Boyfriend Sent Me 100K Allowance, But Comments Said Run

1: 1

My boyfriend, Maxwell Dickerson, was about as ordinary a programmer as they came.

But today he suddenly wired me a hundred thousand and told me to go buy myself a few designer bags.

This was a man who used my discount coupons just to save on food delivery. Since when was he this generous?

I was about to ask where the money came from when a line of colorful text drifted across my vision.

Poor naive thing. That's a predatory loan taken out in your name.

A predatory loan?

When had I ever taken out a loan?

Your boyfriend did it while you were asleep. Used your phone, scanned your face.

Two million so far, all told. This hundred thousand is your hush money.

The rest went to the down payment for his ex, the one who just got back into the country.

If you don't freeze the accounts and call the police first thing tomorrow, the collectors will come break your legs.

And your boyfriend is getting ready to slip back to his hometown with his ex and register their marriage.

......

"Baby, take this hundred thousand and enjoy yourself. If you see that Chanel bag you like, just walk up to the counter and put it on the card."

Maxwell was smiling at me, soft and doting.

I stared at the transfer notification on my phone.

A second ago, those lines of color had drifted past my eyes like ghost light.

Two million in predatory loans, my face scanned off my phone, a down payment for his ex, my legs broken.

I forced down the tremor in my fingers.

"Maxwell, where did you get this kind of money?"

"I picked up some freelance work lately. Generous client, paid the whole thing up front."

"You've had it rough sticking with me all this time. You deserve to enjoy yourself a little."

If I hadn't watched him yesterday spend ten minutes arguing with a delivery driver over a three-dollar delivery fee, I might have almost believed him.

Seeing me stay quiet, Maxwell reached out to put an arm around my shoulder.

Right then, two more lines drifted past.

Don't bother guessing. That face of yours was worth two million last night.

Friendly tip: check the credit app. You're in for a surprise.

"What's wrong, baby? Too happy to speak?"

I pulled back from him.

"I... my stomach suddenly hurts."

"Might be that ramen I had at lunch, wasn't clean. I need the bathroom."

Before he could react, I grabbed my phone, rushed into the bathroom, and locked the door behind me.

Outside, Maxwell knocked.

"Baby, you okay? Want me to grab you some medicine?"

"No! I just need to sit a minute!"

I opened the credit app and my online banking, the ones I never bothered to look at.

The instant the page loaded, my vision went black. Seven zeros.

Time of disbursement: three-thirty yesterday morning, plain as day.

The captions hadn't lied to me.

Outside the door, Maxwell's footsteps started up again.

"Baby, you done yet? I've got to go put in some overtime at the office. Might be an all-nighter."

Overtime?

More like off to pick out wedding dresses with that ex of his.

I slapped my own cheeks hard in the mirror.

I had to keep him calm.

"Coming, coming!"

I pulled the door open, my face already arranged into delighted surprise.

"Honey, you're too good to me!"

I threw my arms around Maxwell's.

"I just looked up that bag in there. A hundred thousand is exactly enough! Go on to work, don't worry. I'll go to the counter first thing tomorrow!"

Maxwell patted the back of my hand.

"Go ahead, buy a few outfits too. Don't go pinching pennies for me."

"I'm heading out. Lock up tonight."

Watching him hurry out the door, I felt the smile drain off my face completely.

2: 2

The security door had barely clicked shut.

I grabbed my coat, pulled on a mask and a ball cap, and went straight down to the twenty-four-hour ATM lobby on the ground floor.

Card in, PIN entered.

The transaction slip came spooling out in one long strip.

I ran my eyes down it, line by line.

3:40 a.m. Two million deposited.

3:45 a.m. One-point-nine million transferred into an account under the name "Carolyn Henson."

The captions floated by right on cue:

Confirmed. That's the woman. The ex. The one getting the house.

Screenshot this. The name on the purchase contract will be Carolyn Henson.

