Chapter 1: The Thrill of the Chase

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Once upon a time, there was a boy named Harry. He was a young man who moved to America with his brain filled with dreams and stars in his eyes. New York was supposed to be the place where he made his most grandiose wishes come true. But among years of struggle, coupled with an inability to pay his student loans, Harry found himself turning to a world he never thought he belonged in. A world of deceit and crime. And that brings us to today. Unfortunately, the Big Apple had other plans for him...

Camera pans across diamonds, silver and rose and yellow golds. Each piece of jewelry is ripe for the picking like an orchard in full bloom.

His lanky fingers drum on the glass case, the fluorescent lights inside bouncing off his rings and the shine of his tousled brown hair. He sets his sights on one treasure in particular. A Rolex watch with a blue face, silver band and frame with yellow gold inlays and links. Instead of numbers, diamonds.

Bingo. That'll probably get me around $6 thousand.

He looks around the near-empty store. Not many people can afford to walk into a place like this and walk out with a shopping bag, him included. But his blue Gucci suit, his only suit, would tell any unsuspecting employee otherwise.

"Excuse me, love?" He calls for the young blonde toward the back of the store. "I'd like to try on this Rolex."

The woman immediately turns flush at the young man's look. How he squints his eyes just enough to show her he's paying attention to her. Signaling that her attention may or may not be more important than the watch. He'd rather have her eyes on him than the jewelry on his wrist. And his voice. Quiet while demanding. He knows exactly what he's doing to her insides.

"Certainly," say says with a smile as she bouncily walks over and unlocks the case. "Excellent choice."

He slips the watch around his wrist and pauses. His nose twitches in the air.

"Is that..." he sniffles. He leans into her neck and takes a deep breath through his nose. Close but not too close to make her uncomfortable even though she secretly wanted the direct physical contact. His breath across the crook would be enough for now. "Is that Chanel you're wearing?"

"Wow! It is! You really know your stuff."

"Well, I like to think I have a taste for the finer things in life," he smirks. His eyes dart to a vase filled with beautiful white roses. He slowly pulls one out and touches the tip of her nose with the pedals. "I can't help but appreciate beauty."

She blushes a deeper red.

"Thank you for bringing this out for me. I don't think it's quite my style though. Perhaps you can show me some of the rarer pieces in the back?" He goes to take the watch off when the quick whip of his elbow knocks the vase. It crashes at the shop girl's feet. "I'm so sorry! Deepest apologies. I was really trying to be smooth there. Work up the nerve to ask you out. Nervous energy came out. I'm terribly sorry."

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