Lisa decides to surprise her boyfriend, Max, only to find herself at the doorstep of his wife, Kate. The two women become allies to seek revenge on Max, but as their plan unfolds, Lisa finds herself stuck in yet another web of deception.

As the sun set over the city, Lisa, a 28-year-old lawyer, emerged from her office to find her fiancé, Max, waiting by his car with a bouquet. Though just three months old, their relationship was already deep, and they were set to tie the knot soon.

“These are for you,” Max smiled, handing Lisa the flowers.

“Thank you! They’re beautiful,” Lisa responded, her eyes lighting up.

As they settled in his car, Max turned to Lisa, his eyes glinting with pride and affection. “Let me see the engagement ring again,” he said with a playful tone. “I want to see how well it suits you.”

As Lisa extended her hand, Max noticed an antique ring on one of her fingers. “What’s this other ring?” he asked.

“It’s a family heirloom,” Lisa explained.

“Looks very expensive,” he said as they drove away.

Lisa nodded, a hint of pride in her voice. “Yes, it’s valuable but precious to me as a memory.”

Max then revealed his father was hospitalized and needed an expensive surgery. He confessed his funds were tied up in a startup, leaving him unable to afford the surgery. He was a businessman and invested in innovative startups.

“How much do you need? Maybe I can help?” Lisa asked.

“Everything included… $50,000.”

Lisa hesitated. “I… don’t have that kind of money.”

“Weren’t you saving up for a house? I’ll repay you once I get the money from the startup.”

Lisa bit her lip, considering. “I’ll think about it. I’m sure we can find a solution to gather such a large amount.”

Max nodded, a grateful smile on his face. “Alright, thank you.”

Suddenly, Max’s phone rang, and he answered. As he ended the call, he said it was his housekeeper informing him of a flood in his basement. He expressed regret to Lisa, “I’m sorry, but I have to go handle this. I can’t attend dinner with your parents.”

Lisa felt a mix of understanding and disappointment. “I know it’s important, but I’m still sad about you missing the dinner. How about tomorrow? We can reschedule.”

Max looked apologetic. “I’m truly sorry, Lisa. This was unexpected. It will take longer, so I don’t think I’ll be able to make time tomorrow.”

Their drive continued, marked by a blend of concern for Max’s father and the flooded house and Lisa’s disappointment over the disrupted plans.

At a red light, Lisa decided to leave Max’s car. “I think I’ll get out here,” she said firmly.

“What? Why?” Max asked, surprised.

“I need time to think about things. You have your house to deal with,” Lisa replied, stepping out into the bustling city.

Lisa walked briskly, her thoughts swirling, and decided to visit her parents. At their house, she recounted the evening’s events, expressing her confusion and hurt.

Tom, her father, suggested, “Why don’t you make a surprise visit to Max? It might help. All couples argue, darling.”

“I don’t know where he lives,” Lisa admitted, embarrassed.

“I can find out for you,” Tom offered. Lisa knew her father had resources and contacts from his years in the police force that could help. Soon, he returned with Max’s address on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

Lisa immediately visited him. After a deep breath, she rang the doorbell, and a woman answered the door.

“You must be Max’s housekeeper? Is Max home?” Lisa asked.

“No, I’m his wife, Kate. And you are?” the woman responded.

“I’m Lisa…his fiancée,” Lisa stammered, shocked.

“Fiancée? Is this some kind of joke? He’s married!” Kate disclosed, showing her wedding ring.

Confused and hurt, Lisa showed her engagement ring. “He never said he was married. I didn’t know,” she explained.

Kate, angry, accused Lisa of seducing her husband and began throwing objects at her.

“Get out of here and never come near my husband again,” Kate shouted, her face red with anger.

Before Lisa could say another word, Kate slammed the door in her face.

Sitting outside Max’s house, Lisa cried, feeling betrayed. Soon after, Kate joined her with wine, apologizing for her reaction.

“This jerk cheated on both of us,” Kate said bitterly, revealing they had been married for seven years. They shared wine in silence.

Lisa apologized, explaining she didn’t know Max was married. Kate, surprised, listened as Lisa revealed Max had demanded $50,000 for his father’s treatment.

“His father died five years ago,” Kate said, shocked at the deception. “You know what? It’s high time we confront that scumbag!”

Deciding to confront Max, Kate called him, and he said he had to stop by his office for some work. Flooding of the house was just a lie, Lisa thought.

When Kate and Lisa arrived at his office, he was not there. Max’s guard recognized Kate, so she and Lisa had no problem in entering. Taking advantage of the situation, the two women searched his workspace and discovered loan statements in Kate’s name, a mortgaged house, and fake passports with different names for Max.

“So his name isn’t even Max,” Kate said, her fake marriage exposed.

“He might have been planning to scam you for your money,” Lisa suggested.

Kate was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. “And in three days, we were supposed to go to Chicago for an auction. Max convinced me to sell a painting I love.” She stopped, realizing she had said too much.

