For six intense weeks, Gabriela used every trick in the book to convince Greg that he was the only man for her and that she was the only one who could ever make him happy. On the seventh week of their whirlwind courtship, Greg asked Gabriela to marry him and presented her with a two-carat diamond ring. Having cleverly played all the angles, she feigned surprise when Greg got down on one knee. Her annoying little fish had taken the bait. She smiled as she slipped the diamond ring onto her finger knowing that one day she’d sell it after she gutted him like a trout.

After exhausting him in bed on their wedding night, he fell asleep and she smiled as she reviewed her situation. Everything was going exactly to plan. I’ve moved to New York, found a home and will soon become a legal resident of the United States. Now, I need to find a job where I can meet some very wealthy men and set myself up for my next chapter.

Several months later, after receiving her new green card, Gabriela applied to every high-end menswear retail store in Manhattan. Responses were few because all her past work experience had been in Mexico. After weeks of job hunting, Thayer and Company, the iconic clothing store, sent Gabriela an email requesting she come in for an interview. Putting on her best outfit, she finished her ensemble with a pair of small 14K gold-hoop earrings, her signature gold GG necklace and two thick, 14K gold bangles, compliments of her dearly departed Mexican gentleman.

Entering the venerable department store, she took a deep breath and looked around. The main room of the large store was loaded with crown molding, brass accents and shiny dark-wood finishes. Everything gleamed. The vast emporium was arranged with orchestrated rows of color. The place smelled rich—a combination of fine leather, musk and money. Several well-dressed, obviously successful men were scattered throughout the store, browsing. She smiled. This was exactly the right place to move her life plan to the next level. A handsome young salesman around Gabriela’s age spotted her by the front door and crossed the main room to wait on her.

“May I help you find something?” he asked, taking in every inch of her.

“I’m here for a job interview,” she said, smiling, displaying all of her sparkly, pearly teeth like a great white shark. Minutes later, Gabriela sat in front of gray-haired sixty-year-old Robert Franklin, Thayer and Co’s regional VP of human resources. Franklin’s eyes lit up the minute Gabriela stepped into his office. While giving his memorized speech about the company, he surreptitiously examined every inch of her body.

Gabriela missed nothing. Before she opened her mouth, she knew she had the job.