Chapter 1To celebrate my promotion, my boyfriend booked us a table and dragged along his cop best friend—yeah, a girl.
But throughout the entire meal, she wouldn't stop lecturing me.
"With your profile? At our fraud task force, you'd be flagged as a textbook high-risk case."
My boyfriend kept nodding like a bobblehead.
"Babe, Mar deals with scammers daily. She knows her stuff."
I couldn't be bothered to argue.
Halfway through, I excused myself to the restroom, but in the hallway I caught her "professional analysis."
"Dude, something's seriously off with your girlfriend. I ran her through the system—Tribeca penthouse, Hamptons beach house, Bentley, Lamborghini Urus. How does some marketing girl afford all that?"
"This is a pig-butchering scam! She's playing rich to reel you in, then she'll bleed you dry through fake investments!"
"I've worked these cases for years—these female scammers are ruthless. Dump her, send me her info, I'll go undercover and destroy her!"
My grip tightened around my phone, rage flooding through me.
I turned and speed-dialed my dad.
"Dad, tell Commissioner Harold to check his fraud unit. Pretty sure there's a FAKE COP running around."
......
Back in the private dining room, Paxton and Marlowe were having the time of their lives.
The second I walked in, Marlowe's smile vanished, replaced by her serious cop face.
"Cora, Paxton and I were just talking about you. Look, I gotta be real with you for a sec."
"Someone your age, no trust fund, no family money, but dropping cash like there's no tomorrow? You're basically wearing a neon sign for criminals."
Paxton sat back down next to me and reached for my hand, but his tone was all backing her up.
"Mar's one of the top agents at the Bureau's fraud division. She's just looking out for you, making sure you don't get played."
I yanked my hand away, laughing bitterly to myself.
Played?
The biggest con was sitting right across from me, wasn't it?
"Thanks for the concern, Officer Hale. Duly noted."
My tone was ice-cold. Marlowe clearly wasn't satisfied.
She glanced at the Patek Philippe on my wrist, lips curling with contempt.
"Duly noted? Seriously? That watch—you expect me to believe you bought that on your salary?"
"Look, sweetie, I'm not trying to be harsh, but girls who live beyond their means? That's how you end up in federal prison."
Paxton looked uncomfortable, tugging at my sleeve.
"Cora, come on. Mar means well. Don't be so defensive."
"Just walk us through where the money's coming from. We can help you figure it out, make sure you're not mixed up in something shady without even realizing it."
I whipped around to face him.
"Are you seriously questioning me right now? After three years?"
I thought he was just easily swayed by others.
Turns out, deep down, he genuinely bought into Marlowe's ridiculous "professional assessment."
Under my glare, Paxton avoided eye contact but still forced himself to speak.
"I'm not—I'm not questioning you, I'm worried. You come from a middle-class family in Jersey—where's all this money actually coming from?"
"Mar's right. It doesn't add up."
Marlowe pounced on the opportunity.
"Paxton, you're too trusting. I've worked hundreds of cases—so many victims started out exactly like your girlfriend, totally convinced their money was clean."
"Then when we slapped the cuffs on, they finally realized they were just money mules, or straight-up part of a fraud ring."
She locked her sharp gaze on me.
"Cora, I'm asking you one last time—is your money legitimate?"
"Because if you come clean now and cooperate with our investigation, the DA might go easier on you."
People around us started whispering.
"She's FBI fraud division—if she's saying this, there's gotta be something dirty going on."
"Right? You see this on the news constantly. Looks like some Forbes 30 Under 30 type, but turns out she's laundering cartel money."
Hearing this slander, my temples throbbed violently.
Every fiber of my being fought to stay composed.
"Every single dollar I have is completely legitimate."
"But Officer Hale, casually running background checks on private citizens and then blasting their financials in public? Pretty sure that violates about fifteen federal regulations."
Marlowe's face went rigid—she clearly didn't expect me to clap back.
But Paxton immediately jumped to her defense, voice rising.
"Cora! How can you talk to Mar like that!"
"She's trying to protect us! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"If you've got nothing to hide, why are you so terrified of transparency? Just pull up your bank statements and asset portfolio right now, and nobody has to suspect you anymore!"
