“No big deal, I’ll buy you a new one. Miss, may I ask your name?” Jacob said heartily, thumping his chest. I covered my mouth with a soft laugh. “My name’s Helena. And you are?” That laugh nearly stole Jacob’s soul. Beaming, he said, “I’m Jacob, Finance Manager at Lawson Corp.” I nearly laughed out loud. Did this sleazy mix of creep and player really think flashing his fancy job title would make a girl throw herself at him? What a delusional idiot. “It’s getting late; I’ve got things to do, so I should get going.” I glanced at my watch with a worried look. “As for the phone, I broke it myself. I’ll just buy a new one later; don’t worry about it.” Seeing that his position meant absolutely nothing to me, Jacob grew flustered. “No way, part of this is my fault. At the very least, let me pay half. Otherwise my conscience won’t sit right!” I “hesitated” for a moment before replying, “Then… why don’t you add me on Twitter? Once I get a new phone, you can just transfer me half the money.” Jacob wasn’t thrilled, but when he realized he’d get to add me on Twitter, his eyes lit up. In the end, he nodded. Catching a creep like him took patience—and careful bait. I gave him a phone number—of course, it was a spare one I’d prepared long ago. Even if he tried to dig for my info, he wouldn’t find a thing. Once that was done, I smiled and waved goodbye. Even after I turned the corner and climbed into Aiden’s car, Jacob was still standing there, dazed, staring off in the direction I’d gone. A quick look at my phone showed he’d already sent multiple Twitter friend requests. I shook my phone at Aiden with a triumphant grin. “Hooked!” I deliberately waited until evening before accepting Jacob’s friend request. By then, he’d sent dozens more. Message after message poured in, each one dripping with nauseatingly cheesy lines. I wanted to gag, but I forced myself to hold it together and typed a message on Twitter: “The new phone cost about 825 dollars. You only need to transfer me 413.”Moments later, a notification lit up my screen—a transfer for 4,130 dollars. I replied with a long, drawn-out question mark. “Miss, I must’ve hit an extra zero by mistake. Sorry about that! But really, I don’t need the money back. Just keep it.” I gave a cold little laugh and typed back: “Well… all right then. In that case, let me buy you dinner tomorrow; a few meals can count as paying off the debt.” The reply delighted him. He shot back two smiley faces, practically giddy. Hmph. Let’s see how long that smile lasts. The next day was Saturday. I arrived early at the place we’d agreed on. Aiden, of course, refused to let me go alone and followed along. “I’ll sit behind you,” he said. I rolled my eyes. “You seriously think I can’t handle one sleazebag?” “It’s not worry, it’s care. Any wolf other than me is trouble.” As Jacob approached, I quickly put some distance between Aiden and me, then greeted him with a smile. “You’re here, Mr. Jacob.” The moment Jacob laid eyes on me, his expression turned ridiculous—half awe, half lechery. I was wearing a short white sundress with heels, my figure on full display. No way he wasn’t going to lose his mind. He all but drooled; he had to suck it back in before he managed to say, “Yes, Ms. Helena. So, what’s for lunch?” “I wasn’t sure what kind of food you like, so I picked a restaurant nearby. I hope it won’t disappoint you.” Jacob scanned the menu, nodding eagerly. “Of course not.” I’d chosen the restaurant carefully—affordable prices, a humble, sincere vibe that would make me seem broke but genuine. Perfect for lulling him into dropping his guard. I ordered a few simple dishes, then eased us into small talk. “Mr. Jacob, aren’t you working today?” Then I put on a little flustered smile. “Oh—sorry, I forgot it’s the weekend.” The persona I’d built was that of a silly, clueless beauty—careless words, ditzy behavior, the whole package. Jacob’s grin widened, his eyes practically glowing. “No worries. Even on a workday, if Ms. Helena asked me out, I’d come without hesitation.” I frowned slightly. “But isn’t your work busy on weekdays?” “Not at all. Just tallying up accounts, running a few calculations. Easy stuff.” I nodded with a sweet smile. “So that means you know every detail of Lawson Corp’s books inside and out?” “Of course. I’m the one who makes them. Naturally I know.” I propped my chin in my hand, my face full of admiration that was just shy of worship. “Wow, that’s amazing. I studied accounting too, but I can never get the books right; my boss is always yelling at me.” Jacob leaned forward immediately. “Don’t worry, if there’s anything you don’t understand, I’ll teach you.” I widened my eyes in delight. “Really?” But I quickly tamped it down, pouting in mock defeat. “But I’m so hopeless… maybe you could let me look at your ledgers, and teach me step by step?” The moment I mentioned his ledgers, Jacob’s expression faltered. But when I clasped my soft hands together and asked if he could teach me one-on-one, his eyes lit right back up.