“All right. But promise me you’ll tell me everything afterward.”
“I promise.”
When she ended the call, Valentina stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. The woman looking back at her was determined, very different from the naive bride Alexander thought he had married.
When she returned to the room, Alexander was on the phone.
“Yes, man. Everything went perfectly. Now it’s only a matter of time. No, she doesn’t suspect anything. Monday I start working with the father-in-law.”
He looked up, saw her, and ended the call at once.
“It was Julian. He was just thanking me for the party.”
“How nice,” Valentina said, knowing perfectly well it was another lie.
During breakfast in the hotel restaurant, Alexander was euphoric.
“Valentina, I’ve been thinking. What if we cancel the honeymoon?”
“How so?”
“It’s just that your dad seemed really excited about teaching me the business yesterday. I don’t want to miss that opportunity.”
“Alexander, it’s fifteen days in Spain. My parents paid for everything.”
“I know, but we can go another time. Right now is the perfect moment for me to establish myself in the company.”
Valentina studied him. He was so eager to start robbing them that he could not even wait two weeks.
“All right,” she said. “If that’s what you want.”
Alexander smiled, radiant.
“I knew you’d understand. Now we’re a team.”
A team. What a joke.
After breakfast, they went back to the apartment Valentina lived in, a three-bedroom place her parents had given her when she graduated from college. Alexander had moved in a few weeks before the wedding, but had kept his old rented apartment.
“Love, I need to stop by my apartment and pick up a few things,” Alexander said.
“All right. I’ll take the chance to rest a little.”
“Perfect. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
As soon as he left, Valentina called Sophia.
“He’s gone. Can you come?”
“I’m on my way.”
Thirty minutes later, Sophia arrived with a folder full of documents.
“Val, I found a lot more. Sit down. It’s bad.”
“Tell me.”
“First, the creditors. They’re really dangerous, the kind of people who have broken debtors’ legs before.”
“Keep going.”
“Second, I found more debt beyond the gambling. Loan sharks. Maxed-out credit cards. Overdue financing. In total, he owes more than eight hundred thousand dollars.”
“Eight hundred thousand? My God.”
“And there’s more. He lied about everything in his life. The accounting office where he said he worked? They fired him six months ago for suspected money diversion.”
“So he’s completely unemployed?”
“Completely. He’s surviving on small scams and borrowed money. And his family? They’re bankrupt too. His mom lost the house because Alexander borrowed money using her as guarantor.”
Valentina shook her head in disbelief.
“Anything else?”
“Yes. That’s why she was so invested in the wedding. For her, you were the family’s salvation.”
Valentina stood and walked to the window.
“Sophia, he’s much more dangerous than I thought.”
“That’s why I think you should leave immediately. Ask for the divorce. Get out of Aspen if you have to.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Valentina turned to face her sister.
“Because if I do that, he’ll keep destroying other families. And he could try to take revenge on ours too.”
“Then what is your plan?”
“I’m going to give him exactly what he wants. Access to our family’s assets.”
“Valentina, are you crazy?”
“Relax. Let me explain.”
Valentina sat down again and took Sophia’s hands.
“Alexander thinks I’m a naive girl in love, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m going to keep being that girl. I’ll help him get access to Dad’s businesses. I’ll even suggest signing powers and important documents.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“Sophia, you study law. What happens when someone signs fraudulent documents or tries to steal from a company?”
“They go to jail. Fraud. Embezzlement.”
“Exactly. And if that person is in debt with criminals, a criminal record won’t help much, right?”
“Sophia stared at her.”
“Val, do you want him arrested?”
“I want him caught red-handed trying to rob us, with enough evidence to make sure he never does this again to anyone.”
“But that’s dangerous. What if he realizes what you’re doing?”
“He underestimates me too much. That’s my biggest advantage.”
Sophia thought for a moment.
“And his creditors?”
