Chapter 29: Adrian Disappeared
829 Words
Olivia's platform stopped withdrawals on a Monday.
Not all at once.
That would have been too honest.
First, there was a system maintenance notice.
Dear valued investor, due to banking channel upgrades, withdrawals will be temporarily delayed.
Then customer service replied slowly.
Then not at all.
Then the app crashed whenever users opened the account balance page.
Olivia called Adrian.
He answered the first time.
"Don't panic," he told her. "This happens with private funds. Large settlements trigger compliance checks."
His voice was calm.
So she tried to be calm.
The second day, he sent her a screenshot of his own supposed account, showing an even larger balance locked in review.
"I'm in this too," he said. "Would I hurt myself?"
That question comforted her.
It should have frightened her.
The third day, he told her he needed to fly to another city to speak to the fund manager directly.
"For us," he said.
For us.
Two words that make smart people stupid when they want to be chosen.
Olivia gave him another fifty thousand for "urgent liquidity handling."
I learned that part later.
At the time, I only knew something had gone wrong because she called me for the first time in weeks.
I was at the business registration office, waiting in line with Nora. We had just submitted the documents for NE Growth Consulting.
My phone vibrated.
Olivia.
I stared at the screen.
Nora saw the name.
"Answer if you need to."
"I don't know if I need to."
"Then answer and find out."
Practical as always.
I stepped aside.
"Hello."
Olivia's voice was tight.
"Ethan, did you ever look into Adrian's fund registration?"
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
"Yes."
"What did you find?"
"I told you before."
"Tell me again."
Behind me, the registration office called another number. People shuffled forward. Nora remained near the counter, holding our folder.
"The company was too new. The return structure made no sense. The risk terms were vague. The so-called management firm had no serious public record."
Olivia's breathing grew uneven.
"Could there be another explanation?"
"Maybe."
"What?"
"That the documents were fake in a more creative way than I thought."
"Ethan!"
"What do you want me to say?"
Her voice cracked.
"I can't withdraw."
I looked through the office window at the busy street outside.
People walking.
Cars honking.
A man selling fruit from the back of a tricycle.
The world did not slow down for personal disasters.
"How much did you put in?" I asked.
Silence.
"Olivia."
"More than I should have."
"How much?"
She started crying.
Not loudly.
Quietly, like she was trying to hide from herself.
"The car money. The savings. A loan."
I tightened my grip on the phone.
"Did you mortgage the apartment?"
More silence.
My stomach turned cold.
"Olivia."
"Only a second loan. Adrian said it would be short-term."
I leaned against the wall.
For a moment, I was back in the apartment, warning her while Adrian smiled on my sofa.
Ask him where the money goes.
Ask him why the registration is wrong.
Ask him.
She had called me jealous.
"Where is Adrian now?" I asked.
"On a flight."
"To where?"
"He said North City."
"Did he send a ticket?"
"No."
"Hotel?"
"No."
"Office contact?"
"He said he would update me."
I exhaled slowly.
"Go to the police."
"Not yet."
"Olivia."
"If I report it and it turns out to be a misunderstanding, everything will be ruined."
I almost laughed.
Even now.
Even standing at the edge of ruin, she was protecting the fantasy from reality.
"It is already ruined," I said.
"You don't know that."
"Then why did you call me?"
She had no answer.
Behind me, Nora called my name.
Our number had been called.
I looked at her.
She held up the folder, waiting.
A beginning in one hand.
An old disaster in the other.
"Olivia," I said, "I am registering my company right now. I cannot solve this for you."
The crying stopped.
"Your company?"
"Yes."
"You started a company?"
"Yes."
There was something in the silence that followed.
Shock.
Maybe hurt.
Maybe the first crack in the story where I remained poor and broken without her.
"Ethan," she whispered.
"Go to the police," I said again. "And do not send him another cent."
Then I ended the call.
My hand shook slightly.
Nora noticed when I returned.
"Bad?"
"Very."
"Hers?"
"Yes."
She looked at me for a moment.
"Can you fix it?"
"No."
"Then sign."
She handed me the pen.
I looked down at the registration form.
Company Name: NE Growth Consulting.
Legal Representative: Ethan Zhou.
My name looked different there than it had on the divorce agreement.
Not removed.
Not accused.
Responsible.
I signed.
Outside the office, Olivia called Adrian again.
His phone was off.
By evening, his apartment was empty.
By midnight, the office address on his business card had been cleared out.
By morning, Olivia finally understood.
Adrian Shen had disappeared.
- Writer
