He refreshed the contest page. Chloe was now thirty votes ahead.

He typed the words into the search bar:

The first few results were sleek, professional-looking sites promising "100% organic-looking growth" and "24/7 support." Sites like Royal Votes offered packages ranging from 50 to 5,000 votes for what seemed like pocket change. Leo hesitated. He knew the Facebook Terms of Service. If he got caught, he’d be disqualified—or worse, banned.

Desperate, Leo clicked "Purchase" on a 500-vote package. He entered his details and waited. For the first hour, nothing happened. He felt the cold pit of a scam settling in his stomach. Then, the numbers began to twitch.