“What auction?” Lisa asked, curious.

“Never mind, we won’t be going now. There are more important things,” Kate said, brushing off the question.

Lisa looked at the fake passports. “With these, we can just hand him over to the police.”

“That’s too easy, plus he’ll have time to escape. I want to see his face when he realizes he’s lost everything,” Kate said, her voice hard. “Transfer the money to him,” she suggested, “and we’ll track where he withdraws it with the police.”

“I’m saving for a house, and I don’t want to lose everything,” Lisa hesitated.

“Do you want to put him behind bars?” Kate asked, her gaze intense.

Lisa nodded, “Yes, I do.”

“Let’s do the transfer, then.”

***

Lisa called Max and arranged a lunch. “Hey, Max,” Lisa said, her voice carefully neutral. “Would you like to meet for lunch today?”

“Sure, Lisa. I can come by your place and pick you up. How about in an hour?” Max’s voice was casual.

After the call, Kate’s phone rang. “It’s Max,” she whispered to Lisa.

“Hello?” she answered coldly.

“Hey, Kate,” Max said. “I’m going to be late coming home. Don’t wait for me.”

“Okay, Max,” Kate replied, her voice steady.

At lunch, Lisa initiated the transfer. “Max, I’ve decided to give you the money for your father’s treatment.”

“Really? Lisa, that’s… thank you so much,” Max said, his face lighting up.

Lisa forced a smile, her heart aching. After the transfer, they finished their meal in silence, Max oblivious to the trap set for him.

After lunch, they drove to Lisa’s house. Max asked to use her bathroom before leaving. Lisa, feeling anxious, agreed. After he left, she called Kate but got no answer.

Sensing something was off, Lisa visited Kate and Max’s house, only to find it eerily empty. It was then she realized they had run away together. Panicking, Lisa called her father.

“Dad, I’ve been scammed. Max and Kate took all my savings and ran away,” Lisa explained to Tom.

“Oh, Lisa, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Tom replied, concerned. “Do you know where they might have gone?”

“No, Dad. It’s like they vanished,” Lisa said, distressed.

Tom, a seasoned policeman, admitted tracing the money would be nearly impossible. “I understand how you feel, Lisa, and I promise we’ll do everything we can. But these con artists are very clever and usually cover their tracks well.”

Feeling betrayed and hurt, Lisa returned home. Suddenly, she realized she wasn’t wearing her family heirloom. Lisa rushed to the bathroom, as she often took her rings off before showering, but it wasn’t there. She searched her entire house for the ring but couldn’t find it anywhere. Then, she recalled Max. He had stolen it when he came to the house on the pretext of using her bathroom.

Memories of the ring passed down through generations in her family filled her mind. It was more than a piece of jewelry. The thought of Max taking it, probably to sell it off to the highest bidder, filled her with a mix of anger and sadness.

Then, Lisa remembered the auction Kate had mentioned. Lisa’s mind raced as she considered the ring possibly being there. She opened her laptop and began searching online for any auctions happening soon.

Lisa scoured websites and auction house listings, but nothing came up. It had to be an underground auction that wouldn’t be advertised publicly.

Lisa, determined to retrieve her stolen family ring, contacted a client well-versed with such auctions. He helped her gain access to the only underground auction in Chicago.

***

Lisa, disguised, arrived at the event and saw Kate on stage with her ring. “That’s my ring. It’s not what she’s saying. It’s completely ordinary,” Lisa whispered to a woman nearby, who dismissed her claim.

As the bidding escalated, Lisa desperately kept up, her heart pounding with each increase. Finally, she won the ring for $300,000.

“How will you be paying today?” Kate asked, her voice faltering slightly.

Lisa stood up, the eyes of the entire room on her. She walked onto the stage amidst a round of polite applause. Standing face to face with Kate, Lisa shouted, “Max will pay for everything.”

At that moment, police officers burst in, causing chaos as they arrested Kate. Lisa watched, a mix of satisfaction and sadness, as her former ‘friend’ was handcuffed.

At the police station following the auction, Lisa watched from behind a one-way mirror as Kate was interrogated. Lisa had her family ring back but felt a bittersweet victory.

Kate appeared defeated. “We can make this easier for you, Kate,” the detective interrogating her said. “But you need to tell us everything. Where is Max?”

Kate hesitated, then agreed, “I’ll tell you where he is, but I want a deal. A reduced sentence.”

She provided an address where Max was hiding. Later, Lisa watched as Max was brought in, his suave demeanor gone. In the interrogation room, the detective confronted him. “You’re in a lot of trouble, Max,” he stated. “Fraud, theft, identity theft. Kate has told us everything.”

Max, realizing his situation, looked defeated. He knew his game was over.

Lisa felt a mix of pain and satisfaction. Max was finally facing consequences for his actions. As she left the police station, she knew she had closure. She was ready to rebuild her life with the lessons she had learned. She stepped into the night, prepared for a new beginning.

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