The phone calls started before Adrian even knew what to say. Daniel called first, his voice terrifyingly flat. “Tell me this isn’t what I think it is,” he said. Adrian couldn’t lie. By nighttime, he had spoken to a dozen panicked investors, and he dreaded the remaining calls he had to make.
Some people screamed, while others wept. One colleague asked if Adrian had been in on the scam. Another hung up in silence. Mr. Chua listened quietly and simply thanked Adrian for telling him, which felt worse than shouting. Mei’s mother cried softly in the background. Adrian kept apologizing until the words lost all meaning.
A heavy silence settled over the apartment for weeks. Mei spoke to him only about essentials like groceries, bills, and police statements. Their marriage didn’t shatter; it just went cold. Adrian stopped sleeping, replaying every lunch and conversation in his head. He wondered if he had ignored the red flags because the money was good, or because being the guy with the inside track made him feel important.