Ashley watched him leave, unable to hide her surprise.

It was only seven o’clock in the morning, and she hadn’t even mentioned transportation arrangements yet. In fact, after discovering that the hotel offered a business car rental service, she had been planning to rent one for the day and simply hadn’t gotten around to bringing it up.

Yet Roman had already prepared everything in advance.

She had no idea where he had managed to arrange a vehicle so early in the morning, but the fact that he had anticipated their needs without being told left a favorable impression on her.

Although it seemed like a small detail, Ashley understood that attentiveness and foresight were valuable qualities, especially when working with clients. Roman hadn’t merely agreed to help her inspect properties; he had taken the initiative to ensure their transportation was taken care of as well.

As a result, several points were silently added to Roman’s evaluation in her mind. His professionalism, preparedness, and consideration only caused her impression of him to improve further.

As soon as Roman disappeared from the lobby, Drake let out a sigh of relief. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and lowered his head, subconsciously trying to hide his battered face from Ashley and Gage. Although he had already been seen in a far worse state yesterday, he still couldn’t help feeling embarrassed about his appearance.

"Hello again, Miss Ashley, Sir Gage," Drake greeted politely. "I’ll be responsible for your security during today’s outing, so please rest assured that I’ll do my best to keep you safe."

Halfway through his introduction, however, he hesitated.

A look of embarrassment crossed his face, and the tips of his ears gradually turned red.

"And..." he began awkwardly. "Could I ask you a favor? Please don’t tell my brother about yesterday. I’m... keeping that matter a secret from him."

"I thought so," Ashley replied with a faint smile.

She wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

The moment she noticed how nervous Drake had become earlier, she had already guessed as much. Still, she had no intention of prying into his personal affairs. Everyone had their own burdens, secrets, and reasons for hiding certain things from the people they cared about.

Since they had only met recently, Ashley didn’t feel it was her place to ask questions or get involved.

As long as Drake’s secret had nothing to do with her, she was content to respect his privacy.

Soon, a black premium Granvia nanny van pulled up in front of the hotel’s entrance.

A moment later, the passenger’s window rolled down, revealing Roman’s smiling face. He leaned slightly out of the window, looking around for Ashley and the others. The moment he spotted them, he raised a hand and waved them over.

Ashley and Gage immediately made their way toward the vehicle.

As they reached the van, Gage slid the side door open and helped Ashley inside first. Only after making sure she was comfortably seated did he climb in himself, choosing a seat close to the door out of habit.

The moment Ashley settled into her seat, she couldn’t help being impressed.

The nanny van had clearly been customized for comfort. The spacious leather seats were soft and luxurious, offering plenty of room to stretch out and relax. The interior was elegant without being overly flashy, and the vehicle’s suspension was so smooth that even a rough road would barely be noticeable to the passengers.

Ashley found herself pleasantly surprised once again. Roman’s preparations seemed more thorough than she had expected.

A few moments later, Drake slid the door shut before walking around to the front of the vehicle. He climbed into the passenger seat beside his brother, and soon the van pulled away from the hotel, beginning their busy day of property inspections.

"Where did you rent this van?" Ashley asked casually, trying to make conversation during the drive. "It’s really comfortable. It looks like the kind of nanny van celebrities use."

After all, Roman had introduced himself as a delivery driver, but Ashley knew that chartering a luxury vehicle like this wasn’t cheap.

Roman chuckled, revealing a small canine tooth as a proud smile spread across his face. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he glanced at Ashley through the rearview mirror.

"Well, I’ve been working as a delivery driver for years," he explained. "Because of that, I’ve met all sorts of people and made quite a few friends along the way."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Last night, after receiving your request, I started making calls to see if I could find a suitable vehicle. As luck would have it, one of my friends operates a luxury charter service for VIP clients and celebrities. He happened to be on leave today, which meant his van would just be sitting in the garage."

Roman’s grin widened slightly.

"So I asked if I could rent it for the day. He agreed, and early this morning I drove over to his place to pick it up."

Hearing the explanation, Ashley nodded in understanding.

It sounded simple, but she knew it wasn’t. The fact that Roman had gone through the trouble of arranging a comfortable vehicle overnight just so they could travel more conveniently spoke volumes about his professionalism and dedication to the job.

Hearing Roman’s explanation only reinforced the idea that had already begun forming in Ashley’s mind.

Roman was resourceful, proactive, and exceptionally good at building relationships. More importantly, he knew how to leverage those connections when the situation called for it. Those were valuable qualities that couldn’t easily be taught.

As a result, Ashley became even more convinced that recommending him for a position was the right decision.

In truth, she hadn’t asked about the van out of simple curiosity.

The question had been deliberate.

She wanted to see how extensive Roman’s network was, how quickly he could solve problems, and how he approached unexpected situations. In a way, the casual conversation had been a subtle interview.

And judging from his answer, Roman had performed remarkably well.

Without realizing it, he had already earned several more points in Ashley’s evaluation.

Since none of them had eaten breakfast yet, Roman decided to make a stop at a popular breakfast restaurant near the hotel before beginning the day’s property inspections.

The restaurant offered a wide variety of breakfast options, ranging from traditional British and American breakfasts to various Asian dishes. Since Roman wasn’t familiar with Ashley’s preferences, he thought it would be best to bring everyone somewhere with plenty of choices rather than making assumptions on her behalf.

After parking the van, the group headed inside.

Ashley was already in a good mood, and the sight of the menu only improved it further. After a brief glance through the selections, she placed her order.

She chose a bowl of wonton noodles with egg and added a generous spoonful of chili oil to stimulate her appetite. Alongside it, she ordered a classic American breakfast consisting of fluffy pancakes, soft scrambled eggs, creamy avocado, crispy bacon, and savory sausages.

The combination might have seemed excessive to some, but after yesterday’s exhausting events and the busy schedule ahead, Ashley had every intention of enjoying a hearty breakfast before starting the day.