Then Alexander was not just a liar. He was a professional fraud. She was not the first target, and she would not be the last if he managed to fool her.
“Sophia, I need one more favor.”
“Tell me.”
“Find out who his creditors are. The people he owes money to.”
“I can try, but Val, this is getting dangerous. Maybe it’s better if you just ask for a divorce.”
“No. If I do that, he’ll just keep trying this on other women. And he could still try to take revenge on our family.”
“Then what are you thinking of doing?”
Valentina looked across the ballroom. Alexander was talking animatedly with Richard about business plans.
“I’m going to give him exactly what he wants. Just not in the way he expects.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m still putting the plan together. But trust me.”
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The rest of the night passed in a blur of fake smiles and flawless acting. Valentina danced, talked, posed for more photos, always maintaining the mask of the happy bride. Alexander also kept up his performance, but she noticed that he was getting more and more anxious for the celebration to end. Near midnight, the preparations for the traditional sendoff began. Valentina threw the bouquet, which was caught by one of her single cousins. She and Alexander cut the cake one more time for the last photographs. At last, the moment came for them to leave for the bridal suite in the same hotel.
Richard and Patricia said goodbye with tears in their eyes.
“My daughter, be very happy,” Patricia said.
“Take good care of each other,” Richard added, embracing Alexander like a son.
If they only knew.
Inside the elevator, Alexander finally relaxed.
“God, it’s finally over. I was getting tired of faking happiness.”
Valentina turned to look at him.
“Faking?”
Alexander instantly realized what he had said.
“No, no, I didn’t mean that. I mean the party. It’s exhausting, right? So many people. So much noise. But now it’s just the two of us.”
“Yes,” Valentina said, studying him. “Just the two of us.”
In the suite, Alexander went straight to the bathroom to shower. Valentina used the moment to pull out her phone and send Sophia a message.
“I need everything you can find by tomorrow. It’s urgent.”
Sophia answered almost at once.
“I’m on it. But Val, be careful. These people don’t play.”
Valentina put the phone away. When Alexander came out of the bathroom, he walked toward her with the same seductive smile that once would have undone her.
“Finally alone, Mrs. Sterling.”
“Mrs. Sterling,” she repeated. “It still sounds strange.”
“You’ll get used to it,” he said, leaning in to kiss her.
Valentina turned away gently.
“Alexander, I’m exhausted. What if we leave it for tomorrow?”
His expression changed immediately.
“Seriously? On our first night married?”
“It was a very intense day. I need a little time to process everything.”
Alexander looked visibly irritated, though he tried to hide it.
“All right. I understand.”
But she knew he did not understand. He was probably thinking about how to accelerate his plans, and a distant wife was not part of them.
Valentina went into the bathroom and stayed there for a while, gathering herself. When she came back out, Alexander was already asleep, or pretending to be. She lay down on the other side of the bed, as far from him as she could manage. It felt strange, lying there married to a man she had never truly known, in a bed that was supposed to mark the beginning of a happy life.
The next morning, Alexander woke up in a good mood.
“Good morning, wife,” he said, kissing her face.
“Good morning.”
“What if we have breakfast in the room? We can take advantage of the quiet and talk about our plans.”
“What plans?”
“Well, now that we’re married, we need to think about the future. Our own house. Investments. Maybe I can help your dad with the business.”
There it was.
“Alexander, don’t you think it’s a little soon for that? We just got married.”
“Soon? Valentina, planning is never too soon. By the way, your dad mentioned yesterday that he wants to take me to the company headquarters on Monday.”
“Of course he did.”
“It’s an incredible opportunity to learn the family business.”
Family, as if he cared about the family at all.
Her phone vibrated. A message from Sophia.
“I found more. We need to talk. Urgent.”
“Who is it?” Alexander asked.
“Sophia. She’s just thanking me for the party.”
“Aw, how sweet. Your sister is cool.”
If only he knew that Sophia was investigating him.
“Alexander, I’m going to shower and then we can go downstairs for breakfast.”
“Perfect. I’ll take advantage of the time and call the guys to thank them for everything.”
In the bathroom, Valentina called Sophia.
“Val, I found serious things.”
“What?”
“Alexander owes very dangerous people money. And it’s not just two hundred thousand. It’s close to five hundred thousand.”
“Five hundred thousand?”
“Yes. And there’s more. He tried the same scam with at least three different families in the last two years.”
“How?”
“Always the same pattern. He approaches the daughter of a wealthy businessman, wins over the family, gets engaged or married, and tries to gain access to the assets. In the first family, the father found out in time. In the second, the bride got suspicious and ended everything. You’re the third attempt.”
Valentina felt sick.
“Sophia, are you sure of this?”
“Absolutely. I talked to one of his exes. She told me everything. And the creditors? They’re people involved in illegal gambling, underground casinos, sports betting. Alexander has a serious addiction, Val. If he doesn’t pay, she said they’ve already threatened him several times. That’s why he’s so desperate.”
Valentina fell silent, absorbing everything.
“Val? Are you there?”
“I’m here. Thank you for finding this out.”
“What are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to set my plan in motion.”
“What plan?”
“I’ll tell you later, but I need one more thing.”
“Tell me.”
“Find out exactly who those creditors are. Names, addresses, a way to contact them.”
“Valentina, that’s very dangerous.”
“Sophia, trust me. I’m not going to do anything stupid.”