My heart turned to ice.
This was the man I'd loved for three years.
When faced with baseless accusations from his cop friend, he didn't choose to trust me—he chose to demand I prove my innocence.
I stood up, grabbed my bag.
"I've completely lost my appetite."
"Paxton, I'm done here."
I turned to leave, but Paxton's hand clamped down on my wrist like a vice.
His eyes were bloodshot, humiliated rage written all over his face.
"Cora, if you walk out that door right now, don't you dare expect me to ever come crawling back!"
Marlowe jumped in with her nauseating fake mediator act.
"Hey, hey, Paxton, relax. Cora's probably just overwhelmed. Girls get emotional, you know how it is."
She grabbed onto Paxton's arm, practically draping herself over him.
"Cora, don't be upset with me. It's just occupational hazard—I see criminals everywhere. But honestly? I'm doing this because I care about you here."
Staring at her fake-ass face made me absolutely nauseous.
"Save it." I wrenched my wrist free. "My life is none of your damn business, Officer Hale."
"And you," I locked eyes with Paxton, "I really hope you don't regret this."
With that, I walked out of the private room without a single glance back.
Behind me, I heard Marlowe's smug, victorious voice.
"See, babe? Told you she'd crack under pressure. Women like that? You can't give them an inch!"
Chapter 2
The second I got home, my best friend Sloane was already blowing up my phone, voice frantic.
"Cora! What the hell happened with you and Paxton? He just posted on Instagram something about 'finally seeing HER true colors' and 'grateful for real friends who have my back'—and get this, the photo is him with that Marlowe chick!"
I collapsed onto the couch, exhausted, and gave her the quick version.
On the other end, she was literally screaming.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!"
"Is Paxton blind? He's throwing away an amazing girlfriend like you to believe some random cop?"
My eyes stung, tears threatening to spill.
"Forget it. I want to break up."
"Good! Do it! Why the hell would you keep that trash around?" Sloane was fired up. "Stay put, I'm coming over right now."
Not even ten minutes after we hung up, my phone rang again. Paxton.
The second I picked up, his angry voice came blasting through.
"Cora, you've got some nerve! You seriously ran to my mom to complain about me?!"
I froze. "I didn't."
"You didn't? My mom just chewed me out for an hour, saying I shouldn't have doubted you and that I need to apologize! If it wasn't you, then who—Marlowe?"
His tone dripped with sarcasm.
"You're really pulling out all the stops to clear your name, huh? Even dragging my mom into this. Impressive."
"I never realized how manipulative you actually are!"
I laughed bitterly.
"Paxton, are you seriously insane? The only person I called was my dad."
"If your mom tore into you, that just means your family has more sense than you do."
"And by the way, we're done. Don't contact me again!"
Silence on the other end. Then his anger exploded.
"Done? Cora, don't push your luck!"
"Mar already told me what you're doing—this is classic playing hard to get! You think throwing a tantrum is gonna make me come crawling back?"
"You still haven't explained where all that sketchy money came from! And now you're acting like I owe you something?"
In the background, I heard Marlowe's sickeningly sweet voice.
"Man, just let it go. She's being dramatic. Once she cools off, she'll come around."
"Girls are like that, you know? They say they don't want you, but secretly they're dying for you to chase them."
"Plus, I only flagged her assets because they looked suspicious. If she's really clean, why not just cooperate with the investigation? The fact that she's making such a scene just proves she's hiding something."
That completely set Paxton off.
"You hear that, Cora?! Mar's making total sense, and you're still arguing?!"
"Let me make this clear—I'm not apologizing. You've got three days. If you want this to work, you come apologize to Mar. Otherwise, we're over for good!"
Then he hung up.
A few seconds later, Marlowe sent me a message on Instagram.
It was a selfie—her leaning all cozy on Paxton's shoulder. The background? His bedroom.
Caption: "Hey, just a heads up—guys prefer girls who know how to behave. Your little games? Not gonna work on a fraud specialist like me."
I was still staring at her message when the doorbell rang. Sloane had arrived.
