Meet Paul Coles

Notorious for terrible advice, and even worse at resisting it himself. Trouble was never far. He’s charming when it helps, evasive when it doesn’t, and allergic to paperwork unless someone’s watching. He’s not based on any one person I’ve met—instead he’s a composite of a dozen conversations, a handful of near‑misses, and more than a few cautionary tales from my time in financial services.

He’s good at pattern‑spotting until the pattern is his own. When a stranger collapses in his arms and whispers a single line—“Remember the Acapulco Gold.”—Paul does the one thing he’s always told other people not to do: he follows the thread.

Voice snippet

I don’t believe in omens. I believe in spreadsheets. But when a dying man picks you for his last confessional, you either run for the exit or run the numbers. I’ve always preferred the numbers… until the numbers start pointing at me.

Next time I’ll introduce Alison—the receptionist who doesn’t miss a thing—and why she has even more to lose if the truth comes out.

— Mark

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