Framed for embezzlement by a cunning coworker, a commercial real estate analyst must clear his name before the woman he loves discovers his darkest mistake. 

SYNOPSIS:

Sean Adler is a commercial real estate analyst climbing the corporate ladder in Austin, Texas, while his girlfriend, Emma, begins her medical residency in Leander. As they adjust to life in the suburbs, Emma’s impulsive decision to adopt a rescue dog adds another layer of strain to their already fragile relationship.

At work, Sean is under pressure to secure tenants for a major retail development so the firm can finalize a construction loan. Enter Jen Foster, an effortlessly charming former insurance agent hired to assist with leasing. When Wade, a prospective tenant, won’t negotiate with Sean, Jen suggests that the general contractor could be persuaded to hire his son, a local contractor struggling to find work, if he signs the lease. With the company’s future in jeopardy, Sean turns a blind eye.

A few months later, Sean receives a random letter in the mail from a bank offering him personal portfolio services for his business account. Confused, he discovers nearly a million dollars has been wired into an account for S.S.E. Consulting – the same firm Jen claimed was the structural engineer. Sean realizes that Jen, who “found” his missing driver’s license, opened the account and has been laundering company money through it.

When Sean confronts her, Jen threatens to release a secretly recorded sex video from the night they slept together. If he talks, she’ll send it to Emma, and he’ll be prosecuted for fraud and collusion. Sean seeks legal advice: unless someone else can corroborate Jen’s scheme, he could face prison time. He convinces Wade, who Jen is also blackmailing, to come clean. However, the next day, Sean is suspended on suspicion of embezzlement. Jen reported him and threatened to falsely accuse Wade of sexual harassment after he refused to launder any more of her stolen money.

Sean tells Emma, insisting he’s been framed. Suspicious, she calls Jen, who connivingly offered to dog sit for them before Sean was suspended, subtly deepening Emma’s doubt. Wracked with guilt, Sean assumes Jen showed Emma the sex video and accidentally confesses he cheated on her. Stunned, Emma kicks him out.

Devastated, Sean warns Wade that Jen will destroy both their lives. Wade shows him a list of bank accounts he’s been wiring money to, revealing the scale of Jen’s operation. Sean notices one of the accounts is registered to a Ricardo Garcia in San Antonio. Meanwhile, Jen is notified that the account for S.S.E. Consulting has been frozen due to suspicious activity and attempts to flee the country.

Sean and Wade arrive at the San Antonio address, expecting Ricardo Garcia to be there. Instead, a young girl, whose dad has died, answers the door. Sean and Wade assume Ricardo is a ghost, but to their surprise, “Ricky” is the girl’s eighteen-year-old brother. Desperate, Sean interrogates Ricky, demanding he explain how he knows Jen. Terrified, Ricky admits that his “girlfriend,” who he met online, asked him to open the account. Realizing Ricky’s been catfished, Sean logs in to Ricky’s bank account and uncovers numerous wire transfers to a Cayman account under the name Monique Richards.

A mug shot reveals Jen is Monique Richards, a fugitive wanted for embezzlement and money laundering. Sean alerts the FBI, who intercept her as she tries to board. They chase Jen through the airport until she’s struck by a taxi and arrested.

In the aftermath, Sean reflects on the fallout, hoping Emma will give him a second chance. But when he gets home, Emma is gone, and the house is empty – except for a pile of throw pillows on the floor, a symbol of their shattered relationship.

BUYER BEWARE