Ellie planted her hands on her hips：「You know what, Michelle? Looks like you have no intention of restoring our cards. You better not regret this!」

I didn't even spare her a glance. Regret? Please.

The next morning, a racket of clanging and banging drifted up from downstairs, loud enough to drag me out of sleep.

Every servant in the house knew I was a light sleeper. None of them would ever make that kind of noise.

I came downstairs to find the entire James family already gathered.

A familiar figure was bustling around the kitchen. Cecily Sawyer.

The moment she spotted me, she flashed a bright, picture-perfect smile.

「Morning, Mrs. James! Breakfast is almost ready.」

My brow furrowed immediately.

Ellie sauntered over, arms crossed：「You should take notes from Cecily, Michelle. Look how thoughtful she is, getting up early to make breakfast for my brother.」

「How much does your brother pay her, and how much does he pay me?」

「You!」

Cecily carried a large bowl of soup to the table：「Mrs. James, if you don't know how to cook, I'd be happy to teach you.」

「After all, you're a full-time wife. You really should be taking better care of your husband.」

「Oh, and that Rolls-Royce Phantom parked in the driveway is yours, right? Mr. James spoils you so much, buying you such an expensive car.」

「I truly envy you, having such a wonderful husband. I'm not as lucky. Everything I have, I had to earn on my own.」

Ellie jumped right in：「Exactly! You've been in this family three years, Michelle, and we've never once eaten a meal you cooked!」

「She's right, Michelle. I really don't want to say this, but as a daughter-in-law, you've been a complete failure.」

「Mom, then who do you think qualifies? Cecily?」

「Sure, she's better at waiting on people. She can drag herself out of bed at dawn to cook for the whole family, hang on your every word, and keep all of you happy.」

「But can she hand each of you a black card with no spending limit? Can she put you up in a mansion that looks like a palace? Can she buy you luxury cars, hire private drivers, and make sure you never have to walk a single step?」

Jacqueline's mouth opened and closed with nothing coming out. Cecily, still holding a plate halfway to the table, went rigid.

I walked right up to Cecily：「I'm not the kind of housewife who depends on a man for money, which is clearly what you assumed. If you'd bothered to look into the Farley family even once, you wouldn't have the nerve to stand here running your mouth.」

The color drained from Cecily's face. She clearly hadn't expected me to come back this hard.

Jordan slammed his palm on the table：「That's enough! You make it sound like this entire family depends on you to survive!」

「Dad, since you feel you don't need me, then perfect. Stop using the Farley cards.」

I sat down and took a bite of one of Cecily's rolls：「Not very good. Miles behind what our private chef makes.」

「But if you all love her cooking so much, have her come make breakfast every day. The chef can just prepare mine from now on.」

Ellie's voice dripped with fake sweetness：「You should be worried, Michelle. Cecily is younger than you, prettier than you, and more devoted than you. Keep acting this ungrateful and my brother will trade up!」

I turned to Thaddeus：「You want a divorce? Fine. Bring me the papers. I'll sign right now.」

Thaddeus shot Ellie a glare, then hurried behind me and started kneading my shoulders.

「Honey, don't be mad. Ellie doesn't know what she's saying. Don't stoop to her level.」

He waved everyone toward the table：「Come on, let's eat before everything gets cold.」

The second we sat down, Cecily put on her wounded-puppy act：「Mr. James, I'm still so sorry about last time, wrecking your wife's car like that.」

「My driving is just awful. I don't know why I'm so clumsy!」

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.