“Immediately?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because if I change compensation in anger, I will create a different problem.”
That answer surprised them.
Review first.
Then redesign.
After the meeting, Nathan followed Lily upstairs.
“You handled that better than I expected.”
She looked at him.
“That sounded dangerous.”
He laughed weakly.
“I meant—”
“I know.”
They entered his office.
Elena Park already waited.
She had more information.
Jason's loan application had triggered a fraud review.
Not criminal charges yet.
Not automatically.
But serious.
The collateral authorization was not Chloe's verified signature.
Vanguard Capital had also opened an internal inquiry because Jason used his corporate title in communications that implied the firm was supporting the purchase.
It was not.
Nathan stared.
“What happens to him?”
Lily said:
“That isn't our decision.”
Good.
Different systems.
Different authority.
Then Elena opened another file.
“There is more.”
Lily sat.
“Bradley?”
“No.”
“Jason?”
“No.”
“Us.”
She turned the screen.
Luxury financing product penetration.
Extended service packages.
Paint protection.
Storage plans.
Concierge transport.
Some legitimate.
But one pattern stood out.
Customers classified as “VIP A” received discounts on finance products.
“B” and “C” clients often paid full margin.
Nathan frowned.
“That's normal pricing discretion.”
“Maybe.”
Elena clicked again.
Customers perceived as less financially sophisticated were significantly more likely to purchase expensive protection bundles.
Lily's expression changed.
“Who controls that?”
“Finance managers.”
“Any complaints?”
Elena opened nine.
One sentence appeared repeatedly in customer descriptions.
I thought the package was required for approval.
Lily leaned back.
Yesterday had begun with a salesman judging a woman by her coat.
Now the review was moving into finance.
Nathan said quietly:
“This is bigger.”
Lily looked through the glass at the showroom below.
“Yes.”
And for the first time, she understood Veyron Crest's real test had barely started.
The first customer Lily called was Arthur Grant.
Sixty-seven.
Retired dentist.
He had purchased a used Ferrari eighteen months earlier.
The transaction itself had gone smoothly.
The problem came in finance.
Arthur financed only a small portion because his money was tied temporarily in a property transaction.
According to his complaint, the finance manager told him the lender was “more comfortable” approving the deal if he purchased an extended protection package.
Cost:
$24,800.
The lender later told him no such condition existed.
Arthur had tried to cancel.
Veyron Crest delayed.
Then processed only a partial refund.
The complaint was closed as:
Customer misunderstanding regarding optional product structure.
Lily hated phrases like that.
They converted a claim about what an employee said into a problem with what the customer understood.
Maybe the customer misunderstood.
Maybe not.
But the wording decided too early.
Arthur agreed to come in.
He arrived in a twenty-year-old Mercedes.
Lily noticed.
Bradley's old system probably would have underestimated him.
Arthur walked into conference room carrying a binder.
“I brought everything.”
“Thank you.”
“I assume someone is finally worried because rich people complained.”
Lily smiled faintly.
“I'd be lying if I said ownership attention had nothing to do with timing.”
Arthur respected that.
“Good.”
Nathan joined.
Elena joined.
Arthur opened the binder.
Every document.
Every email.
His notes.
He had even written down the finance manager's exact words because, as a dentist who had spent years dealing with insurance, he distrusted verbal promises.
The finance manager was Victor Hale.
Top producer.
Highest protection-product revenue.
Excellent internal reputation.
Of course.
Lily had seen this pattern.
High numbers create protection.
Not officially.
Culturally.
Arthur read his notes.
“Victor said, ‘With this kind of asset, the bank likes to see protection already attached.’”
Elena frowned.
“That is misleading.”
“More than misleading.”
Arthur said.
“I asked if it was required.”
“He said, ‘I wouldn't risk removing it before funding.’”
Lily looked toward Nathan.
“Did you know?”
“No.”
Arthur laughed.
“You manage the building.”
Nathan accepted it.
“Yes.”
No defense.
Good.
Victor was interviewed that afternoon.
He denied telling Arthur the package was required.
He said:
“I said the lender values protected collateral.”
Elena replied:
“The lender has no requirement.”
“I didn't say requirement.”
“Arthur asked if he could remove it.”
“I advised against changing the structure before funding.”
“Why?”
“Because deals can become unstable.”
“Was that true in his case?”
Victor hesitated.
“Generally.”
Lily stopped him.
“General truth is not case-specific truth.”
He looked toward her.
She continued.
“If the lender didn't require the product, did you make that clear?”
“I told him it was optional.”
Arthur's notes said otherwise.
No recording existed.
One case.
Disputed.
Not enough.
So Lily ordered sample review.
Fifty deals.
Then one hundred.
The pattern was concerning.
Customers with large cash positions and repeat dealership history usually declined extras.
First-time luxury buyers had far higher penetration.
Older buyers too.
Foreign buyers too.
Customers financing unexpectedly after initially planning cash purchases showed the highest rates of all.
Could reflect need.
Could reflect vulnerability.
Needed more.
Then Elena found internal chat messages.
Victor to another finance manager:
If they're emotionally committed, package before they cool off.