“Why did you spend so much of my money, Joseph?” Saphira threw a shopping receipt at her boyfriend.
“Babe, I only used that money to buy some clothes,” of course he had to take advantage of the situation while he was in Paris.
“Just for clothes? Then why did you nearly wipe out my entire account, Joseph?” Joseph already knew she hadn’t received her payment yet and still needed a significant amount of money, since she’d be staying in the city for quite a while longer.
“Come on, don’t act like some poor girl with no money to her name. All you have to do is pick up the phone and ask your father for cash. Problem solved, isn’t it?” Joseph was a man who took full advantage of Saphira simply because she had money.
He always got exactly what he wanted, and Saphira was even the one funding his trip to Paris.
She knew it, of course, but she loved Joseph too much to care.
She was the one covering his expenses the entire time they were there, and he didn’t have to spend a single cent of his own.
“You really don’t understand my situation at all, Joseph. My father will get suspicious if I call him asking for money. Haven’t I already told you I’m trying to cut back on spending right now?” She was starting to grow a little irritated with her boyfriend.
“Fine. Don’t be mad anymore. I won’t do it again, and I won’t touch your money without asking first,” he softened his tone, not wanting Saphira to kick him out or cut off his funding.
“Too late, Joseph. You’ve already spent so much of my money. Now what am I supposed to do about my own living expenses while I’m here?” Saphira dropped herself onto a chair.
She truly hadn’t expected something like this to happen.
“What are you worried about?” Joseph came over and sat beside her.
“Didn’t you say your husband is coming to this city?”
“So what if he is? Do you think he’s coming here to hand me money?” She shot him a scornful look.
“Good grief. Why are you being so dense, Saphira? Of course you should take full advantage of his visit!”
“I can’t let him see so much as the tip of my nose, you know that.
If he catches sight of me, everything falls apart.
Not only would my secret come out, but my father would be furious, and so would my grandmother.
We wouldn’t get a single cent if they ever found out what I’ve been doing.
Dashiell would cast her aside too, and she wouldn’t get a dime in compensation when they divorced.
That could not happen; she’d be the one who lost everything.
“Who said anything about showing your face to him? Go see your friend and ask her for money!”
“Are you insane? Why would I ask Thea for money?”
“Saphira… Saphira, why are you being so slow about this? There’s no way your rich husband isn’t giving your friend money, especially since she’s playing the role of you, right? I’m sure he’s given her some kind of card she can use freely. Go see her and ask her for that card. She can’t possibly refuse to hand it over, since it’s rightfully yours anyway!” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
What Joseph was saying started to sink in.
He was right.
Dashiell was surely giving Thea a card she could use however she pleased.
She hadn’t thought of this before, and it seemed like something she could actually pull off, asking Thea for the card.
She knew Thea wasn’t the greedy type and wouldn’t dare use the card recklessly on her own.
She was confident Thea would hand it over without a fight, especially since Saphira was Dashiell’s legal wife, which meant the right to that card belonged to her.
“Alright, you’ve got a point. I hadn’t thought of this before. I’ll find Thea later and ask her for money, but I can’t promise our theory is right, since Dashiell might not have given her a card at all.”
“If he didn’t give her a card, then have your dear friend ask your husband for money herself. There’s no way he’d refuse her, especially since he thinks she’s you anyway. You need to take full advantage of this, Saphira. That rich husband of yours, you have to use him for everything he’s worth, don’t let the opportunity go to waste!”
“I know. You don’t need to keep lecturing me.” Saphira rose from her seat.
She would try calling Thea, since she wasn’t even sure yet whether Thea had already arrived in Paris.
Besides, with this whole situation, it would also show Thea that she genuinely didn’t have any money.
She walked a short distance away from Joseph, not wanting him to overhear the conversation.
Thea was at the airport when Saphira called her.
She was alone in the VIP lounge, since Dashiell had stepped away to handle something.
He’d asked her to wait there and not go anywhere.
Seeing her best friend’s call, Thea answered right away.
She figured Saphira wanted to know whether they had arrived in Paris yet.
She needed to keep Saphira updated so they wouldn’t accidentally make a mistake while they were both in the city.
“We’re still at the airport, Saphira,” she kept her voice as low as possible, afraid someone might overhear.
“So you haven’t landed in Paris yet?”
“We’re about to board. I’ll let you know the moment I arrive, and I’ll send you my location so you know exactly where I am.”
“I’m so glad to hear that, Thea. But by the way, while you’ve been with Dashiell, has he given you any money at all?” She needed to confirm this first, since she wasn’t entirely sure whether Dashiell would actually be generous enough to give Thea money.
“Why are you asking me that?” Thea frowned, growing a little suspicious of her friend’s question.
“You know, my father asked me about it, so I need to give him the right answer. I can’t have my answer not match what’s actually happening. If he hasn’t given you any money, I’ll tell my father that man doesn’t care about me at all and hasn’t given me anything,” she was certain Thea would believe the lie without question.
“You don’t need to worry, Saphira. Of course he’s given me money. He gave me a card I can use whenever I want.” Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
Hearing what her friend said made Saphira smile.
So Joseph’s theory had been right after all, Dashiell had given Thea a card.
Tomorrow, she would go get that card so she could use it herself.
“Good, I’ll pass that along to my father.”
“I have to go, Dashiell is back.”
“Don’t forget to let me know once you’ve landed.”
“I know!” Thea hurried to end the call, since her fake husband had just returned.
She quickly straightened up in her seat, pretending to be absorbed in her food so Dashiell wouldn’t grow suspicious.
A sweet smile spread across her face as Dashiell stood in front of her.
“We’re about to board, so finish up your food.”
“Alright. But I got you something too, you should finish it as well,” Thea slid a cup of black coffee and a piece of bread toward him.
Dashiell sat down without saying much, quietly enjoying the coffee and bread.
Thea smiled sweetly again as he studied her.
Something in his gaze had shifted slightly compared to the past few days.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” The longer it went on, the more uneasy and nervous it made her.
“Just looking at you. Is that not allowed?” He took a sip of his coffee, still watching her over the rim of the cup.
“Th-that’s not it,” Thea tucked her hair behind her ear, feeling suddenly self-conscious and flustered.
Dashiell set his cup down on the table and stood.
He extended his hand toward Thea.
“It’s time to go,” he said.
Thea placed her hand in his.
She rose to her feet, laced her fingers through his, and walked with him out of the lounge.
She felt uneasy the whole way.
She hoped, more than anything, that they wouldn’t run into Saphira while they were in Paris.