Adrian Tan was rinsing a coffee mug when the text arrived from Marcus, a friend he hadn’t heard from in months. The message was short: “Did you see the news about Victor?” Adrian opened the link with wet fingers. The headlines didn’t make sense at first. Arrested. Investment fraud. Millions missing.
He read the article twice as his legs grew weak. The mug slipped from his hands, shattering in the sink. From the bedroom, his wife, Mei, called out to ask what had happened, but Adrian couldn’t answer. His eyes were locked on the photograph of Victor Lim—the same friendly trader who had sat across from him at dinner, talking about discipline, family, and long-term wealth.
Victor was the man holding almost all of Adrian’s family savings. It wasn’t just his own money; it was Mei’s bonus, her parents’ retirement funds, and his brother’s down payment. The total number formed in his mind, too massive to feel real: nearly half a million dollars. Yet all of the lost money would prove to be the least of his problems…