Natalie’s POV


    “You’re unbelievable!” I eximed amidst tears andughter.


    Ourughter echoed to the folks beside us. It was incredible how my friends and I transformed into reservoirs of jokes whenever we gathered. Even in the darkest moments of our lives, we couldn’t resist bursting intoughter when we were together.


    “You didn’t see how Fello acted when the man caught her red-handed,” Reba recounted amidst her chuckles, struggling to keep her tears at bay.


    The waiter brought over our orders. Reba and Fello opted for wine, while I chose orange juice.


    “Come on, Natalie. We haven’t seen each other for a while now. One ss wouldn’t do any harm,” Fello urged, attempting to persuade me to join them in drinking.


    I shook my head firmly and replied, “No.”


    Reba gulped her ss in one shot and asked with curiosity shining in her green eyes, “So, tell us about the Bugatti. Did ite from that Frenchman?”


    Fello sighed in a dreamy tone, “Oh, how romantic! Is he really that wealthy?”


    “How is it to be in a rtionship with such a wealthy man?” Reba inquired. She had always been the one among us who enjoyed dating affluent men.


    I tightened my lips, suppressing augh, and swirled the orange liquid inside my ss, teasing them with my silence.


    “Is he generous?” Fello asked.


    “Of course he is. The man bought her a Bugatti!” Reba replied confidently.


    “You, shut up, I’m not asking you,” Fello snapped, then turned to me and added, “Why did he gift you a car? Why didn’t he just give you a piece of jewelry like other men do?”


    I ced my ss on the table before me and said with gleaming eyes, “The car isn’t from Daniel.”


    They blinked, and a surge of curiosity lit up their eyes. Simultaneously, they asked, “Then who?”


    “Rafael!” I said.


    Reba retorted with impatience, “What about your cruel stepbrother? Just tell us who gifted you the…” Then, her eyes widened, and she asked, “Is it him?”


    I nodded, chuckling at their reaction.


    “Oh my Lord,” Reba eximed in wonder.


    “Has he started being nice to youtely?” Fello asked, sounding concerned.


    “Rafael has always been kind to me,” I replied, not fond of my friend’s opinion of him.


    “Let’s give it a try,e on!” Reba eximed as she rose from her seat.


    “Try what?” I asked in confusion as she began pulling me out of my seat.


    “Your Bugatti!”


    “Now?” I asked, ncing at my wristwatch. “We’re yet to go home.”


    “Come on, please. Just one ride, and then we’lle right back. I want to do an Instagram live for my followers,” she begged me. And she didn’t need much effort to convince me; I couldn’t say no to my friends.


    I started the engine, and their screams of anticipation and joy filled the air.


    Fello sat in the front seat while Reba upied the back. I increased the speed, and the two girls shouted with joy as the music red inside the car. The wind tousled our hair yfully.


    “You never told us, why did Rafael gift you this car though?” Fello asked again.


    I knew she wouldn’t stop asking until I gave her an answer. As I hated lying to my friends, I decided to be truthful, yet neutral, in my response.


    “He said I’m a family to him, and he’ll provide me with everything I need and everything he can,” I answered with satisfaction, thinking that my answer is clever.


    Fello narrowed her eyes and asked, “And what’s all of that about?”


    Reba entered her head from the car window and settled back into her seat, running her fingers through her hair, trying to tame her curly strands that had be frizzy from the wind.


    She extended her head from between the two car seats and said with excitement, “What if we tested how generous your stepbrother can be?”


    I nced back at her and noticed the excitement in her eyes. Then, I returned my gaze to the road and firmly refused, “No, Reba. Don’t even think about it.”


    Before I could finish my sentence, I heard the ringing tone emanating from her phone speaker. I stared at Fello and snapped, “Stop her!” But she smirked and replied, “No, hun. We need to know the truth. No man gives a woman such a gift without a reason.”


    I attempted to snatch the phone from Reba’s hand, but it was toote. Rafael’s husky voice rang out of the speaker, “Hello!”


    I shot Reba a furious look while she smirked. Clearing her throat, she mumbled, “Hello, Rafael. It’s Reba.”


    “How are you, Reba? Is everything okay? Is Natalie with you?” he asked, his concern evident in his voice.


    Reba raised her eyebrows yfully at me, insinuating that Rafael’s tone of concern seemed to exceed that of an ordinary person.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    I stopped the car at the nearest stop. I couldn’t concentrate on driving any longer.


    “Yes, she is with us, we’re trying the Bugatti. You can see us on the live feed on my Instagramter,” then, she paused for a moment then added, “It’s just we bet who’s of us her boyfriend is more generous and send her now thergest amount of money. Since Natalie doesn’t have one, I thought about putting you in this position temporarily until we find her one.”


    I couldn’t believe what Reba had just said. I tried to snatch the phone from her hands, but Fello started pulling me, preventing me from doing so.


    “Stop…” I tried to say, but Fello covered my mouth, and Reba moved to sit at the farthest spot on the back seat.


    “Hmm,” Rafael replied, then said, “I’m honored to take this position.”


    My friends narrowed their eyes at me with suspicion, and they began interrogating me after Rafael hung up.


    “So? Don’t you have anything to confess to us?” Fello asked.


    My phone buzzed, indicating that I had received a new message.


    Under their curious gazes, I pulled out my phone from my handbag and read the message. I was astonished. It was a notification from the bank, indicating that fifty thousand dors had been deposited into my bank ount from Rafael’s ount.


    “Are you still insisting that there’s nothing between you?” Fello asked with a grin.