Chapter 38: The Finale

Jake groggily rolled out of bed on Monday morning, the early light shining through the curtains. He stretched his arms high above his head, feeling the satisfying pull of muscles waking up from slumber. After a refreshing shower that washed away the last traces of sleep, he dressed in his usual crisp attire. The kitchen filled with the fragrance of freshly brewed coffee as he prepared a simple breakfast. He flicked on the television to the financial channel and nearly spit out his coffee when he saw his stepfather’s face displayed on the screen. The headline scrolling across the bottom read: “BREAKING: FRANKLIN BOWER MISSING AMID ALLEGATIONS OF MASSIVE FINANCIAL FRAUD.”

Jake fumbled for the remote, turning up the volume as the news anchor continued, “The financial world was rocked this morning when it was discovered that Franklin Bower, CEO of Bower Investments, has apparently disappeared along with billions of dollars from client accounts. Authorities are calling it one of the largest embezzlement schemes in history. Bower was last seen Saturday night at a lavish party at his private estate before disappearing. His wife, Victoria Bower, issued a statement claiming she had no knowledge of her husband’s activities...”

Jake’s phone rang shrilly, startling him from his stunned trance.

He muted the television and answered. “Hello,” his voice tight and shaky.

“Jacob,” his mother’s voice sounded eerily controlled. “Have you seen the news?”

“I’m watching it now. What the fuck is going on?” Jake blurted out.

“Language, young man,” Victoria admonished, and Jake rolled his eyes before she continued. “I was rudely awakened in the middle of the night by the police with a warrant. They have been rifling through your father’s office for hours,” Jake cringed at the word father, but didn’t correct her. “They are saying Franklin emptied the accounts and vanished. They think he’s fled the country.” Her voice cracked slightly. “They found ... things on his computer, Jacob. Disgusting things. Photos of young women. And records of transactions. They are saying that it looks like he has been planning this for months.”

Jake shook his head, his mind reeling. “I ... I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s nothing to say,” Victoria replied, her voice empty. “The police will likely want to question you. I told them you had no involvement in Franklin’s business affairs.”

Jake rubbed his temple, feeling a headache forming. “Of course I didn’t. I barely spoke to the man.”

“Well, they may contact you anyway.” Victoria’s tone stiffened. “I need to go. The lawyers are here.”

The line went quiet before Jake could respond. He stared at his phone, his appetite completely gone, trying to process what he’d just heard. His stepfather, a man he’d never particularly liked but grudgingly respected for his business acumen, had apparently run an elaborate fraud scheme right under everyone’s noses. And now he was gone, along with billions of dollars.

Jake glanced at his watch and realized he needed to leave for work. He listened to the radio on his drive; the story was all over the airwaves. Financial pundits speculated about where Franklin might have gone, how long he’d been planning this, and the devastating impact on investors. One commentator mentioned that several charities had lost their entire endowments.

Jake’s stomach churned with shock and disgust. He hadn’t been close to his stepfather, but he never imagined he could be so callous. The man had always been obsessed with appearances and status—how could he throw it all away like this?

As the elevator rose, Jake tried to steady his racing thoughts. The small, metallic space felt constricting, intensifying his anxiety with each floor it passed. He had nothing to do with this tangled mess, yet a nagging sense of guilt persisted at the edges of his mind.

As he approached the locker room door, he absentmindedly pressed his keycard to the reader, not noticing the panel remained dark and unresponsive. With a quick yank, he opened the door and went inside. He quickly got undressed and made his way into the office. Silence surrounded him, heavy and uneasy. It took a moment for his brain to register how strange the scene was. He stood there, completely nude, in what should have been a familiar hallway, but something was off. The walls that had formerly been decorated with vivid artwork were now bare, showing only empty picture hooks and the lonely outlines where frames once hung.

“What the fuck?” he uttered before spinning around and dashing toward Emily’s office. He slammed the door open, only to find it eerily empty. A shudder ran down his spine as he hurried to Rachel’s office, only to find another void. Jessica’s office, Shayla’s—they were all the same, vacant. Each room was stark—no desks, no computers —as if the entire office had been wiped from existence. He staggered into what had previously been Margaret’s corner office, the sense of dread mounting as he felt on the verge of a panic attack. The room that had radiated authority and class was now a mere empty husk, gutted of its former grandeur. The stately mahogany desk, the plush leather chairs, the opulent artwork—all gone, leaving just faint outlines. The remnants were haunting echoes of a reality that now seemed like nothing more than a fevered dream.

Jake trudged toward his office, foreboding eating him as he anticipated the scene waiting beyond the door. Inside, he found the room empty; it had been stripped of any sign he had ever worked there. A flicker of reflected light captured his attention—a glint dancing off an object sitting on the windowsill. He moved closer and saw Naomi’s stainless-steel butt-plug used as a paperweight holding down a folded piece of paper. Jake extracted the paper from beneath the plug, inadvertently sending the metallic object tumbling. It rolled across the floor in a languid, lazy circle, the jewel catching the light and throwing a kaleidoscope of violet on the bare walls.

Jake’s hands shook as he unfolded the note and recognized Jessica’s elegant, flowing handwriting.

Jake,

By the time you read this, we will be long gone. I’m sorry for the deception, but it was necessary. You were never meant to be hurt; you were merely a means to an end.

We were hired to divert the funds and craft an intricate illusion that Franklin had embezzled the money and vanished from the country. The authorities will undoubtedly launch a relentless investigation to track him down, but I deeply doubt they’ll ever succeed.

You were chosen for who you are - the estranged stepson with security access and intimate knowledge of the estate. From the extensive profile we had of you, we knew that nudity and sex were the best way to manipulate you into what we required. Through your sessions with Dr. Caldwell, you were programmed with trigger phrases that allowed us to use you without your knowledge or consent. You won’t remember turning off the security systems or installing the program that emptied the accounts, but you performed admirably.