Ashley Carter had no house to mortgage.The apartment she lived in was rented, every cent of her savings had already been set aside for plastic surgery, and Ryan had never once bought her anything valuable enough to pawn."But... I don't have any collateral."Her voice grew weaker as she spoke. The tiny flame of hope that had just lit inside her heart was instantly snuffed out.The man on the other end of the line seemed to have expected this. Instead of sounding disappointed, his tone became even warmer."That's perfectly fine, Miss Carter. You can bring your ID to our company and we can discuss the details in person. There may be... other options."Ashley's eyes brightened. "Really?""Of course. Tri-State Financial Services has a solid reputation. We specialize in helping clients in difficult situations."After hanging up, Ashley didn't hesitate for even a second.She changed into a fitted dress, carefully touched up her makeup, and hailed a cab straight to the address the man had g

Inside the field office, Agent Park was working late, pulling everything available on Ethan Cole's movements over the past week.Surveillance footage. Transaction records. Phone pings.She laid it all out and went through it methodically.Every morning: gym. Mornings otherwise: home or grocery runs. Afternoons: more gym or the shopping district. Evenings: dinner out with Mia Sutton or back to the apartment. His schedule was as predictable as someone on a retirement timetable. Nothing flagged. Nothing unusual.Then she pulled his financial history.Lottery win. $350 million after taxes, deposited June 6th.Park's brow tightened.The windfall explained the spending, the lavish meals, the bulk purchases, the general attitude of someone who had stopped caring what things cost.She muttered to herself, scrolling through the records.A hundred million dollars on a survival bunker. Who does that?In her assessment, Ethan Cole was an impulsive, financially reckless young man who had come into