Home / I Dodge a Scam and Send Him to Jail / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of I Dodge a Scam and Send Him to Jail: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I lay on the stretcher with my eyes closed, pretending to be weak from the allergic reaction while my heart hammered inside my chest.The prosthetic acne, swelling, and redness I'd applied to my face were convincing enough to pass for the real thing. The paramedics had already radioed ahead and told the hospital they were bringing in a patient with a suspected severe allergic reaction.Just then, another string of comments appeared before my eyes."Ha! Tasha's getting ready to take over the stream. Victor looks like he's about to lose his mind.""The livestreaming contract is tied specifically to Lindsay and her bank account.""If Tasha hosts the stream, the money trail won't match, and they won't be able to move the funds through her stream. Victor is freaking out!"My heart thudded before a rush of exhilaration swept through me.The contract was tied to my identity and bank account. If I weren't the one hosting the stream, the transactions wouldn't line up.In other words,

Chapter 2

I stayed obediently in bed, but my attention never strayed far from the comments that appeared in front of me every so often."Victor already has people investigating what supposedly triggered Lindsay's allergic reaction. He's trying to find proof that she's faking it.""Good luck with that. There's nothing for them to find."The 50 million dollars hadn't made it through the accounts tonight, and the loan sharks' deadline was tomorrow.Victor, what were you going to do now?As if the comments had heard my thoughts, another one appeared almost immediately."Victor's next move is to go straight to the hospital and pressure Lindsay in person. He's bringing a new contract, too. He wants to raise her termination clause to 50 million dollars."50 million dollars?My fingers tightened around the blanket.Early the next morning, the door to my hospital room swung open.Victor walked in with dark circles under both eyes and the polished smile of a concerned employer, complete with a f

Chapter 3

Victor got to his feet. "Get some rest. As soon as you're discharged, come straight to the office.""Of course, Mr. Vaughn. Thanks for coming by. I won't get up to see you out," I said.Once Victor and Bruce were gone, Tasha immediately leaned in to study my face."Lindsay, this looks awful! I was so worried about you that I barely slept last night!"Her eyes welled up with tears, but the performance was so overdone that she looked like the lead in a bad soap opera.A comment popped up."Give it a rest, Tasha. You stayed up all night counting your livestream tips."I gave her a weak smile. "I'm fine. It's just an allergic reaction. Thanks for stepping in on such short notice last night."Tasha sat down beside my bed. I caught the calculating flicker in her eyes before she asked, "Lindsay, did you ever drink that beauty tonic I gave you?"I've been wondering whether there was something in it that triggered your allergy. I'd feel terrible if I caused this…"This was a test.Sh

Chapter 4

By the time I reached the main office, several of the newer streamers were crowded around Tasha's desk."Tasha, that's incredible. You've gained more than 300,000 followers in only three days.""I heard Mr. Vaughn is throwing you a celebration once you hit a million.""Looks like the company might have a new top streamer soon…"I ignored them and went straight to my desk.The moment Tasha noticed me, she put on a concerned expression and said, "Lindsay, your face still hasn't completely cleared up, yet you're already back at work. That's dedication."One of our coworkers chimed in, her tone laced with sarcasm, "Dedication? Please. She probably came back because she's afraid somebody's taking her spot. Maybe she thinks the whole company will collapse without her."A coworker who usually got along with me stepped in to defend me."Would you all knock it off? You sound jealous."Someone fired back, "Then how come nobody else's face broke out like that? For all we know, it isn't a

Chapter 5

The next morning, I arrived at the office earlier than usual. I wanted to find a chance to plant the voice recorder in Victor's office while no one else was around.The entire floor was still empty, yet the light in his office was already on.I slowed as I approached, wondering why he was there so early, and that was when I heard voices coming from inside. Victor wasn't speaking loudly, but once I moved closer to the door, I could make out almost every word."I'm only using your account to move the loan temporarily," Victor said. "Once we finish these next few streams and the money clears, I'll put every dollar back.""But Mr. Vaughn, the payment is already two weeks overdue. I get collection texts every single day. I'm seriously freaking out."Tasha's voice grew more anxious as she spoke.Victor immediately snapped, "I run a massive company. Do you honestly think I'm going to take your money and disappear?""But the bank has already started flagging the large transfers goin

