Chapter 3

For the next few days, I acted as though nothing had happened. I went to work and came home as usual.

Collection calls and legal demand letters from the bank came pouring in. Every time, I calmly replied, “I’m handling it.”

The calmer I was, the more anxious Lily became.

She started coming over constantly, fishing for information.

“Sophie, are you really sure you’re not in trouble? You’ve looked so worried coming home from work these past few days.”

She sat on my couch, peeling an apple.

“It’s nothing. Just a little problem at work.” I rubbed my temples, pretending to be exhausted.

“Why would a work problem get you a court summons?”

She let it slip as if by accident, then immediately covered her mouth.

“Sorry. I wasn’t snooping. I came by with fruit yesterday, and there was an envelope on your desk that wasn’t sealed.”

I laughed coldly inside. What an actress.

With a sigh, I played along.

“Don’t even ask. Someone set me up. I’ve somehow ended up with a loan I never took out.”

Lily immediately tensed and leaned closer. “A loan? How much? Is it serious?”

“Eight million.” I watched her eyes closely as I said it.

Her pupils contracted. The paring knife slipped from her hand and hit the floor.

That flash of panic didn’t look fake. Maybe she hadn’t expected me to say the number outright. Maybe she hadn’t realized I knew the full amount.

“Eight million?” she stammered, her face turning white.

“Yeah.” I slumped against the couch, pretending to be defeated.

“I’ve already gone to the police. They said they have a lead.”

“They pulled a blurry image from the bank’s security footage. You can’t make out the face, but the build looks like a woman’s.”

I’d made that up to test her.

Lily’s reaction was stronger than I’d expected. She was shaking all over, and it took her several tries to get a firm grip on the knife.

“A picture? What does that prove? Plenty of people have the same build.” Her voice was dry and shrill.

“The police said they have technology that can compare skeletal proportions. Apparently, it’s very accurate.”

I pushed harder. “And you have to be there in person to take out a loan. Once they make the comparison, I’m sure the truth will come out.”

Lily couldn’t sit still anymore. She scrambled to her feet.

“Try not to worry, Sophie. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“I just remembered I left soup on the stove. I need to get home.”

She practically fled.

As I watched her hurry away, the last warmth drained from my eyes.

That evening, Ryan showed up.

He brought expensive gifts and said he’d come specifically to comfort me.

“Sophie, Lily told me what happened.” He sat across from me, looking outraged.

“This is unbelievable. Don’t worry. I know people who can find anyone. I’ll help you track down that scammer.”

As he spoke, he discreetly scanned my apartment, his eyes searching for something.

I knew exactly why he was there. Lily had sent him to find the photograph that didn’t exist.

I pretended to be overwhelmed with gratitude. “Thank you so much, Ryan.”

“The police said the photo is in the folder I was looking through yesterday. I’ll find it in a minute.”

His eyes immediately lit up.

After that, the two of them took turns playing good cop and bad cop. They kept trying to draw out more information or get their hands on the “evidence.”

All I had to do was watch as they sank deeper into my trap.