— Smile, Evelyn. This marriage is our only chance to survive, my mother whispered. 😱😱
My family, ruined by debt, had forced me to marry a wealthy old man I had never met. At twenty-six, I had become the bargaining chip meant to save the family business. My father was drowning in debt, while my brother Marcus had swallowed our last savings in gambling.
On the night of the wedding, my husband locked the door of the bridal suite. Trembling, I stepped back.
— Please… don’t hurt me, I whispered.
He gave a faint smile, grabbed the wrinkled skin of his face, and removed a mask of astonishing realism. Before my eyes appeared a man in his thirties.
— Who… who are you? I stammered.
— My name is Adrian Cross. You were never my target. Your family… and tonight, my revenge begins.
He continued:
— Ten years ago, your father and Marcus destroyed my parents. They falsified reports, bribed an inspector, and caused their bankruptcy. My father took his own life. My mother never recovered.
Then he handed me a contract.
— Your father signed this. In exchange for ten million dollars, he put the company, the family house, and several shell companies as collateral. At the slightest default, they will lose everything.
I slowly removed my diamond necklace and placed it on the dressing table.
— You really think you can scare me? You chose the wrong girl.
Adrian frowned.
— What do you mean?
My answer left him in shock. He had not taken one crucial detail into account. I stood frozen in place, stunned into silence. 😱😱😱
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— For three years, I have been studying forensic accounting. I have copies of the financial records, evidence of embezzlement, and forged signatures that Marcus ordered me to destroy.
Silence fell in the room. Adrian stared at me for a long time, as if trying to determine whether I was bluffing.
— Why did you keep all that? he finally asked.
— Because I knew that one day they would betray me too.
I slid an envelope across the table.
— It’s all here: transfers, offshore accounts, forged contracts. Enough to bring them down.
Adrian slowly opened the file, his eyes scanning the pages.
— You could destroy your own family with this, he murmured.
— They did it to themselves a long time ago.
A cold smile appeared on his face.
— Then the revenge won’t be mine alone.
I met his gaze.
— No. But this time, truth will win.
In the distance, police sirens began to sound. And for the first time, neither he nor I wanted to run away.
