"You two, have some tea." A gentle and virtuous middle-aged woman sat beside Shane and Anna, warmly greeting these two young people who wanted to meet her husband and inquire about a property of theirs.
This woman was called Miranda Gilbert. She was Grayson Gilbert's wife and also the mother of Elena Gilbert, the female lead of The Vampire Diaries.
To be precise, she was the adoptive mother. Elena's true background was very complicated; it would only be revealed after her adoptive parents died and the plot gradually unfolded.
Shane and Anna lied about being a couple. He also brought out the persona of opening a restaurant in New York. They chatted with Miranda about daily life for a long time, inquiring about their family and some situations in the small town.
After about an hour, the male host of the house, Grayson Gilbert, finally rushed back.
Grayson Gilbert was a university professor and a doctor. Back then, Elena's biological mother gave birth to Elena in his clinic and then left without saying goodbye, abandoning the child. Grayson couldn't bear it, so he adopted Elena.
After explaining the situation again, Grayson didn't have any reluctance to sell that property. It was an old house handed down in the family and had been vacant for many years.
Mystic Falls wasn't a prosperous small town. The residents of the town were basically handed down generation by generation. Many people left the town, but few moved into the town. Many vacant properties couldn't find buyers even if they wanted to sell.
Grayson wanted to take the two to see the house first. If they liked it, they could discuss the price. As a result, Shane acted resolutely and swiftly, taking out five hundred thousand in cash directly from the backpack he carried.
Stacks of green cash piled up on the table. Grayson and Miranda were instantly dumbfounded.
"You... are you sure you don't want to see the house first?" Grayson said somewhat dazed, "And you gave too much. According to the market price, that house is at most..."
"I don't care about the market price. I only care about how much it's worth in my heart."
Shane's words were gentle but powerful.
The sports car parked outside, the cash piled up in front of them, the gentle and powerful declaration—all made Grayson and Miranda understand that this young man in front of them was very, very, very rich. His personality was probably as strong as other rich people: his word was law!
"We won't live here permanently for the time being. If you feel bad about it, you can help look after the house when we leave."
Grayson and Miranda looked at each other, nodding to Shane in agreement.
A few hours later, all procedures were completed. Shane and Anna took the keys and entered this house that already belonged to them, their "home."
This house was located in the center of the town, near the main street. It was a commercial and residential building.
The space on the first floor was large, enough to be used as a shop for business. The second floor could be lived in, with three bedrooms and a bathroom. The attic could be used as a storage room.
Anna walked through the house with a complicated expression, recalling many past events that happened here back then. She came to the first floor and looked at Shane's back facing the street outside the door. She hugged him forcefully, leaning her head on his back.
"Thank you!"
"Don't give me that. Even if others aren't here, don't think you have a chance. The couple identity is fake!" Shane destroyed Anna's grateful atmosphere somewhat unromantically.
Anna got up and punched Shane's back, changing the subject grumpily: "We have a place to live. What do you plan to do next?"
"Buy things!"
Shane turned around and pointed to the empty house. "There is no furniture or decoration; how can we live? First, find someone to clean this place up. I'll let a Shadow Clone take a plane to New York, then use Flying Thunder God to buy some furniture in New York to decorate it well."
"No need to go to New York specially to buy those things. They sell them here too."
"New York's are expensive!"
"..."
Anna didn't argue with Shane about spending money. Anyway, with Flying Thunder God, buying things in New York was no different from buying things here. But for cleaning, she could do it herself, right? If Shane didn't want to do housework, she could do it herself.
This was Anna's original home. It was normal for her to want to clean it herself. Shane, who was indifferent, originally wanted to agree, but just then, he saw several young girls gathered around his car.
Thanks to the people here developing very early, Shane recognized the identities of these girls at a glance. They looked almost exactly the same as in the TV show, only a bit more youthful.
Elena Gilbert, Caroline Forbes, Bonnie Bennett.
Elena Gilbert was the female lead of The Vampire Diaries. For her, Shane only had a one-word evaluation: Beautiful!
Sweet and beautiful, with a good figure. One of the most important reasons Shane watched The Vampire Diaries back then was because the female lead was beautiful. The plot wasn't attractive? Unimportant; the female lead being beautiful was enough.
This point was exactly opposite to the similar genre True Blood. The female lead in True Blood... hard to describe in a few words.
Caroline Forbes, dressed fashionably and beautifully, liked to show off, liked to be noticed, liked to be the focus all the time. She had a strong desire for control and competitiveness, worthy of being called the Social Queen.
Bonnie Bennett, strong and kind personality, caring, interesting and lively, optimistic, understanding. She was very loyal and caring to friends, possessing a selfless spirit of self-sacrifice. At first, she suspected she was a psychic, later learning she was a born witch.
Her ancestor was the one who placed the seal on the cemetery near the old church, sealing Anna's mother and other vampires. Back then, she was the handmaiden of the vampire Katherine, who looked exactly like Elena and turned the two male leads.
The three were good friends, good sisters.
Shane pushed open the door and waved to the three girls gathered around his car. subsequently, he opened his wallet and took out a stack of US dollars, smiling at the three girls who were full of doubt and curiosity. "My name is Shane. I just bought this place. I have a job; don't know if you are interested? Clean up the hygiene here for me, tidy it up. Five hundred dollars per person."
Five hundred dollars?!
The eyes of the three girls instantly lit up. Caroline took the initiative to agree for her little sisters, then extended her hand to introduce herself: "My name is Caroline Forbes. Is the Ferrari outside yours? Where are you from?"
"New York."
"Sure enough, from the big city. Are the clothes on you the latest style? I've seen them in magazines. A shirt costs 9,999 dollars. What do you do?" Caroline Forbes' eyes were very poisonous (sharp). The style of the shirt Shane wore was very low-key. Unless one understood fashion or luxury goods, it was difficult to recognize it at a glance.
Caroline Forbes was worthy of being the Social Queen. Not only were her eyes sharp, but her personality was also very active. For a stranger like Shane who was rich and young coming to the small town, as the Social Queen, she definitely had to find a way to get first-hand information.