Chapter 5
THE AGENT
CHLOE
Later that evening
If the past eighty hours didn’t turn out to be a twisted fever dream, I was one of the luckiest girls on this planet.
No, the luckiest girl on this planet.
Point blank. Period.
I’d never been able to save more than one thousand dollars at a time, and I couldn’t fathom seeing Mr. Hudson’s offer sitting in an account just for me.
A million freakin’ dollars…
“We’ve arrived at your residence, Miss Sterling.” The driver’s voice interrupted my thoughts, and I realized he was holding the back door wide open.
“Thank you.” I grabbed my things, double-checking to make sure my new bank account card was still tucked in my purse. Then I took the driver’s hand and stepped out.
“Can I ask you something about Mr. Hudson?” I looked at him.
“As long as you don’t expect an answer.”
“That’s literally the entire point of a question.” I shook my head. “It’s nothing deep, I swear. Is he easy to work for? Nice?”
He smiled and shut the back door. “Do you need any further assistance from me?”
“So, he really is a tyrant and all the whispers about him being ruthless to everyone are true?”
“Have a good night, Miss Sterling,” he said. “I wish you the best.”
“Blink twice for yes and once for no,” I begged. “Is he a terrible boss?”
He started humming as he walked toward the driver’s side.
“Really, though?” I called after him. “What about how many drivers he has on staff? Surely he would allow you to answer something simple like that.”
He opened the car door and looked over his shoulder.
“Seventeen,” he said with a smile before sliding behind the wheel.
Of course.
I rushed up my steps and slipped inside an open elevator.
The peeling paint in the hallways, the heavy scent of mildew, and the creaking elevator wires dragged me right out of billionaire fantasy land and back into my actual life.
As I stepped off onto the landing, Marie glared at me.
“Hey there,” I said. “I was just about to call you.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me into her unit.
“What the hell gives, Chloe?” she asked. “Everyone at the office is spinning rumors at a rate you wouldn’t believe. Spill. Now.”
“It’s kind of a long story.”
“Then skip over all the world-building, spoil the plot twists, and get straight to the ending.”
“Mr. Hudson caught me taking a shower at The Bergman a few days ago.”
Her jaw dropped.
“And um, before he called the police, I just left and he showed up today—as you saw.” I paused. “But then he offered me a job as a way to pay him back because he’d looked up my background and saw I could be of use—and guess what he’s going to pay me?”
Her jaw was still on the floor.
“One million dollars!” I screamed. “Isn’t it amazing? I still can’t believe it, you know? I’ve already made plans for us to start our joint banner once I’m done, upgrade our places, and everything!”
Marie finally closed her mouth, but she didn’t say anything.
“Guess what the best part is?” I asked. “Well, second best after the million dollars?”
“Tell me…”
“I finally have a bank account again!” I clapped so hard my palms stung. “His team had to take my fingerprints and verify a bunch of things since it’s been a while since I had one, but I should get paid any moment now.”
Silence.
“Why aren’t you jumping up and down and grabbing wine so we can celebrate?” I asked. “Do I need to repeat the seven-figure payment part?”
“No.” She crossed her arms. “I heard that just fine.”
“Okay, so—”
“So let me get this straight,” she interrupted. “The most notoriously ruthless billionaire in this city caught you stealing from him, whisked you away under the ruse of a ‘job,’ all while taking your fingerprints, and you think this was all for a bank account and not the feds?”
“Well, yeah.” I shrugged. “That’s what he said.”
“Did he give any exact details, or were they vague as hell with an ‘I’ll be in touch’ type of thing?”
“He was very thoroughly detailed with everything from my start time to where I’m supposed to meet him, and—” I sucked in a breath.
Oh my god.
“You think he played me just to report me to the police?” My eyes widened.
“Obviously.” She crossed her arms tighter. “So, if I were you, I would start researching prisons so you can ask your lawyer to get you into your top two.”
“You’re scaring me, Marie.”
“No, you’re scaring me because there’s no way you’re this dense.” She shook her head. “Why didn’t you just jump out of his car?”
“I tried to, trust me.”
“You told me you stopped squatting in his properties last year, Chloe.”
“No, I said my plan was to stop. The withdrawal symptoms were too much, and you know how much our shower sucks…”
“Commissary items behind bars are really expensive,” she said. “But I’ll be sure to spend at least one hundred dollars on you every month.”
“I’m not going to prison, Marie. I’m telling you that this was all hashed out, and I’m still going to share my new earnings with you.”
Ding Dong! Dinnnggg Dong!
We both stared at her door.
No one ever rang the doorbells on our units, especially since everyone knew doing so made all the lights flicker.
Who the hell is that?
Heavy footsteps walked away and then stopped at my place across the hall.
A heavy knock sounded, and my heart dropped into my stomach.
The cops…
The footsteps sounded again, and then Marie’s doorbell rang once more—somehow even louder this time.
“You better not tell them I’m here.” I rushed to her makeshift closet and pulled the curtain shut.
Marie sighed and walked to the door.
Looking as nervous as I felt, she took a deep breath.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“The police.”
She gasped.
“I’m not here!” I whispered harshly. “I. Am. Not. Here.”
“Stop fucking around, Marie!” A deep and familiar voice laughed. “Open the damn door.”
She obliged and came face-to-face with her boyfriend, Simon.
“Why does it look like you’ve just seen a ghost?” He smiled at her. “I thought you liked being surprised with random flowers.”
“I do.”
“Good.” He kissed her forehead. “Has Chloe been released yet?”
“For now, yeah…”
“Ugh. Get inside and shut the door, Simon!” I stepped out. “The feds might be listening.”
He looked between us, placed the flowers in Marie’s hand, and pressed a kiss on her lips.
“Call me when you’re both sane,” he said. “I don’t want to know anything about it.”
He left before she could say another word, and Marie pointed to her table.
“Get to checking the commissary items, so I’ll know what you like and don’t like.”
“You’re not being serious.”
“What would you tell me if this situation was reversed?”
I walked over to the table and took a seat. “I need a better pen…”
Sometime around midnight
My heart couldn’t stop pounding in my chest, and my mind spun “what if” stories faster than I could process them.
Unable to sleep, I was pacing my bedroom in hopes of forcing myself into exhaustion.
With every step, I realized that the dimensions of my upcoming prison cell might actually be an upgrade from my bedroom.
As I considered just how long it would take me to create a shank out of toilet paper, my phone buzzed with a text.
Unknown Number
Miss Sterling, this is Christy Holmes from Hudson International.
My apologies for texting you so late, but I wanted to let you know that the bank transfer was complete.
You can log into your new account with the card you were given.
Gasping, I grabbed the card and followed the log-in directions before flopping onto my bed.
The screen served me a short flashy video of the sun setting over Manhattan, and then my name appeared.
Then came my balance.
1,400,000.00
I stared at the number in complete disbelief.
Mr. Hudson had added an additional four hundred thousand with a deposit note.
I would’ve paid you five million…