Chapter 6

"This isn't livestreaming software. It's a Trojan horse bundled with a backdoor, and whoever built it knew exactly what they were doing."It creates a virtual payment gateway. Every dollar that flows in gets rerouted to an encrypted offshore account."And the real kicker? It monitors and uploads a complete log of everything you do on your computer in real time. Lindsay, what the hell did you get yourself into?"I drew a sharp breath."Something big," I said. "Can you crack it? Or better yet, can you modify it into... something else?"David went quiet for a few seconds. "Modify it how?""Can you build in a cap? Once the funds hit 50 million, everything freezes automatically. Or intercept the transfers before they reach that offshore account."David caught on immediately."I can do that. Yeah, I can. But the freeze won't hold. Once they notice, they'll break through it in about 30 minutes. And the second they do, they'll know the virtual account's been tampered with and move the

Chapter 7

Tasha's face shifted.I kept pushing."He owes 50 million to a loan shark. He's desperate. What if he actually skips town? And why didn't he wire the money into his own accounts? Why did he need to use your bank card?"Do you really think your accounts can hold up under scrutiny? "Do you believe the story he fed you? Do you honestly think he's going to take that cleaned-up money and pay off his debt like he said, and do you even know what he and Larry Stevens actually have planned?"Every word was a needle, popping the bubble she'd built around herself.Her head snapped up. "How do you know all that?""I know a lot more than you think." I turned off the screen and looked her straight in the eye."Tasha, you need to start thinking about an exit strategy. You can either bet on Victor suddenly growing a conscience, or you can work with me and keep yourself safe. Your call."The color drained from Tasha's face. She knew every word I'd said was true. A man like Victor was never

Chapter 8

"That's all for today's product showcase. Now I'd like to share a story with all of you. A story about this company, and about my boss, Mr. Vaughn."In the monitoring room, the smile froze on Victor's face. He grabbed the walkie-talkie, his voice cracking. "Lindsay! What the hell are you doing? Stick to the !"I ignored him and kept talking."My boss, Mr. Vaughn, owes 50 million dollars to a loan shark. Tonight, he planned to use this livestream to launder the money and pay off that debt."The comment section exploded the second the words left my mouth. At the same time, the main screen behind me changed.The polished product banners were gone, replaced by an animation David had helped me put together. It walked viewers through the software's backend logic step by step, showing exactly how funds were being funneled through a virtual payment gateway and into an encrypted offshore account.Victor lost it, screaming into the walkie-talkie. "Cut the feed! Now! Shut her down!"The

Chapter 9

I faced the camera one last time."My name is Lindsay Baker. I'm a contracted livestream host at this company. Everything I've done tonight was to protect myself and to expose a crime."All the evidence, including recorded phone calls with Mr. Vaughn, a full source code analysis of the Trojan software, and the original contract containing those predatory clauses, has already been submitted to the police."I held up a notarized document folder."Under Clause 31 of my original contract with this company, if the employer is found to have engaged in criminal activity, the agreement is automatically terminated. As of right now, I'm free."I shut off the stream. And for the first time in what felt like forever, the world went quiet.The police moved in quickly. Victor, Larry, and their entire crew, including the muscle posted by the doors, were all cuffed and taken into custody. Tasha was separated as a cooperating witness and pulled aside for questioning.She stuck to the story w

Chapter 10

Victor's company collapsed overnight.The verdict came down not long after. Given the massive sums involved and the severity of the crimes, Victor was sentenced to 20 years in prison with fines so steep he'd never pay them off in his lifetime. Larry's entire operation was dismantled along with him, and every key member received a heavy sentence.Tasha had used her own accounts to help Victor move money, which made her an accessory to the laundering. But her cooperation was significant enough that she ended up with probation.She sent me a long message afterward that was mostly apologies and gratitude. She said she'd use the money I'd given her to get her brother through his surgery, then find honest work and start over.Once the company went under, everyone scattered. All those coworkers who'd spent their time kissing up to Victor and Tasha were out of a job, and their reputations in the industry were ruined.As for me, I became something of a legend.Offers poured in from

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