Misha's laughter rang out in the sports car. "You got that right. As long as we're partners, infiltrating even the damn White House would be a cakewalk." Her laughter dying down, she turned to Lily with a serious look. "If you're really gonna quit this gig, what're you planning to do instead?"
Lily flashed a faint smile. "Do whatever the hell I want."
Looking at Lily's totally chill demeanor, like the world crumbling couldn't faze her, Misha shoved the stolen jade into her hand and smiled back. "Don't be lazy, bitch. You're responsible for delivering this treasure to its final stop. After that, we're free and clear." She gave Lily's shoulder a pat.
Without hesitation, Lily slammed on the brakes. Before the car even stopped, Misha jumped out smooth as silk, hitting the rough pavement in an elegant landing. Her wild curls danced in the wind, each move brimming with cat-like grace highlighted by her stunner looks - enough to earn admiring whistles from nearby dudes on the street.
Not even glancing at her admirers, Misha just said over her shoulder, "I'll hit you up later."
Lily gave a solemn nod as she brought the Ferrari to a full stop and got out. "Stay safe out there."
With a casual wave, Misha disappeared into the crowd filling the city streets. Lily's gaze lingered on the retreating figure of her partner for so many years, their paths so rarely diverging. Leaning against the sleek red chassis, she let a wistful smile crease her lips. From now on, they'd finally have total freedom and independence.
A strong gust whipped Lily's hair into her face, snatching away the green silk scarf around her neck. She shivered as she watched the wayward fabric tumbling through the air like a falling leaf caught in a breeze.
Out of nowhere, a black Cadillac appeared heading the opposite way, barreling down the road way too fast. The drifting emerald scarf got sucked right into the Caddy's grill as it flew by. For that split second, Lily's eyes met a pair of icy cold ones that just dismissively slid off her.
She just shrugged it off, not sweating a dumb scrap of cloth. If it's lost, whatever. Hopping back into the Ferrari, she gunned the engine and peeled out, going the opposite way from the Cadillac.
A few days later, inside a castle-like mansion in Rome, Italy's capital, two middle-aged dudes were kicking it in the study room.
The older one, probably around 40, played with a spare bullet as he said, "Lily and Misha never let us down. They're damn precious gems, no doubt."
The younger guy smiled and nodded. "They sure proved our training was on point. Right now, they're ranked fifth globally and raking in crazy profits for us."
"All that effort grooming their talents paid off big time," the elder dude chuckled. "Not a waste at all."
Their laughter got interrupted by noise coming from outside the study door. "Boss! Boss!"
The older man's brow furrowed, pissed at the disturbance. "What the hell is it? You know me and him are talking in here."
The guy outside sounded nervous as hell. "A package came from Lily."
The tension in the study evaporated. "Come in then," the elder boss ordered.
Wearing a happy face, the older dude tore into the package and pulled out the jade piece. He checked it over for a minute then nodded his approval. "Good shit! This is my first time seeing an actual jade from the Qin dynasty era. Lily and Misha killed it again."
The younger guy leaned in, eyeing the rare artifact greedily. "I'm really digging Lily. She's legit our most prized asset. Way I see it, we gotta make sure she stays loyal to us...permanently."
A sinister chuckle rumbled from the older man. "Shit, you're reading my mind. Her skills are undeniable. Way I figure it, she'll probably stack $50 mil to buy her freedom within two years tops. Not happening on my watch. We'll set the plan we talked about in motion once she's back."
Cruel laughter filled the fancy study, echoing harsh and discordant.
A little while later, the older boss realized there was a letter tucked in with the packaging too. As he cracked the wax seal and read it, a mocking laugh burst out. "Wonder what fresh hell Lily's cooked up now, sending us extra mail..." His scornful tone cut off abruptly, face twisting with rage. "That lying little bitch!"
His furious palm slammed down on the desk so hard it knocked over a crystal decanter, shattering it into glittering shards across the rich carpet.
Alarmed, the younger guy snatched the offensive letter, eyebrows shooting up as he rapidly read the contents. Besides a crazy huge $100 million cashier's check, it only had one terse line:
"The $100 mil check is in a Swiss bank. That was our deal for me and Misha's freedom from this organization. We're done after this."
The younger man's face twisted up like the older guy's in pure fury. "Treacherous sabotage!"
"Nice try, Lily," the older boss growled, scooping up the useless check with hands shaking in rage. "You wanna fly the coop? Fat chance, bitch! This ain't some place you just resign from on a whim." Clutching the draft like a dirty rag, he bellowed for his thugs. "Get the disciplinary crew here now! I want that ungrateful little bitch hunted down and her wings clipped permanently before she even thinks about escaping!"