The remaining hundred thousand was the "hush money" Maxwell had wired me this afternoon.

The transfer memo actually read: home down payment.

A cold laugh slipped out of me.

The two of them were brazen past all limits. They hadn't even bothered to cover their tracks.

Just as I was about to pull the card, my phone buzzed.

A text from an unknown number.

Miss Harding, the two-million principal has been disbursed. Please have the first installment of interest, two hundred thousand, ready before midnight tomorrow.

If you default, we've got some brothers who make house calls to have a nice long chat with you.

We hear you've got beautiful legs. We'd hate for that to change.

The captions surfaced again:

Legs about to be a lost cause? No. You've still got one move: freeze it all now.

The captions were right. If I didn't cut off this money fast, by tomorrow night my legs really would be a lost cause.

I called the bank's service line at once.

When I hung up, I looked out through the glass door at the pitch-black night, and a cold curve pulled at the corner of my mouth.

Maxwell, you think moving the money out means you're home free?

Tomorrow, when you go to hand over that down payment, I'll show you what a real surprise looks like.

I ordered an Uber, and instead of going home, I went straight to the high-end development Carolyn had posted about on her social media.

"Skyline Residences."

Eighty thousand a square foot, on average.

For this woman, Maxwell really had spared no expense.

I wanted to see, tomorrow, exactly what look those two would wear when the card wouldn't go through.

3: 3

I showed up at the Skyline Residences sales office.

I pulled the brim of my baseball cap down low and found a seat in the waiting area near the VIP room.

Less than ten minutes later, I spotted those two familiar figures.

Maxwell had a brand-new suit on now, all polished up like he was somebody.

The woman on his arm wore a Chanel outfit, chin tipped so high it practically pointed at the ceiling.

The captions floated past:

The suit's rented, the confidence is fake, and only the broke part is real.

That Chanel outfit is a knockoff. She only ever buys off-season fakes.

Carolyn leaned against Maxwell's shoulder, all sugary.

"Max, I really love this floor-through unit, especially the walk-in closet. It's just big enough for all my bags."

Maxwell waved a grand hand.

"Buy it! As long as you like it, forget the floor-through, I'll buy you a mansion!"

"I knew Max treats me the best. Not like that roommate you share a place with, so stingy she counts every takeout order."

Carolyn covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes full of contempt.

Roommate?

That was how Maxwell had introduced me to her?

"Carolyn, don't worry. Once we hand over the down payment today, we'll go back home and get the marriage license."

Maxwell clasped her hand, all tender devotion.

"As for that stupid woman, I already got rid of her with a hundred thousand. She's probably wandering around some mall right now, happily picking out a bag."

"A hundred thousand? That's way too generous!"

Carolyn rolled her eyes.

"A poor, shabby woman like that would be over the moon if you gave her ten thousand. Using my money to pay her off, that stings."

Your money?

I almost laughed from the sheer nerve of it.

The high-interest loan he'd taken out on my ID, when exactly did that become her money?

Just then a sales manager came over with a few documents.

"Miss Henson, Mr. Dickerson, the purchase contract is ready. The down payment comes to one point eight-eight million. Card or transfer?"

"Card!"

Carolyn pulled a bank card from her purse with a flourish and slapped it down on the table.

That card was the very account that had received the one point nine million in dirty money yesterday.

I watched the manager pick up the card reader and silently counted down.

Three.

Two.

One.

"Transaction declined. Insufficient funds or account error."

The smile froze on Carolyn's face.

"That's impossible. Is your junk machine broken or something?"

She snatched the card back and glared at the manager.

"One point nine million just came into my account yesterday. There's no way it's short!"

The manager gave an awkward little smile.

"Miss Henson, why don't you try another card? Or check your mobile banking?"

Maxwell quickly leaned in to look at Carolyn's phone.

"Carolyn, check it, is there a bank limit on it?"

While they were scrambling to check the account, I tossed the brochure aside and rose to my feet, unhurried.

