C259 Betrayal

Ben stood frozen in the living room, his eyes fixed on the notification on his phone. Withdrawal Successful: $200,000. Location: Airport Branch. His breathing became heavier with every passing second. "No..." "That can't be..." He immediately dialed Natalie's number again. The phone didn't even ring. The number you are trying to reach is unavailable. Ben's heart sank. He tried again. The same message greeted him.

His hands trembled violently. "Natalie..." "What are you doing?" Without another thought, he grabbed his car keys from the table and rushed outside. Just as he reached the front entrance, Kelvin and Tracy were walking back into the house after returning from the bank. Tracy smiled. "Ben, weren't you supposed to be resting? Where are you going in such a hurry?" Ben didn't even stop. "I'll explain later!" Before either of them could ask another question, he jumped into his car.

The tyres screeched loudly as he sped out of the driveway. Kelvin frowned. "What happened?" Tracy slowly took out her phone. "It couldn't have something to do with the money... could it?" The two exchanged worried looks before hurrying inside. Ben drove as fast as he could toward the airport. His mind was in complete chaos. "No..." "Natalie wouldn't do that." "She wouldn't betray me." "There must be another explanation." "Maybe someone stole her card." "Maybe someone forced her."

He kept convincing himself that there had to be another reason. Soon... He arrived at the airport. Without bothering to park properly, he jumped out of the car and ran toward the departure terminal. His eyes searched every direction desperately. People walked in and out carrying luggage. Families hugged each other goodbye. Businessmen hurried toward security checkpoints. But... Natalie was nowhere to be seen. Ben's breathing became uneven. "No..." He immediately changed direction and rushed toward the airport bank.

The moment he entered, several customers turned to look at him. Ignoring everyone, he hurried to the reception counter. A young female assistant smiled politely. "Good afternoon, sir." "How may I help you?" Ben quickly unlocked his phone and placed it on the counter. "Miss..." "I need to know who processed this withdrawal." The assistant looked at the notification before raising her head. "I'm sorry, sir." "I wasn't the one who handled this transaction." She pointed toward another counter across the room. "It was my colleague over there."

Ben didn't waste another second. He hurried across the banking hall toward the male assistant. "Sir..." The employee looked up. "Yes?" Ben held out his phone. "Do you remember this transaction?" The assistant studied the details before nodding. "Yes." "I do." Ben immediately leaned forward. "Who withdrew the money?" The assistant looked confused by Ben's urgency. "A beautiful young lady." "She said she was on a business trip and needed cash to finalise an agreement with her company." "So I processed the withdrawal."

Ben's face turned pale. "How long ago?" The assistant checked the transaction history on his computer. "Around forty minutes ago." He looked back at Ben. "The notification on your phone also shows approximately forty minutes." "Is there a problem, sir?" Ben swallowed hard. "What was she wearing?" The assistant frowned. "I'm sorry." "I honestly don't remember." "There were many customers today."

Ben clenched his fists. He refused to give up. "Does this bank have surveillance cameras?" The assistant blinked. "Of course." Only then did suspicion appear on his face. He slowly stood up. "Sir..." "Has a theft occurred?" Ben nodded bitterly. "Yes." "I believe I was robbed." The assistant immediately became serious. "Please follow me." The two quickly walked toward the security office. Inside the surveillance room... Several security officers greeted the bank employee. "What happened?"

The assistant explained briefly. "This customer believes money was stolen." "We need to review the footage." One of the guards immediately began searching through the recordings. Within minutes... The relevant footage appeared on the screen. Ben stared without blinking. There she was. Natalie. She was wearing exactly the same clothes she had worn when he dropped her off at the shopping mall earlier.

She smiled naturally as she approached the counter. She chatted calmly with the bank employee. She signed the withdrawal documents. Moments later... The assistant handed her a large suitcase. Natalie accepted it without hesitation. She thanked the employee politely before walking out of the bank. The camera followed her only until she disappeared through the exit doors. That was all.

Ben continued staring at the frozen image on the monitor. No one spoke. The security officers quietly looked at each other. One of them finally broke the silence. "Sir..." "Do you know that woman?" Ben answered in a hollow voice. "...She is my girlfriend." The room became silent again. The assistant lowered his head awkwardly. "I'm sorry, sir." "I truly believed she was telling the truth." Ben forced a weak smile. "This isn't your fault." "You simply did your job."

The painful reality finally settled into his heart. Natalie hadn't been forced. No one had stolen her bank card. No one had threatened her. She had planned everything. She had gained his trust... Opened a joint account with him... Waited patiently for the money... And disappeared. Ben slowly closed his eyes. The memories of the past few weeks flashed before him one after another. Their conversations. Her promises.

The excitement of opening the casino together. Looking at warehouses. Holding her hand. Dreaming about their future. Every single memory suddenly felt like a carefully planned lie. He lowered his head as a bitter laugh escaped his lips. "So..." "I was nothing more than a fool." For the first time since leaving prison... Ben truly understood what betrayal felt like. And it hurt far more than any prison sentence ever could.

He swore to himself. "Natalie no matter where you go I will find you." "You don't know how ruthless I am." I will kill you." He slowly went back to his car and drove back to his family. The regrets hit him harder especially the words Sarah told him when he announced to everyone that he opened a joint account. He asked himself "Am I really stupid?" "So my sister was not lying."