Cassandra “Cass” DuPont wasn’t just a financial expert—she was a walking, talking nightmare for tax loopholes, embezzlers, and corporate fraudsters.

  She started her career in high-stakes forensic accounting, working for a major financial crime division that investigated money laundering and white-collar crime. Her job? Finding where the bodies were buried—financially speaking.

  She had uncovered multi-million-dollar embezzlement schemes, traced hidden offshore accounts, and once made a CEO cry in a deposition by casually outlining how he’d committed three separate types of fraud.

  Her career was thriving until she made the mistake of humiliating the wrong billionaire.

  Suddenly, her cases started getting reassigned. Her emails weren’t answered. Then, one day, she came into work to find out her entire division had been “restructured.”

  Which was corporate-speak for: you pissed off someone powerful, so now we’re throwing you under the bus.

  After that, Cass bounced between jobs, doing consulting work while also taking freelance financial “fixer” gigs—tracking down missing money, auditing “too perfect” accounts, and exposing corporate BS wherever she found it.

  She’d spent years playing by the rules. But after what happened to her?

  Now?

  She was willing to work for the highest bidder.

  When Soi’s job posting popped up on her radar, Cass was in between contracts, debating whether to take a corporate cleanup gig or track down a cryptobro running a Ponzi scheme.

  And then she saw the listing.

  The description was vague, but the salary was insane. She had no idea who ‘Lucky Star Ventures’ was, but $100,000+ for financial work?

  That was either a trap or the best damn job offer she’d ever seen.

  Curious, she called the number listed.

  Soi’s phone buzzed. He picked up. “Hello?”

  A smooth, professional voice answered. “Hi. I’m calling about the financial analyst position. This is Cassandra DuPont.”

  Soi blinked. “That was… fast.”

  Cass chuckled. “What can I say? I have a sixth sense for highly suspicious job offers.”

  Soi immediately liked her. “Alright, Do you have a few minutes to meet in person?”

  “Absolutely,” she said. “Where?”

  Soi checked the time. “We’re at a breakfast place downtown. Are you available right now?”

  Cass smirked. “I’ll be there in twenty.”

  Exactly twenty minutes later, Cass walked into the diner.

  She was tall, effortlessly put-together, and dressed in a sharp black blazer, a silk blouse, and tailored slacks—the kind of outfit that screamed competence and controlled destruction.

  Her hair was a sleek chestnut brown, pulled into a practical ponytail, and her dark green eyes swept over the room with laser precision.

  When she spotted Maluck, Soi, and Chloe in their very casual, questionable outfits, she raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

  Instead, she slid into the booth across from Soi, folded her hands, and smiled.

  “So. You’re the ones who need a financial ninja?”

  Maluck grinned. “Yep. That’s us. Welcome to Lucky Star.”

  Cass glanced around. “I notice there’s… no office.”

  “We work remotely,” Soi said smoothly.

  She smirked. “Right. And by ‘remotely,’ you mean out of a diner and wherever else you happen to be?”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Basically,” Chloe said, popping a fry into her mouth.

  Maluck said, “Alright, Cass, why don’t you give us a quick rundown of who you are? I see you brought your resume.”

  She passed out copies to everyone and started going over her experience.

  Maluck, however, didn’t even bother reading it. He was relying on one thing—his scammer radar. It didn’t go off, so she was good to go.

  He looked at Soi. “Soi, is this someone you think you could work with?”

  Soi nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “Alright then, Cass, let’s tell you about us,” Maluck said.

  Then he explained Lucky Star Ventures.

  “Basically,” he said, “Lucky Star Ventures is me and Chloe. Soi works in the background. He’d be your partner, if you took the job. We have ways of making money that aren’t exactly normal.”

  Cass narrowed her eyes. “Hold on—I’m not working for something illegal. I’ve spent my whole life fighting corruption, so yeah. Thanks for your time.”

  She was about to stand up when Maluck held up a hand.

  “No, no, wait,” he said. “We’re not doing anything illegal.”

  Cass slowly sat back down. “But what you’re doing is… what?”

  Maluck grinned. “Odd.”

  Soi nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ve been working with them for a while. It’s odd, but it’s not illegal.”

  Maluck leaned forward. “My first big payday came from gambling—straight-up roulette. Then I sold a comic book for $200,000.”

  Cass’s eyes widened slightly.

  Maluck continued, pulling out his roll of cash. “I’ve also cashed in a few lucky lottery tickets. And yesterday, a new friend sold me a car for one dollar.”

  Cass raised an eyebrow. “A car for a dollar? Really? What kind of car?”