I smoothed down my clothes and, heels clicking, walked over to them one step at a time.

"No need to check."

I looked at their stunned faces and pulled the corner of my mouth into a brilliant smile.

"That card's already been frozen."

The instant Maxwell saw me, the color drained from his face, like he'd seen a ghost.

"Al Alice? What are you doing here?!"

Carolyn looked me up and down.

"Max, this is that roommate of yours? What's she here for? Following us?"

I ignored Carolyn's yapping and stared straight into Maxwell's eyes.

"Maxwell, you took out a two-million high-interest loan on my ID just to buy this woman a home?"

"You've got some nerve."

4: 4

Maxwell lunged forward, grabbed my wrist, and dropped his voice into a snarl:

"Alice! What kind of garbage are you spouting? Who took out a loan shark deal? Have you lost your mind?"

"I've lost my mind?"

I wrenched my wrist out of his filthy grip.

"Three in the morning yesterday, when you took my phone and pried my eyelids open to scan my face for the loan, you didn't say I'd lost my mind then, did you?"

Carolyn jabbed a finger at my face, her voice all vinegar. "Max already told me all about you. You're just a broke leech who won't stop clinging to him!"

"Now you see he's buying me a place, and you're so jealous you're losing it, so you come here to throw a fit, is that it?"

"Let me tell you, that money is what Max earned himself! Don't go flattering yourself!"

Watching her carry on like that, I almost couldn't keep a straight face.

"He earned it himself?"

I looked at Carolyn with something close to pity. "He makes eight thousand a month and owes five thousand of it to his car loan. What's he going to earn two million with? His kidney?"

"You"

Carolyn spun toward Maxwell for help. "Max! Look at her!"

Right then the doors of the sales office flew open with a kick.

The bang was loud enough to set the glass humming across the whole lobby.

Five big, thick-set men, arms covered in tattoos, came storming in.

The bald one leading them was carrying a baseball bat.

They barreled straight through, heading right for the VIP room.

"Which one of you is Alice Harding?!"

My stomach dropped.

The collectors had come straight here.

The live feed blew up:

[Holy crap! The collectors actually showed up!]

[Don't panic, you've got the case receipt in hand, you win this.]

When Maxwell saw the five thugs with their murderous faces, his legs buckled and he nearly dropped to the floor.

He ducked behind Carolyn on instinct.

Baldy walked into the VIP room with the bat, ran his eyes over the three of us, and finally settled on me.

"You're Alice Harding?"

He pointed the bat at me and smirked. "Got some nerve, don't you, freezing our money?"

"Two million principal, plus two hundred thousand in penalties. If I don't see that cash today, I'm smashing your kneecaps."

Before I could get a word out, Maxwell jumped out from behind Carolyn.

He pointed at me and shouted at Baldy:

"Boss! Boss, you've got the wrong person!"

"She's the one who borrowed it! The name's hers! The ID is hers!"

"You want the money, go get it from her! It's got nothing to do with me!"

Carolyn chimed in from the side:

"Exactly! Every debt has its debtor. Don't go grabbing the wrong people! We're about to get married, this has nothing to do with us!"

Baldy looked at Maxwell, then at me, and suddenly grinned wide.

"Fine. If neither of you has anything to do with it, then get lost."

He turned back to me, his eyes vicious enough to swallow me whole.

"As for you, you're not going anywhere until you cough up that money today!"

Maxwell grabbed Carolyn's hand and headed for the door, then glanced back at me on his way out.

"Alice, you eat my food and use my stuff all the time. What's the big deal about carrying a little debt for me now?"

"Just call it what you owe me for the years I wasted. Stay here and pay it off nice and slow!"

I let out a cold laugh and pulled my phone out of my pocket, swiping the screen open.

"Maxwell, do you think you're really clever?"

I held the phone up, screen facing Baldy and Maxwell.

"Then take a look at this."