The victims quickly turned on each other. At first, everyone wanted answers, but reality was messy. Some thought Victor had hidden funds and wanted to pressure him for refunds. Others wanted strict legal punishment. A few insisted it was just a temporary business problem, because admitting fraud meant accepting that their money was gone forever.
Adrian hated this phase the most. Even after the arrest, false hope kept masquerading as logic. When investigators asked Adrian for a full statement, he cooperated immediately. Later, when the prosecution called him as a witness, he spent the night crying on the bathroom floor so Mei wouldn’t hear him.
Taking the witness stand meant admitting his mistakes publicly. He had to state out loud that he had trusted Victor without verifying his credentials, accepted referral bonuses, and brought in innocent people. Across the courtroom, Victor sat in a dark jacket, looking thinner. For a split second, he looked like the friend from the café again. Adrian looked away.