Chapter 99 The Money Runners
The words of her friend struck Seraphina like a bolt from the blue.
Seraphina blurted out with urgency, “May, say it again, you're joking, right? We just had dinner with Giselle and the others last night. Did you take a wrong turn or come to the wrong company?”
“No, I double-checked with the security guards at the building, and they said they saw people moving stuff out last night. Giselle and her team must have skipped town overnight.”
A wave of dizziness hit Seraphina, giving her the sinking feeling that the sky had just fallen in on her; her complexion turned frightfully pale.
“What’s wrong, Seraphina?” Magnus asked with concern.
“Giselle and the group, they've bolted, they took the money and ran,” Seraphina’s voice cracked in panic. Without even changing her clothes or dropping her slippers, she dashed outside in a flurry.
Magnus quickly followed. “Seraphina, I’m coming with you.”
Soon, Magnus and Seraphina arrived at the company to find it had been cleared out, with a lock on the door. Peering through the glass, it was evident the place was empty.
Crowds of scammed investors, mostly stay-at-home moms and young girls fresh into the workforce dreaming of striking it rich, huddled at the door. They had invested tens, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Seraphina, who had invested the most at a million dollars, was amongst them, crying outside the door, unsure of what to do next.
Emotions running high, Seraphina had the security guards break the lock so she could take one last hopeless look inside. Just yesterday they were all buzzing with excitement about the big money they were going to make, and now it was all gone.
Struggling to cope, Seraphina tried to convince herself. “They must have just changed locations. Giselle didn’t get a chance to inform us. I’ll give her a call.”
Seraphina hurriedly dialed the number only to find it disconnected.
“It’s no use, Magnus, I can't get through,” Seraphina teared up, her world collapsing, “I invested a million, my money, it’s all gone.”
Magnus, trying to comfort her, suggested, “Seraphina, don't worry. What we need to do right now is call the police.”
Grasping at straws, Seraphina asked, “Can I get my money back then?”
“It’s uncertain,” replied Magnus, a lawyer accustomed to not making promises he couldn’t keep. “We might be able to recover some of the losses.”
"Some loss, how can that be okay? My million dollars!" Seraphina wailed, breaking down.
Soon, everyone had called the cops, and they arrived, took stock of the situation, and confirmed that the company was a shell company that had taken the money and run.
The scam had totaled ten million dollars.
Seraphina could only think about whether her own money could be recovered. She pestered the police officers incessantly, "Can I get my money back? I put in a million dollars, and I've borrowed hundreds of thousands in loans. If I can’t get the money back, I’m as good as dead. I won’t be able to pay it back. Isn’t this driving me to my grave?"
"Please try to stay calm," said the officer. "We will do our best to recover your lost funds."
Seraphina persisted, "When? When can you get it back?"
"We're not sure yet. Currently, we don’t have many leads, and we need to investigate further."
Between the lines, it was clear that it might never happen. Even if they caught the perpetrators, the money was likely already squandered.
Overwhelmed, Seraphina couldn't take the strain and fainted, her world going dark.
"Seraphina." Magnus quickly caught her. "Seraphina."
After a while, Seraphina came to.
After awakening, Seraphina resumed her sobbing, and Magnus had to support her back home.
The loss of a million dollars was more painful than having her flesh carved out.
Back home, Seraphina continued to weep and blame, "It's all because of your cursed words, you jinxed it. Now they've run off with the money. Magnus, are you happy now? If Ophelia hears about this, she'll definitely mock me. She's probably gloating over this. Don't you dare tell Ophelia."
"It's too late, I've already messaged Ophelia," said Magnus, sitting down. "Seraphina, over the years, you've caused plenty of trouble, and it's always been Ophelia and me cleaning up your messes. We've never mocked you. You weren't always like this, Ophelia says you've changed, and indeed, you really have changed."
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