Chapter 2

"Maddy, why did you pull all your money out?" Eric's voice message came through, and he sounded noticeably rattled.

That was the 100-thousand-dollar principal plus the 5000-dollar bait they had dangled in front of me.

I tossed my phone onto the coffee table.

Then I lowered my voice, making myself sound tipsy and upset. "It's only 100 thousand dollars. That's not even enough to buy a decent handbag with.

"Eric, I'm having a terrible day. My ex-husband's freeloading family is causing trouble again. They want my trust fund. They can forget it!"

Eric went silent.

A moment later, another voice message came through.

This time, his voice was gentle and reassuring. "Maddy, don't worry about them. You've got me now. How much is in the trust? If you trust me, I can help you put together a proper financial plan. I'll make sure they don't get a cent."

I almost laughed.

He'd fallen for the trap.

"I'll get access to it next week. The total is 50 million dollars." I let out a soft, deliberate sob. "I'm just one woman. I have no idea what to do with that much money.

"Eric, you know so much about investing. If you're really that good, maybe I should put myself and all my money in your hands."

For a scam operation like theirs, 50 million dollars was a jackpot beyond anything they would have imagined.

"Maddy, don't worry. I'll take good care of your money. We'll buy a beautiful house together someday, and we'll have two beautiful kids. That money will give us everything we need for our future."

His voice was trembling.

To make the 50-million-dollar story convincing, I opened my laptop.

In my previous life, I had spent eight years as a senior finance professional. I knew exactly how to spot the flaws in all kinds of financial statements and proof of assets.

I had spent the whole night using an offshore shell company to create fake documents.

They showed that I had an offshore trust fund I would soon be able to access. I also forged a bank verification report and statements from my overseas account.

Every screenshot and signature looked authentic enough to pass a close inspection. I put everything into one file and sent it.

"Eric, here's proof of the funds. The entire amount will be transferred into my account next Wednesday. I'll move all of it to your platform once it clears."

After I sent the message, there was nothing from Eric for two full hours.

I could almost picture Eric handing the documents over to the people running the scam. They were probably gathered around a computer, trying to verify every detail.

At noon, Eric called.

I answered and started recording the call.

"Maddy, I've gone over everything. It all checks out. You're incredible! Once those 50 million dollars come in, I guarantee I'll double it within a month!" He sounded ecstatic.

I leaned back in my chair, my tone suddenly distant and icy. "Eric, do you think I'm rich and stupid?"

He was stunned. "Maddy, what are you talking about? Why would I think that?"

"Where I come from, you have to prove you have the means before anyone will do business with you." I tapped my fingers against the desk, keeping my voice cool and demanding.

"If you want to handle my 50 million dollars, sure. But why should I trust a junior executive at an investment firm to protect that kind of money?"

"Maddy, you know what I'm capable of," Eric replied.

"Save it. Put 500 thousand dollars into my account as a security deposit," I said. "It'll only sit there for three days. Once I get my trust fund, I'll return every cent with interest.

"If you can't even come up with that, why should I trust you with my future?"

The other end of the call went silent. All I could hear was his heavy breathing.

500 thousand dollars was an absurd amount of money to put on the line for a scam operation.

Their victims were supposed to send them money, not the other way around.

"Maddy, that's not how this works. Most of my money is tied up in investments. I can't just pull that much money out on short notice." Eric stumbled over his words, trying to talk his way out of it.

"So you can't afford it?" I gave a soft, mocking laugh. "Then don't pretend you can handle a wealthy woman. Goodbye, Mr. Cole."

I hung up.

And then blocked him.

I did it all without missing a beat.

If he wanted a shot at 50 million dollars, he was going to have to bleed a little first.