Bobby arrived at Regina’s apartment almost an hour later than he had promised. The moment the door opened, he already had an excuse prepared, as if even his lateness was something he needed to control before Regina could question it. He adjusted his cuffs with a smile and said a meeting with investors had run longer than expected because an important decision could not be delayed. Regina did not show anger. She welcomed him warmly, took his jacket, and asked whether the meeting had really been so important that he could not send a single message. Her tone was gentle, but Bobby paused before smiling again and said, “I did not want to bother you with office matters. If everything goes well, you will be the one enjoying the results later.” Regina watched him for a few seconds, then nodded as though she accepted the explanation. She did not need to push harder because Bobby became guilty more easily when he was not directly acc

Near dawn, Regina woke first. Pale light had begun to enter through the apartment curtains, but the room was still dim enough to hide the change in her expression. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Bobby, who was still sleeping heavily, with none of the romantic warmth she had shown him earlier. Bobby had promised her a larger life more than once. He had spoken about the future, better access, a more luxurious home, higher social standing, and a time when they would no longer need to hide. Yet the more Regina remembered his promises, the clearer the pattern became, because none of them came with a date, a concrete step, or anything she could actually hold him to. Regina picked up her phone from the bedside table and opened her work schedule, upcoming photo shoots, and several unread messages from her manager. Among them was a reminder for her next medical checkup, and Peter’s name made her pause for a moment as she rolled on

Norma stood a few steps from Bono and Gino while opening the application on her own phone. The icon was still on her home screen, but when she tapped it, a blank page appeared for a moment before returning to the menu. She tried again, and this time nothing happened at all. Her jaw tightened as she immediately opened her banking application. There was no refund, no new transfer, and no sign that the money she had invested had ever returned to her main account. “It is not there,” she said quietly. Her voice remained steady, but her fingers moved faster than usual. “Nothing came back.” Bono quickly said the system might still be under maintenance, but Norma ignored him and opened her transaction history. She began taking screenshots one by one, while Peter watched without interrupting because he knew embarrassment often made people deny facts for a few minutes longer than was safe. 

Norma stood closest to Bono and Gino. She was no longer crying, but her jaw remained tense as her gaze moved between their faces and the phones they had once held up as proof of success. “You said the program was completely safe,” she told Bono. “You said anyone who refused to join was just too afraid.” Bono raised both hands. “I am not the owner of the company.” “Nobody said you were.” “I lost money too.” Gino immediately showed his blank screen. “Look. Our applications are gone too. If we were scammers, why would we lose our money?” Several people exchanged looks because the argument was not entirely false. Bono and Gino had lost access to their balances as well. Ujang, always eager to sound neutral, immediately stepped between them. “Do not attack each other.

The group stopped in front of the building, still catching their breath. The floor where the Instant Wealth office was supposed to be was dark, but several victims were not ready to treat that as the end. They stared at the windows, entrance, and directory board as if one light turning on might restore what they had believed. “Maybe they closed early,” Bono said. He hurried to the main entrance and tried the handle that had opened easily on his first visit, but the door did not move. Gino pulled out an old access card a staff member had given him for a later visit. He held it against the panel beside the door, but only a red light blinked. “Try again,” Cindy said. Gino tried twice more with the same result, while Bono began knocking on the glass and calling out to anyone inside. No one answered. Cindy opened the program’s social media pages and found that some were blank