160: Her help - Part 1

Daniel strode out of the loan shark's office clutching a briefcase filled with cash, a newfound sense of confidence surging through him. This is it, he thought. The turning point. I'll rebuild my company, my reputation, and my life.

The funds were deployed swiftly. Daniel poured money into overdue contracts, employee salaries, and operational needs, all with the aim of stabilizing his crumbling empire. At first, it seemed to work. 

The phone calls from creditors stopped, his employees were placated, and for the first time in months, Daniel slept soundly.

But his relief was short-lived.

Within days, strange anomalies began surfacing in his accounts. Payments he had authorized didn't reach their destinations. A supplier who had been paid in full claimed to have received nothing.