Chapter 1

"Gosh, this car is ancient! Even our maid wouldn't ride in something like this."

The moment I opened my eyes, Sadie Thornton's soft voice hit me, edged with open disdain.

"And this seat cushion, what is this even made of? My dog's bed is softer than this."

Across from me, Lillian Clarke yanked the cushion free, pinched her nose, and tossed it at her feet. "Seriously. I wouldn't even use this as a footrest. It's filthy."

My phone buzzed. Sadie was still pushing them in the group chat.

[This driver looks like the type who bullies the weak and sucks up to anyone with money. Out here, you are whatever you say you are. Keep it up, girls. Lean into the rich-girl act!]

The scene in front of me overlapped perfectly with what I remembered from before.

Last time, I had stepped in because I was worried their act would get us into trouble. I tried to smooth things over.

They turned on me for it, dumped me in the Uber, and ignored me when I begged for help.

Not this time. This time, I wasn't stopping them.

Andrew Houstead's expression darkened almost at once. He let out a short, tight laugh. "Miss, if you dirty it, you'll have to pay for it."

"How much could a stupid cushion cost?" Lillian shot back, her tone full of contempt. "Do you even know how much my carpets cost per square foot? You couldn't afford it on a month's pay."

"Exactly. Only people like you care about a few dozen bucks."

Daphne Winthrop, sitting in the middle, leaned forward and pointed at the bottle of cheap mineral water by Andrew's hand. "Hah, you actually drink this stuff? Don't you worry about getting sick?"

Their performance was so over-the-top that it made my stomach tighten. I glanced out the window, scanning the road as my thoughts raced.

It was getting dark. I needed to get out of this car, and fast.

I couldn't let them drag me down with them.

Andrew's hand tightened around the bottle, his neck going stiff, but he didn't say anything. He just kept driving.

"People like him don't have much going for them," Sadie said, lips curling. "Of course, they drink whatever's cheapest. Unlike us, we only drink Aurelle, flown in from Montaire."

Daphne smiled, eyes narrowing. "Sadie, stop. He probably doesn't even know what Aurelle is."

"True. People at his level wouldn't understand."

The three of them laughed, loud and sharp, filling the car.

The wind coming through the window felt colder by the second. I tightened my grip on the seatbelt, a plan starting to take shape.

Before Andrew could respond, I spoke first. "Don't take it too far."

All three of them turned to look at me, caught off guard for a moment.

Sadie recovered first, glancing at me sideways.

"Mabel, are you defending him? Figures. Your family's from the countryside, too, right? I heard your family raises pigs. No wonder you always smell like manure."

Daphne curled her lip, looking at me with thinly veiled pity. Even without pretending, their backgrounds were still far better than mine.

"Huh. Guess you and the driver are the same kind of people," she said. "You two probably have a lot in common."

"Yeah," Lillian added with a laugh. "Like raising pigs."

Their laughter overlapped.

I bit my lower lip, letting my expression tighten like I had been hurt. "Say whatever you want about me, but don't drag the driver into it. He works hard every day just to support his family."

"Support his family?" Lillian raised a brow, amused.

Sadie leaned forward and kicked the back of Andrew's seat. "Hey, old man. You're this broke, you even have a wife and kids?"

Andrew let out a low, cold laugh and pressed harder on the gas.

I turned just in time to see the car shift lanes.

At the same moment, my phone kept vibrating in my hand.

He was off route.