Thaddeus was all sweetness：「It's fine, you just need more practice. Every good driver started somewhere.」
「But your car's shared with the family, and there's no other one for me to practice on.」
「I really liked Mrs. Farley's Phantom, but she probably won't lend it to me again.」
「If you already know I won't lend it, you shouldn't have brought it up. Oh, and honey, you still haven't paid me back for my Cullinan. If I don't see that money soon, I might just have to sue your little secretary.」
The smile on Thaddeus's face froze. He recovered quickly, coaxing me：「Babe, when have I ever shortchanged you? Once the company's dividends come through this month, I'll transfer it right away.」
Ellie grinned, smug as ever：「My brother's company has been killing it the past two years, and it's about to go public. So don't get too full of yourself, sis. Even without you, our family would still be high society.」
「Go to the bank and get your own cards, then set up authorized cards for the whole family. We don't even want Michelle's cards anymore. Even if she begs us to use them, we won't!」
The truth was, without the Farley family backing him, Thaddeus's company would have folded years ago.
But the Jameses would never see it. Without me, they were nothing more than nobodies scraping the bottom.
「I'm going to the spa with my best friend today. Don't wait up for dinner.」
The moment I left the house, I contacted a private investigator to look into Cecily.
That girl wasn't subtle. She wanted to replace me.
Thaddeus knew exactly what she was after, but he played dumb because he enjoyed it. He loved the attention, the way a younger woman fawned over him.
They deserved each other.
I was mid-facial at the spa with my best friend when a notification hit my phone. Twelve million dollars charged to my bank card at a dealership.
That number was the exact price of a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
I dug through my bag immediately. Sure enough, one of my cards was missing.
Seconds later, Cecily posted on social media. In the photo, she leaned against a brand-new Phantom, beaming like she'd won the lottery.
The caption read：「Found myself the most amazing boss ever! My driving's terrible, so he bought me a brand-new car to practice with!」
Apparently worried I might miss it, Cecily sent the photo directly to me.
「Mrs. Farley, I won't need to borrow your car anymore! Mr. James was afraid I'd damage yours again, so he just bought me a new one.」
「He told me to drive it however I want. If I wreck it, he'll buy me another one.」
My best friend noticed the look on my face and asked：「What happened? What's wrong?」
「Nothing much. Just someone stealing twelve million dollars off my card.」
「Come on. Help me go catch a thief.」
We headed straight to Thaddeus's office. By the time we arrived, they'd just gotten back too.
Cecily lit up the second she saw me：「Mrs. Farley! Are you here to see my new car? It's nothing special, really. Identical to yours. Oh wait, actually, mine has the higher trim.」
Thaddeus didn't look even slightly guilty. If anything, he was self-righteous about it.
「Babe, you wouldn't lend Cecily your car, so what was I supposed to do? I had to get her a new one.」
「Honestly, Mrs. Farley, if you'd just lent me the car in the first place, Mr. James wouldn't have had to spend all that money. Don't you think?」
She arched an eyebrow and leaned in so close she was practically in my face, all but dancing with satisfaction.
But the very next second, bodyguards in black swept through the door, wrenched her arms behind her back, and slammed her against the wall.