She took one look at my face, glanced at my phone, and immediately exploded.
"FUCK! This bitch is actually insane!"
Without a word, she grabbed my phone and hit call.
Marlowe picked up.
"Hello? Oh, ready to apologize?"
Sloane went off. "Apologize?! Fuck you, you homewrecking slut! You think you can just steal someone's boyfriend and act all high and mighty? I'll rip your face off!"
Silence on the other end. Then came Marlowe's fake crying.
"Why... why are you attacking me? I was just trying to help Paxton... I didn't want him to get scammed..."
Then Paxton's furious voice erupted.
"Cora, you got your friend to harass Mar?! Do you have any shame?!"
"She's been nothing but supportive, and this is how you repay her?! You're disgusting! I can't believe I ever dated someone like you!"
"We're done! For fucking real this time!"
I took the phone back from Sloane and said into it, calm and steady:
"Paxton, don't worry."
"From now on, we have nothing to do with each other!"
"Hope you two trash humans have a long, miserable life together!"
Chapter 3
I thought that after the breakup, this whole nightmare would finally be over.
Wrong.
Monday morning, I got to the office and found out my promotion announcement had been pulled. Coworkers I was cool with suddenly couldn't make eye contact.
I was blindsided.
Before I could figure out what was going on, my department director called me into his office and slammed a stack of printed pages on the desk in front of me.
"Cora, look at the mess you've made! The entire company is saying our department hired a gold digger. You've completely humiliated me!"
I picked up the papers, my eyes widening in shock.
It was a post from the company's internal forum. Anonymous, of course.
[Exposing the "Rich Girl" Manager About to Get Promoted—Turns Out She's a Romance Scammer?]
The post was pure character assassination.
It listed my position, my recent purchases, the car I drove—details only someone close to me would know.
[...Her assets don't match her salary at all. She's got massive unexplained deposits and withdrawals. Classic money laundering behavior!]
[I have a friend in law enforcement who says this is a new type of romance scam called a 'cash cow scheme.' They pretend to be rich to hook executives or trust fund guys, then bleed them dry!]
The most vicious part? At the end, the post tagged Paxton.
[Word is, her latest target was Paxton. Lucky for him, his cop best friend exposed her just in time. Now that she got dumped, she's probably already hunting for her next victim in the office. Everyone be careful!]
The comment section was a dumpster fire.
And Paxton himself had replied: [Thanks for the warning. Lesson learned. Consider it my crash course in fraud prevention.]
His comment felt like a slap across my face.
The director tapped his desk impatiently.
"Upper management is taking this seriously. Your promotion is officially on hold. Cora, until this gets cleared up and the damage is undone, don't expect to move up at all."
When I walked out of his office, there was a commotion at the entrance.
Marlowe strolled in, arm linked with Paxton's, looking smug as hell.
She scanned the room, then landing on me, a triumphant smirk spreading across her face.
Then she walked right up to me, pulled out an ID badge, waved it in my face, and said in this fake-serious tone:
"Cora Sinclair, given the online chaos you've caused and the serious questions surrounding your assets, I'm here in my capacity as an officer with the Metro Fraud Task Force to formally request that you come with me for questioning."
Paxton stood beside her, looking at me with pity.
"Cora, I told you to just be honest with Mar. She would've helped you. Why'd you let it get this bad?"
Coworkers gathered around, whispering and pointing.
I felt like a criminal on display, my hands and feet ice-cold.
Just as Marlowe was basking in her moment, thinking she had me cornered, my phone rang.
It was my dad.
Marlowe snapped, "You're not allowed to take calls during an investigation!"
Ignoring her, I answered, my palm slick with sweat from anger and nerves.
"Dad..."
His calm, steady voice came through.
"Cora, I had your Uncle Harold check the Metro Fraud Task Force roster. There's no one named Marlowe Hale on it."
In an instant, all the anger, humiliation, and panic evaporated.
So that's how it is.
I looked at Marlowe's impatient face, and at the idiot standing beside her, and a small smile tugged at my lips.
Before my dad could say anything else, I hung up and met Marlowe's eyes, my voice calm.
"Fine. I'll go with you."
