Lily Thompson I froze the moment the words left Isabella’s lips. She looked so innocent standing there, clutching my phone, her face lit with the glow of the screen, but all I could hear was that one word echoing through my skull. Debit—$79,548. Why was Ryan getting debited? My gaze snapped to Ryan, whose smile faltered for the briefest second. “Why did the debit alert come to you, Ryan? I thought this was through the company?” I asked, suspicion flooding my voice. He gave a casual shrug. “It’s because I’m the one who signed off on your wardrobe fund, Lily” My frown deepens and he adds “Theo’s the CEO, but he asked me to handle your onboarding. Including expenses. Denzol doesn’t just hand out wardrobe allowances without senior-level approval. It still routes through me.”

