I have come to the conclusion that cocaine dealing and prostitution carried out by Miriam are not her real "Core Business," but rather important, irreplaceable tools for it.
Now I KNOW that Miriam's real job is a form of FRAUD, aimed at "wealthy" people in a broad sense—I mean not necessarily rich, but those who have rare and precious resources (for Miriam), and that this "job" has been practiced by Miriam so long and so intensely that it has penetrated her very DNA, not to mention even deeper...INTO HER SOUL.
The scammer, or to better convey the idea, the ADDICT-PLUCKER, is the culmination of a long criminal career, it is a choice, it contains an admirable INNOVATION in its execution methods. In short...IT IS AN ART in which Miriam cannot fear competition, as she herself invented it.
Because, if you think about it, both dealing and prostitution are tough activities, underpaid compared to the risks, and with ruthless competition, they are businesses in which you can easily be replaced, and therefore not very suitable for Miriam, who is literally allergic to competition. She wants to be, AND IS, UNIQUE, INIMITABLE, so over time she decided to merge the two criminal activities, using her natural seductive qualities as glue, into a single, innovative profession, or if you prefer, an ART, in which there are no rivals...THE ADDICT-PLUCKER, precisely.
As a good engineer, it comes naturally to me to describe the profession of ADDICT-PLUCKER by writing the ALGORITHM that governs it. I report it below, inviting the reader to enjoy the tragicomic substance and ignore the boring technical details.
Descriptive Algorithm of the work/Art of the ADDICT-PLUCKER:
1) IDENTIFY THE "RIGHT" ADDICT: Identify the victim, who is usually a financially well-off person, known in the environment as an occasional or (better) habitual user of Cocaine and/or Crack, and with a "free" or "unstable" romantic situation.
(Believe me: given the current spread of cocaine and the high level of well-being in the area where Miriam operates, there is literally an embarrassment of choice...we are talking about immense "virgin markets"...a shame to necessarily proceed with one, two, or "few" victims at a time!).
2) MEET THE ADDICT: Use your established social contacts to meet the Victim, simulating chance to avoid arousing suspicion.
3) SEDUCE THE ADDICT: Seduce the victim by pretending to be a virtuous woman (e.g., married with children, then divorced because of her husband) who has fallen into drugs due to the heavy yoke of a patriarchal society and an ultra-conservative upbringing, pretending to be sex-phobic/inhibited/abused to better "intrigue" the victim, at least in the very first phase.
4) INTOXICATE THE ADDICT: Increase the frequency of contacts with the victim as much as possible, quickly pushing them towards increasingly addictive levels and types of consumption, while continuing the seduction; the ultimate goal is daily Crack (smokable cocaine) use to be done STRICTLY TOGETHER with the victim (I will explain why later).
5) FLEECE THE ADDICT: The economic flow from the purchase of Cocaine, supplied by Miriam and paid for by the victim, is sufficient, but often the victim themselves offers other benefits, such as use of a car, buildings, gifts, use of taxis, stolen goods of various kinds due to the victim's often criminal activities, etc. etc. etc.
6) DUMP THE ADDICT: Once the victim's financial resources are exhausted, BREAK AWAY from them by DUMPING all RESPONSIBILITY onto the victim. Here are some possible strategies (these refer to real cases, but Miriam is a true artist, so the list is surely incomplete; moreover, the strategies can often be implemented simultaneously and synergistically):
6.1) Simulate a "relationship crisis" due to "incompatibility"
6.2) Wear down the relationship by increasingly denying yourself until the inevitable consequence
6.3) Let other factors intervene over time, for example:
-Victim's suicide
-Victim's capture and imprisonment by law enforcement (if they are a fugitive and/or criminal)
-Victim's forced expatriation/repatriation (if, in addition to being a criminal, they are not Italian)
-Victim's health problems (e.g., heart surgery with three bypasses)
-Victim's admission to SERT and/or Psychiatric Hospital (this hasn't happened yet, but observing a recent victim, I consider it extremely likely in the short term)
7) Return to point 1) (replace the Victim with another)