Chapter 8

"Annie, don't worry. I'm only after Shirley’s money. I never cared about her," Mike said.

"That woman has nothing going for her except her cash. I was only with her to pass the time. You're the one I really love."

Mike's heartfelt confession made several of our colleagues frown.

Mike, seething with anger, tried to snatch my phone. I wasn't quick enough, and he tossed it right out the window.

He gave me a smug look. "Shirley, how shameless can you be? Using AI-generated audio to smear me like this!"

"Do you think everyone's that gullible, that they'd believe your lies because of a fake recording?"

My spineless colleagues seemed convinced by his denial, leaning toward his side.

Thinking I was out of evidence, Mike brought up the lottery ticket again. This time, he claimed that he had picked the winning numbers himself and had only temporarily entrusted the ticket to me.

He said that by hiding the winnings from him and acting on my own, I had stolen his money. Now, he was demandin