Isabella asked.
“He doesn’t have a choice. The business is 3 months away from bankruptcy. He’ll do whatever it takes.”
My legs felt weak. Whatever it takes? What did that mean? I heard footsteps moving toward the door and quickly stepped back, my mind spinning with questions and a growing sense of dread. What exactly were Victoria and Isabella planning? And how deep was Nathan involved in whatever this was? I ducked into the stairwell just as I heard the apartment door handle turn. My heart was beating so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. I crouched behind the concrete wall, clutching the containers of lasagna that now felt cold and heavy in my hands. The door opened and I heard Victoria’s heels clicking on the hallway floor.
“Remember, timing is everything. The wedding is in 6 weeks. We need those documents signed before then.”
“What if she gets suspicious?”
Isabella’s voice was worried.
“She’s not stupid. What if she starts asking questions?”
Victoria laughed, but it wasn’t a warm laugh. It was the kind of laugh that made my skin crawl.
“Isabella, dear, you worry too much. Eliza is completely blinded by love. She sees Nathan as her knight in shining armor who rescued her from her lonely little life. She won’t question anything he asks her to sign, especially if we frame it as romantic wedding planning.”
I pressed my hand over my mouth to keep from gasping. They were talking about me like I was some kind of target, some naive little girl they could manipulate.
“Besides, even if she did get suspicious, what could she do? She has no family left to warn her, no one who would believe her over Nathan’s word. We’ve made sure she’s isolated.”
Isolated? What did that mean? I thought about my social circle. It was true that most of my close friends had drifted away over the past year, but that was natural when you’re in a serious relationship, right? Nathan and I spent most of our time together, and he always had good reasons why we couldn’t hang out with my old college friends.
“The accident needs to look completely natural. Just like before.”
Isabella whispered. Before? My blood turned to ice. What did she mean? Just like before.
“Don’t worry about that part. I’ve handled this kind of situation before. The key is patience and making sure there are no loose ends. Nathan’s job is to keep her happy and trusting until we’re ready. Your job is to help me with the paperwork and logistics.”
I heard their footsteps moving toward the elevator, and I stayed frozen in the stairwell until I heard the elevator doors close. Only then did I dare to breathe normally again. My mind was spinning as I tried to process what I had just heard. They were planning something involving my inheritance money, something that required me to sign documents, and they had mentioned an accident. The way Victoria said, just like before, made it sound like they had done this to someone else. I thought about my relationship with Nathan, trying to remember if there had been any warning signs I had missed. We met 2 years ago at a coffee shop near my office. I had been working late on a marketing campaign and stopped in for a caffeine fix. Nathan was sitting alone at a corner table sketching building designs. And when I accidentally bumped into his table, we started talking. He was charming and funny, asking about my work and seeming genuinely interested in my ideas. He told me he was an architect working on residential projects, and we talked for hours about design and creativity. When he asked for my number, I felt like I had won the lottery. Our first few dates were perfect. Nathan took me to art galleries and nice restaurants, always insisting on paying, even though I offered to split the bill. He said he was old-fashioned and liked taking care of the woman he was dating. I thought it was sweet. Looking back now, I realized Nathan had asked a lot of questions about my background during those early dates. He wanted to know about my family, my childhood, my parents. When I told him about the car accident and how I was completely alone in the world, he had been so sympathetic and caring, he said he wanted to be my family now. I had thought it was romantic. Now I wondered if he was gathering information. As the elevator descended, one thought kept echoing in my mind. If they were planning to access my inheritance after we got married, what exactly did Victoria mean when she talked about an accident? I drove home in a days, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles were white. The containers of lasagna sat forgotten on my passenger seat, probably cold by now, just like the sick feeling spreading through my chest. Every red light felt like torture as my mind raced with questions I was terrified to answer. When I finally made it to my small apartment, I threw the food in the refrigerator and collapsed on my couch. Sleep was impossible. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard Victoria’s cold voice talking about accidents and timing and how I would never see it coming. By 3:00 in the morning, I gave up trying to rest and opened my laptop. If Nathan and his family were planning something involving my inheritance, I needed to understand exactly what they might be after. I logged into my bank account and stared at the numbers I usually tried to ignore. The life insurance settlement from my parents’ death, plus years of compound interest, had grown to just over $24 million. The exact amount Victoria had mentioned. My stomach dropped. How could she possibly know that specific number? I had never told Nathan the exact amount. I had mentioned that my parents left me some money, but I always downplayed it, saying it was enough to be comfortable or a nice safety net. I never wanted people to treat me differently because of money I never asked for. I started thinking about all the times Nathan had brought up financial planning. About 6 months ago, right around the time he proposed, he had suggested we meet with a financial adviser to plan our future together. He said it would be smart to combine our resources and make sure we were making the best decisions as a couple. I had put him off, saying I preferred to keep things simple until after the wedding. Now I realized he might have been trying to get access to my accounts much earlier than I thought. I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found my lawyer’s number. Mr. Peterson had handled my parents estate and still managed the trust fund. I knew it was too early to call, but I sent him an email asking if anyone had been making inquiries about my inheritance. I tried to make it sound casual, like I was just checking for wedding planning purposes. While I waited for a response, I started researching Nathan’s architecture firm online. What I found made my blood run cold. The company website looked professional enough, but when I dug deeper into business records and news articles, a very different picture emerged. Morrison Associates architecture had been struggling financially for over 2 years. There were several articles about delayed projects, unhappy clients, and rumors of bankruptcy. How had I never known this? Nathan always talked about work like everything was going well. He mentioned new projects and important clients, but looking at the evidence, his firm was barely hanging on. I thought about all the expensive gifts Nathan had given me over the past year, the designer handbag for my birthday, the weekend trip to Napa Valley, the engagement ring that probably cost more than most people’s cars. if his business was failing. Where was this money coming from? My phone buzzed with a text from Nathan.
“Good morning, beautiful. Can’t wait to see you today. Mom wants to meet with us this afternoon to go over some wedding details. Love you.”
