Sara lounged on her velvet chaise, phone in hand, the soft glow of her screen illuminating her face.

She had been scrolling for hours—liking posts, ignoring DMs, occasionally pausing to admire her own reflection in the dark screen. It was a ritual, a performance.

The kind of maintenance required to stay relevant in a city where beautiful women were a dime a dozen.

Then she noticed it.

A view on one of her highlight stories. A profile she didn’t recognize.

"Someone’s snooping", Sara thought.

She tapped the username, the profile loaded right away.

[Vanessa Cole.] 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Sara’s eyes narrowed. She studied the photos—a woman with blonde hair, green eyes, and a body that clearly spent time in a gym. Professional attire in some shots. Bikini in others. The kind of curated mix that said "I work hard and I play hard."

"Lawyer", Sara guessed. Or something adjacent. The blazers gave it away.

She scrolled deeper. No mutual followers, no obvious connection to her world. Which meant this woman had searched for her intentionally.

"Why would a random lawyer be looking at my page?"

Sara’s lips curved into a slow smirk.

"Liam."

It had to be. Who else would send someone to her profile? The bitch he was fucking now, probably. Curious about the woman who came before. The one who had ruined him.

"Checking up on me, Liam?" Sara murmured to the screen.

She switched to Liam’s profile. One picture. No new posts. No activity for days.

"Interesting."

Sara leaned back, her long blonde hair spilling over the chaise. She knew Liam. Knew his habits, his routines, the way his mind worked. If he wasn’t posting, he was either spiraling or scheming.

Either way, she had access.

One text. That was all it would take. "Hey, stranger." Or "Miss me?" He would respond. They always did.

"There’s no way he has gotten over me," Sara said aloud.

Why would he? She had introduced him to a life he had never experienced before. The car sex. The spontaneous weekends. The way she moved in bed—the way she made him feel like a king even as she drained his wallet.

He was enslaved. Not by love but by her body which was why he even bothered to track her down to her location despite her already draining his wallet and ghosting him. He didn’t scream at her for doing any of these things, all he cared about was she was with someone else.

Sara’s smirk widened. She remembered the way he used to beg. The way his hands trembled when she teased him. The way he would do anything—anything—for another taste.

"Do you still want to make use of this pussy, my poor Liam?"

She chuckled, low and throaty. "One of your bitches is stalking me. You must still be talking about me."

Her phone rang.

Sara glanced at the screen. Marcus. Hedge fund manager. Forty-two, divorced, desperate to impress her. He had been texting all week about a yacht trip to the Bahamas.

She let it ring twice before answering.

"Marcus, baby. I was just thinking about you."

["You were?"] His voice was eager. Pathetic, almost.

["I have reservations at Masa. An hour. I’ll send a car to take you to the airport."]

Sara stood up, stretching her arms above her head.

The dress she wore was elegant—black silk, form-fitting, with a slit that went up to her thigh. It didn’t show cleavage, not really. But it hinted at everything beneath. The kind of dress that made men imagine what was underneath before they even had dinner.

"I’ll be ready," Sara said.

She hung up and glanced at her phone one more time. Vanessa’s profile. Liam’s empty page.

"Later", she thought. "I’ll deal with them later."

Right now, she had a hedge fund manager to seduce and with hoe vulnerable he was, this should be a walk in the park.

-

Liam and Darren stepped out of the diner into the cool evening air.

The commotion had died down. Police had taken the robber away in cuffs. Flo had hugged Darren twice and refused to let him pay for his coffee. The construction workers had shaken his hand like he was a celebrity.

Now, standing by Liam’s car, the weight of what happened settled over them.

"You should drop by more often," Darren said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I wouldn’t mind having some company."

Liam nodded. "I’ll be around. When I come to see Rachel, I’ll stop by your side too. Check in on you."

Darren raised an eyebrow. "What is even going on with you and Rachel? Is that something serious?"

Liam leaned against his car, considering the question. The truth was complicated. Rachel was good for him. She was nurturing, caring, and her body drove him wild. Plus, the system loved her. But serious?

"Who knows, man," Liam said with a shrug. "The world works in mysterious ways."

Darren studied him for a moment, then laughed. "That’s not an answer."

"It’s the only one you are getting."

They clasped hands—a quick, firm shake—and Darren turned to walk toward his own car. He stopped after a few steps and looked back.

"Thanks for today. For listening."

"Anytime," Liam said.

Darren nodded and disappeared into the night.

Liam slid into the driver’s seat and sat there for a moment, engine off, hands resting on the steering wheel. He could have offered Darren a ride but Darren came with his own car so there was no point in doing so.

His life was taking a turn for the positive. That much was undeniable.

A week ago, he had been unemployed, broke, and freshly beaten by a man who stole his girlfriend. Now? He had over $100,000 in his account. A woman who cooked for him and cared for him. A system that rewarded him for living like a pervert.

He had things to look forward to.

But Liam also knew he needed more money.

Not for luxury,not for showing off. He needed capital—real capital—to start his own law firm. Mrs. Harriet’s offer was a trap.

A rundown office in a dangerous neighborhood with low-income clients and limited resources. There was no way he would advance his career if he took that deal.

He would be stuck. Grinding. Grateful for scraps.

"No," Liam thought. "I’m doing this my way."

He had the means to make money now. Not just any money—crazy money.

Over $1,000,000 in less than a week was possible. If he kept this up, if he found more targets, if he maximized the beginner bonus while it lasted...

A million dollars was within reach.

Maybe more.

Liam started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

He had a lot of work to do.