  Maluck pointed outside. “That one.”

  Cass followed his gesture to the Hellburst parked outside and let out a low whistle. “Wow. Must be a really good friend.”

  Chloe smirked. “Yep. Sure is.”

  Maluck spread his hands. “So, as you can see, what we do is odd, but not illegal.”

  Soi chimed in. “My job is to make sure all the paperwork is handled properly. Taxes, legal filings, making sure everything is above board.”

  Maluck turned to Cass. “Your job—if you take it—is to work with Soi. To be his partner on the other side of the balance books.”

  Cass thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

  “Oh. I get it.”

  ***

  Chloe popped in at this point, tilting her head. “I still don’t get it. Why do we need to hire her? I mean, Maluck was just looking for somebody to help him file paperwork for his car. Isn’t Soi already enough for the paperwork stuff? Won't the two of you overlap?”

  Soi jumped in.

  “Not exactly.” He gestured between himself and Cassandra. “Our roles complement each other, but they don’t overlap. She’s the offense to my defence. She’ll help make sure we don’t get screwed.”

  Chloe frowned. “Wait, so if Soi is running the books and Cass is making sure we don’t get screwed, I don’t get it. What exactly is she doing all day? There’s only four of us.”

  Cass smirked. “You think financial work is just sitting around counting money?”

  Chloe shrugged. “I mean, kinda?”

  Soi sighed. “This is why you don’t manage the budget.”

  Cass leaned forward, tapping the table. “Alright, let me paint you a picture. You guys are constantly making money in weird ways. One day it’s roulette, the next day it’s a rare comic book, then it’s ‘oh hey, I got a muscle car for a dollar.’ That kind of erratic income raises red flags. My job is to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  Maluck nodded. “Right, so she launders the money.”

  Cass rolled her eyes. “No, dumbass. I structure it properly so nobody thinks we’re up to something illegal.”

  Chloe looked skeptical. “That doesn’t sound like a full-time job.”

  Cass smirked. “You’d be surprised. Every deposit, investment, and withdrawal? I make sure it doesn’t trigger audits or unwanted attention. I also track money that goes in and out of Lucky Star, so we know if something fishy is happening. If someone tries to screw us—whether it’s a business partner, a scammer, or a ‘trustworthy’ financial institution—I shut that down fast. And if Maluck decides to randomly buy something insane, I make sure it doesn’t bankrupt the whole operation.”

  Soi nodded. “Basically, she’s a buffer between us and financial disaster.”

  Maluck grinned. “I do tend to cause a lot of those.”

  Chloe still looked doubtful. “So you just… watch money all day?”

  Cass smirked. “No, I also dig into people’s financial histories, expose fraud, and find new opportunities. When you guys stumble into cash, I figure out how to multiply it instead of letting it sit in a dumb roll of cash in Maluck’s pocket.”

  Soi pointed at Maluck. “By the way, stop carrying that much cash.”

  Maluck sighed. “Maybe.”

  Chloe finally nodded. “Okay, I get it now. You’re like… our money bodyguard.”

  Cass grinned. “Exactly.”

  Soi exhaled. “And that is why we need her.”

  Maluck leaned back, rubbing his temples. “Alright, great. This is all fantastic. But who do I tell to handle all this car registration and insurance crap?”

  Soi and Cass exchanged a look.

  Then, at the exact same time—

  “Not it.”

  Maluck groaned. “Oh, come on!”

  Cass smirked. “I deal with financial crime, not car paperwork.”

  Soi shook his head. “And I deal with big picture finances, not filing insurance claims.”

  Chloe snickered. “So, uh… who’s actually handling it?”

  Maluck sighed, then turned to Cass. “Okay, hypothetically, if I were to dump this on you, what would you do?”

  Cass exhaled, clearly humoring him. “First, I’d find an insurance broker that specializes in high-value muscle cars—not some random budget policy that’ll screw you over the second you file a claim. Then, I’d make sure it’s properly registered under Lucky Star so it qualifies as a business expense and doesn’t become a tax headache. After that, I’d look into security options, because let’s be real—you’re probably already attracting eyeballs, and muscle cars get stolen all the time.”

  Maluck blinked. “That sounds perfect.”

  Cass folded her arms. “Yeah. And you know what else?”

  “…What?”

  “That sounds like a personal assistant’s job.”

  Maluck groaned. “Oh, for fucks sake….fine. Soi, add ‘get me a personal assistant’ to the hiring list.”

  Soi grinned. “See? Now you’re finally acting like a real rich guy.”

  ***