The brand-new Rolls-Royce Cullinan I'd just picked up was totaled. Whitney Zhuang's little assistant had taken it out and smashed the front end so badly the frame was warped beyond saving.
That made three cars this month.
「I let the first two slide. This one wasn't even insured yet. How exactly do you plan to pay me back?」
Bruno Matthews hunched his shoulders, tears streaming down his face like he was auditioning for a soap opera.
「I'm so sorry, Mick Delgado. I'll sell everything I own to pay you back, I swear.」
Whitney, who had never once disobeyed me, pulled Bruno behind her and turned on me with a sharp tongue.
「Mick, is this really necessary? It's just a car. I'll pay for it.」
The same Bruno who'd been trembling a second ago lunged forward and slapped the card right out of my hand the moment I reached for it.
「Every cent you spend comes from Whitney. And you still have the nerve to take her money?」
Whitney let out a soft laugh.：「That's just how greedy he is.」
I looked down at my supplementary card lying on the floor and smiled.
When a woman stops behaving, you replace her. Waiting around for her to change was never going to happen.
On my way out of Whitney's office, I called my assistant.
「Freeze every Delgado Bank card in the Zhuang family's name. Effective immediately.」
——
That afternoon, I got an unexpected call from the dealership.
「Mr. Delgado, your Cullinan sustained severe damage. Repairs would cost a fortune. We recommend you write it off entirely.」
My mind went blank.：「What?」
「Your wife had it towed in and asked us to bill the repairs to your account. Given the extent of the damage, I wanted to confirm with you directly.」
I grabbed a cab to the dealership. The moment I walked in, I saw my new car, and it was unrecognizable.
This Cullinan was the latest model, fresh off the line.
Glossy black finish. Understated, but unmistakably luxurious.
I loved that car.
I'd driven it exactly once, and now it was dead.
No surprise there. This was Bruno's handiwork again.
I left the dealership and went straight to the office, pushing through Whitney's door without stopping.
Whitney and Bruno were huddled over the same contract, their bodies pressed close together.
When I barged in, Bruno flinched and sprang away from her.
「Mick, you should knock before entering Whitney's office.」
I ignored him and looked straight at Whitney.
「You gave Bruno my Cullinan to practice with again?」
Whitney was perfectly calm, as if she'd been expecting me to come demanding answers.
「Honey, why are you so worked up? It's just a car.」
「Two weeks ago, you took my SUV and lent it to Bruno for practice. He drove it into a tree within twenty-four hours. Totaled.」
「Last week, you took my Range Rover. Bruno drove it straight into a river. He climbed out just fine. My car sank to the bottom.」
「Now you handed him my brand-new Cullinan, and he wrecked that too.」
「Three cars destroyed in one month, and he walks away without a scratch every single time. I have every reason to believe he's doing this on purpose.」
「Honey, Bruno just got his license. Of course he's not a great driver yet. That's exactly why he needs the practice.」
「You can't assume he did it on purpose just because the cars are wrecked and he's fine. He's fine because he's lucky. That's all.」
I scoffed.
「Three major wrecks, and he walks away from every one of them? Yeah, he's real lucky.」
「After the first two, I told you: your assistant wants to practice driving, fine, but not in my cars.」
「And you went ahead and gave him my Cullinan anyway. Did you even think to ask me?」
Whitney grinned at me like none of this mattered.
