Chapter 4

Something shifted in the comment section — a hesitation, a crack.

"Okay but that's kind of a good point. Why can't he answer anything?"

"If you're such a regular, how do you not know the layout?"

"What if the fiancée staged this whole thing to sabotage her?"

"Hold on, let this play out. This is getting strange."

Selena's expression flickered, but she recovered fast.

"Quinn, stop trying to change the subject! Failing a couple of trivia questions doesn't prove anything. The bank transfers are real and they're on paper!"

She pulled a stack of printed bank statements from her bag and slapped them on the table.

"Everyone look! Over the past six months, Ethan transferred five hundred thousand dollars to this woman. Every single note says 'Quinn — studio rent' or 'Quinn — materials'!"

The camera zoomed in on the papers.

Black text on white.

Recipient: Quinn.

Account ending in: 8892.

Vivian sucked in a sharp breath beside me, covering her mouth.

"Quinn... you actually received all of this? You told me every transaction in the studio was legitimate restoration fees."

That line landed exactly where she aimed it — neat and precise, cementing the image of me pocketing a small fortune.

I looked at those bank records and let out a quiet, internal laugh.

In my previous life, this had knocked me flat. Because the account ending in 8892 was genuinely opened under my name.

But I had never once seen that card.

I turned and walked to the safe, entered the code, and pulled out a thick stack of ledgers and a USB drive.

"Selena, you're saying Ethan transferred me five hundred thousand dollars."

I plugged the drive into the computer and threw the studio's official account records directly onto the livestream screen.

"This is every single transaction that has passed through Restored by Quinn since we opened. Every deposit has a corresponding restoration contract, invoice, and client signature."

"You're welcome to hire any auditing firm you want. Go through every line. Find one cent that came from Ethan."

Selena's lip curled. "Of course he wouldn't use the business account. He sent it to your personal account. Ending in 8892."

"Is that so?"

I held up my ID in front of the camera.

"I have two bank accounts. One ending in 3341. One ending in 0927."

"If you don't believe me, I'll log into mobile banking right now. Or we can call the police and let them verify whether I have any account ending in 8892."

Selena faltered.

Something behind her eyes went uncertain as she looked at my steady expression.

"That's impossible. I exported that from Ethan's phone myself. Your name is right there on the transfer."

"Names can match. You can even open accounts with fake ID."

I held her gaze, word by word.

"Selena, you've been deceived."

"Someone used my name, created a fraudulent account, and took your money."

"You're lying!" Selena's voice shot up. "Ethan loves me. He would never do that."

"Whether he loves you or not isn't my business. But I can tell you — whoever that 'Ethan' is on the phone, he is not the man you think he is."

I turned and looked at Vivian, who had been quietly pressing herself into the corner.

"Vivian. What do you think?"

Vivian flinched, her eyes darting sideways.

"Why are you asking me? I don't — I don't know anything about this."

"You're the operations director. Every client file, every identity verification — it all passes through you. If someone used my name to open a fake account, you'd be the first person to know."

I kept closing the distance.

"Last month, you told me the platform needed an annual compliance review — took my original ID and a copy of the business license, and disappeared for an entire day. Where did you actually go?"

Vivian went white.

"I was turning in documents to the platform! You don't get to accuse me of things! Selena is the one questioning you — stop dragging me into this!"

A few longtime viewers who had been watching quietly started weighing in.

"Attorney Marcus: Platform compliance reviews are fully online. There's no reason to take original documents anywhere in person. Quinn, I strongly recommend calling the police. This looks like identity theft and fraud."

Attorney Marcus was a regular in my stream — a well-known criminal defense lawyer.

His words hit the room like a grenade.

"WAIT. Plot twist?!"

"Best friend steals identity, opens fake account, scams the top donor?! No screenwriter would dare write this."

"If this is real, that best friend is genuinely evil."

Selena looked between me and Vivian, visibly losing the thread.

"Quinn, stop performing! You think one little excuse wipes the slate clean?"

"If it's just an excuse, it's easy enough to test."

I picked up my phone and opened SnapChat.

"Selena — the number you just called. It's linked to Ethan's PayPal, right?"

Selena watched me with guarded eyes. "What are you doing?"

"That account ending in 8892 is in 'Ethan's' hands. So right now, in front of millions of people — send one cent to that account."

The corner of my mouth lifted into something cold and sharp.

"Put in the note: 'Ethan — I'm watching the stream. Come find me.'"

"Whoever's phone goes off — that's your 'Ethan.'"