Ronnie spoke up with a smile.

"You two go ahead. I'm not coming."

I shook my head.

Ronnie blinked, then asked, "Whatever it is, it can wait. Dinner with Daphne comes first."

"Right, right. If you don't come, what kind of best friend are you?"

Daphne was playing the spoiled card.

Before, I might have let myself be talked into it. But now, the way she put it, it sounded no different from emotional blackmail.

"Never mind."

"Something came up at home."

I didn't bother reading their faces. I turned, walked to my car, and drove straight to the brand store that sold the handbag.

"Hello."

"Could you check the serial number on this bag for me? I want to know if it won a prize."

The clerk took the bag, checked it, then smiled. "That's right. Congratulations, you've won three million dollars. Please come with me."

The whole process took less than a minute.

A bank text hit my phone. After taxes, two point seven million had landed in my account.

Still, Ronnie and Daphne would find out about this money soon enough.

Next week, the store would put a sign out front and use it for promotion.

So I called a real estate agent right away and bought the waterfront condo I'd been eyeing for ages.

Paid in full, cash.

Once everything was settled, I took the deed home and filled my parents in.

When they learned Ronnie and Daphne had been together all along, they were shocked, but they believed me.

They told me to do whatever felt right to me.

I'd barely finished dinner with them when Ronnie and Daphne pulled me into our group chat.

Daphne sent a chirpy voice message.

【*Mila, you ditched the steakhouse dinner with me tonight, so your punishment is you're paying the bill!*】

Ronnie chimed right in. 【*It's not much. Just three thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight. Just send the transfer.*】

Once, I would have figured it didn't matter between friends and just sent it.

But this time I said nothing and went to get ready for bed.

Pretended I never saw it.

By the time I finished my shower and came back, the chat was at 99+.

Daphne: 【*Mila, why aren't you saying anything?*】

Ronnie: 【*It's been ten minutes. The restaurant's waiting on us to pay.*】

Daphne: 【*Wow, the feelings have really cooled. Can't even bother to reply.*】

The last one was from Ronnie. 【*Mila Henson, you're being so cheap. Forget it, we'll pay for ourselves!*】

Only after seeing that did I reply.

【*Just got out of the shower.*】

But no one answered.

Something like this had happened before, actually. Afterward I'd sent Daphne and Ronnie a thousand dollars each.

That was what smoothed things over.

Looking back now, I'd been so stupid.

This time, I had no time to coddle them. I fed Tangerine a handful of freeze-dried treats and turned to open my laptop and work.

Refining the marketing proposal, prepping for the presentation at Monday's meeting.

Tangerine hopped onto the desk, stared at my screen, and started up in my head again. "Your company's cat says the chairman loves cute pets most, but he keeps up that cold, aloof image, so he's too embarrassed to show it."

"He's always going on about how great it would be if someone put together a cute-pet marketing campaign."

Inspiration hit me all at once.

If that was the case, then I'd give him what he wanted and work cute-pet elements into this proposal.

I worked through the night into morning.

I was about to rest for a bit when Ronnie called.

"Mila, you went too far last night. You actually wouldn't pay. That really hurt."

"Daphne was so upset she cried."

"I hear she had her eye on a necklace at the mall. You should buy it for her."

I almost laughed from sheer anger.

He really was carrying his one guiding principle straight through to the end: spend my money to keep Daphne.

Ronnie kept going. "This is all to protect what the three of us have. Taking a small loss won't kill you."

"Just cover the cost, Daphne stays happy, and I won't be upset with you either."

If I were still in the dark, sure, losing this bond would've broken my heart.

Too bad I knew everything now.

I pushed the feeling down.

"I pulled an all-nighter for work yesterday," I said. "I don't have the energy to go to the mall. You go take a look."

"Great!"

Ronnie thought I'd pay up like a good girl and hung up, laughing.

At the same time, Daphne's message came through: 【Mila, you're the best! I'm not mad at you anymore, love you, love you! Mwah!】

I didn't reply. I tossed the phone aside and went back to sleep.

That evening.

When I woke up, a few more messages were waiting.

Daphne: 【I found an even prettier one, $28,000. Buy it for me, okay?】

Ronnie: 【No answer, so I'll take that as a yes. Daphne will set up the installment plan for now, and you can come by another day to pay it off early.】

Daphne: 【If it's cleared within a month, there's no interest! Mila, don't forget!】

She'd already posted it to her feed to show it off.

Same as always, no mention of who'd paid.

The comments underneath were all envy.

Someone asked if she'd struck it rich, what her salary was.

She replied: 【Oh, it's nothing special!】

Ronnie replied: 【Daphne's amazing.】

Anyone who didn't know better would think Daphne actually had talent.

When really, she'd just been bleeding me dry.

And the necklace I wore myself only cost a thousand or so, while Daphne went straight for a $28,000 one.

Big spender.

She and Ronnie never spent their own money, so they had no idea how much it stung.

But I didn't call it out right away.

I acted like I hadn't seen a thing.

I wasn't going to pay for it anyway, and I wanted to see how a girl who spent every paycheck the day she got it would settle the bill.

Monday.

Daphne wore that $28,000 necklace to work, and made a point of asking me loudly, "Mila, does it look good?"

"It looks good."

I smiled.

Other coworkers caught wind and crowded around her, asking, "How much was this necklace?"

"Twenty-eight thousand."

Daphne answered while gripping my hand.

Her way of telling me not to expose her, to save her face.

Before, I'd cared about our sisterhood and would've kept quiet.

Now there was even less reason to say anything.

Because I wasn't the one paying.

"God, twenty-eight grand?! Daphne, I never would've guessed you were this rich."

"I wish I had your kind of talent."

"Mila, look at your little sister here, then look at yourself. She's way ahead of you."

"Right? You may have brought her into the company, but her necklace alone is worth twenty-eight grand. And you? You've got nothing."

The coworkers chattered over each other, one flattering, one stepping on me.

Daphne didn't say a single word in my defense. She just soaked it up, pleased with herself.

I only smiled.

"Ahem, ahem!"

"Everyone, quiet down!"

Just then, Mr. Finch walked in.

"I'm here to announce the appointment for General Manager of Marketing."

Daphne's smile widened, her eyes lit up, and she couldn't hide her excitement.

She thought the promotion was hers.

The coworkers all turned to look at Daphne too.

Just as certain she was about to be promoted.

After all, word that I was quitting had already spread everywhere, and with the help I'd given her, Daphne ranked second in the department.

But the next second, Mr. Finch looked at me and said, "Effective today, Mila Henson is promoted to General Manager of Marketing."

In that instant Daphne's smile froze, and her head snapped around to stare at me.

Nothing but shock in her eyes.