, startling her so much that she shot up from her chair.

"What happened? Is it done?"

Cecilia hurried over. Members from both the Jennings Group project team and her own were excitedly high-fiving one another. Timothy Rowe pulled her over and pointed to a corner of the screen. "Cecilia, look! An integration rate of 99.58%! We did it!"

Cecilia broke into a smile. "That’s wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!"

Paige and several of the other senior team members were so moved they started to cry. All their hard work and perseverance over this long period—wasn’t it all for this very moment?

Reginald Jennings stepped forward with a smile. "Thank you all for your hard work. Our next step will be to import the merged code back into the product and run comparison tests between the old and new data sets. We’ll send you the data as soon as it’s ready. We can talk about signing the contract once the results are in."

"Okay, no problem."

Reginald Jennings glanced at the group and added, "It’s almost nine. If you’re all up for it, I’d like to treat everyone to a late-night meal. You must be hungry, right?"

The Jennings Group staff had been bringing them fruit and snacks throughout the day, but no one had been in the mood to eat. Now that the project was a success, the hunger finally began to set in.

Timothy Rowe and his group were too polite to agree right away, but the Jennings Group employees all cheered their approval.

Seeing this, Cecilia turned to Timothy Rowe. "You guys go ahead. I think I’ll skip it. I’m a little tired today and want to head home early to rest."

"Alright. You head home and get some rest."

Cecilia then said her goodbyes to Reginald Jennings. He tried to convince her to stay, but when he saw she was insistent, he didn’t press the issue.

The next morning, dressed casually, Cecilia went to the nearest DMV to pick up her driver’s license, then took a taxi to a Rolls-Royce dealership.

It was the same friendly saleswoman who had assisted her last time.

"Miss Sterling, you’re here!"

The woman greeted her warmly the moment she saw her. "We’ve already taken care of all the paperwork for you. In a little while, you’ll just need to provide a signature."

Cecilia smiled and nodded. "This is a bit earlier than estimated."

"It is, Miss Sterling. A little fluctuation in the delivery time is perfectly normal. This way, please. Let’s have a look at the car first."

A brand-new Cullinan stood in the center of the showroom, surrounded by lavish floral arrangements. It was a grand and luxurious setup—an exclusive vehicle delivery ceremony. There was even a sign that read, "Congratulations to Miss Sterling on becoming a distinguished Rolls-Royce owner."

A massive bouquet of fresh flowers was placed in her hands. Cecilia obliged by standing in front of the car for a photo as the dealership staff set off confetti poppers, followed by a wave of enthusiastic applause.

Afterward, she followed the saleswoman to the VIP lounge to sign the final papers. While waiting, Cecilia casually picked up a Rolls-Royce magazine from the table and began flipping through it. As she did, the latest Phantom model caught her eye.

’The solid orange color scheme is striking and refreshing,’ she mused. ’I don’t usually go for such flashy colors, but it might be fun to drive occasionally. When I get tired of it, I’ll just give it to Ethan.’

Just as the saleswoman entered with the documents, Cecilia held up the magazine and asked, "What about this one?"

The young woman paused, momentarily stunned. She quickly set down the documents in her hands and explained, "Miss Sterling, that’s our new Phantom for the fall season. The body and interior have both been completely upgraded and redesigned. It hasn’t been released domestically yet, so if you’d like one, you’ll need to place a pre-order. Delivery wouldn’t be until next spring."

Cecilia nodded. "Alright. Go ahead and order one for me."

The saleswoman was stunned into silence.

’Just like that?’

Then again, she remembered how decisive Miss Sterling had been when she bought the Cullinan. ’This woman is the real deal,’ she thought, ’a true heiress through and through.’

"So... should we get the top-spec model again?" the saleswoman asked tentatively, snapping out of her daze.

"Mhm," Cecilia affirmed quietly.

After all the paperwork was completed, Cecilia finally drove her new Cullinan out of the dealership. The feel of driving a luxury car truly was on another level. With the window rolled halfway down, only her exquisitely beautiful profile, framed by sunglasses, was visible. Drivers in other cars couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances as they passed.

’A young woman driving a Cullinan,’ they thought. ’What a rare sight.’

So cool and impressive!

She first drove the car back to Hearthstone Villas. The security guard at the gate, noticing the unfamiliar license plate, immediately stepped out to greet the vehicle. He did a double take when he saw who was driving. "Miss Sterling? Did you get a new car?"

Cecilia took off her sunglasses and smiled. "I did. What do you think?"

"It’s gorgeous." The young guard’s eyes were wide with awe as he admired the vehicle. He then said to Cecilia, "You’ll have to register it with the property management office. That way, the gate will automatically recognize it when you come and go. I’ll open it for you now."

Cecilia thanked him and drove slowly into the complex after the gate opened. As she approached her house, she slowed the car to a stop. She had just spotted what looked like two little kittens on the side of the road.

She got out of the car and walked over. The autumn sun was pleasantly warm. Two little orange kittens were snuggled together, squinting in enjoyment as the sunlight washed over them. The sight instantly warmed Cecilia’s heart.

She adored kittens. In fact, her social media bio read, "The world would be a lesser place without kittens!"

"Mimi."

Cecilia crouched down and called out softly. As far as she was concerned, every kitten in the world shared a single, universal name: Mimi.

Hearing her voice, the two little creatures actually started toward her, meowing as they came. Their coats were glossy and clean, so she couldn’t be sure if they were actually strays.

Just then, the community’s water truck drove past. The maintenance worker behind the wheel saw Cecilia playing with the cats and called out a polite greeting, "Afternoon, Miss Sterling."

Cecilia squinted into the sun and nodded back. "Sir, are these two strays?"