Nia arrived at the restaurant a week before the wedding to discuss the menu and the seating chart. At the entrance, she was intercepted by a waitress she didn’t know.
«Hide behind the screen at the back of the hall. There is no time to explain, just trust me.»
Nia listened, and five minutes later, she understood everything.
Nia Vance parked her old Honda outside the White Rose restaurant and froze for a second, looking at the glowing windows of the two-story building. It was Thursday, seven in the evening, exactly one week before the most important day of her life: her wedding to Marcus.
She still couldn’t believe this was all happening to her. She was an ordinary financial analyst at a small construction firm, a girl with no special talents or dizzying beauty. Yet, Marcus had chosen her. He was tall, charming, and had a good job at an advertising agency.
His mother, Evelyn Thorne, had admittedly been cool toward their relationship at first, but then she seemed to thaw, even helping to choose this venue for the reception. Nia got out of the car, adjusted her purse on her shoulder, and headed toward the entrance.
A list of tasks swirled in her head: finalize the menu, settle the guest seating, discuss the music playlist, and check the hall decorations. Evelyn had insisted that Nia go alone, saying the bride knows best what she wants. Marcus was busy at work, and besides, he always said that wedding fuss was a woman’s job.
The door to the restaurant swung open, and Nia was hit by warmth and the smell of fresh pastries. Inside, it was almost empty for a weeknight evening, as it was still an hour before the dinner rush. A woman in her thirties stood behind the host stand, flipping through some papers.
Nia started toward her but was intercepted by a young waitress in a black-and-white uniform. The girl looked agitated. Her face was drawn, and her eyes were wide with fear.
«Excuse me, are you Nia Vance?» she asked quickly, looking Nia straight in the eye.
«Yes, I am. We had an appointment for seven. I’m here about the banquet.» Nia smiled confusedly. «How do you know my name?»
The waitress grabbed her by the arm. Her fingers were cold, squeezing tight, almost painfully.
«Listen to me carefully.» The girl’s voice trembled but sounded urgent. «You need to hide immediately. Do you see that carved wooden screen at the back of the hall? Go behind it and don’t come out until I say so.»
«What? What screen? What are you talking about?» Nia tried to free her arm, but the waitress held on tight.
«There is no time to explain. Just trust me, please.» Tears almost broke through in the girl’s voice. «In a few minutes, people will come here. You cannot let them see you. I will explain everything later, I promise, but right now, just go there.»
Nia stood in the middle of the restaurant lobby, staring into the desperate eyes of the stranger. The whole situation seemed absurd. Some girl she was seeing for the first time was demanding she hide immediately. A normal person would have said no and asked for the manager.
But something in the waitress’s tone, in her gaze, and in that genuine panic, made Nia fall silent.
«Please,» the girl whispered. «I am not crazy, and I don’t want to hurt you. On the contrary. I beg you, just trust me. Five minutes. Just five minutes.»
Nia nodded slowly, not knowing why she obeyed. Maybe intuition kicked in, or maybe just curiosity. The waitress immediately let go of her hand, glanced quickly at the front door, and almost pushed Nia toward the dining hall.
«Right at the very end, behind the screen, there is a small alcove. You won’t be seen from there, but you’ll be able to hear everything happening in the room.»
Nia walked through the hall. Her legs moved as if on their own. Her heart pounded somewhere in her throat. The restaurant was decorated in a classic style with white tablecloths, crystal chandeliers, and paintings in gilded frames on the walls.
In the far corner, there really was a tall, carved screen of dark wood. Behind it lay a small alcove with a soft sofa, apparently for guests who wanted privacy. Nia sat on the edge of the sofa, clutching her purse on her knees. Her hands were shaking.
What was she doing? Hiding in her own wedding venue from some unknown people? Maybe this was a prank? Her friend Katie was always arranging strange surprises, but no, the waitress looked too frightened for a prank.
A minute passed, then two. Nia heard soft music playing in the hall. Somewhere, dishes clinked. She was just about to come out and demand an explanation when the front door slammed.
Voices drifted in. Two voices that Nia would recognize out of a thousand.
«Table by the window, as usual,» came the calm, confident voice of Evelyn Thorne.
Nia froze. Her future mother-in-law was here, but she had said she was busy today, claiming she had a meeting with some business partners.
«Mom, maybe we shouldn’t do this here?» It was Marcus. His voice sounded anxious and quiet. «What if someone we know sees us?»
«Don’t be a coward. There will be no one here at this time. I specifically chose Thursday. A weeknight. Sit down.»
Nia cautiously rose and peeked through a narrow gap between the sections of the screen. Evelyn and Marcus were sitting at a table about thirty feet away from her, by a large window overlooking the evening city.
Her mother-in-law looked impeccable, as always. She wore a strict dark blue suit, neat hair, and a gold chain around her neck. Marcus fidgeted nervously in his chair, picking at a napkin. What were they doing here? Why meet secretly? Did the waitress know they would come?
«Stop twitching,» Evelyn said sharply, opening a large leather bag. «You are making me nervous. Here, look.»
She pulled out a stack of documents and spread them on the table. Nia squinted, trying to make out something, but she was too far away.
«Are these the contracts?» Marcus asked.
«Loan agreements. Three banks. The total amount is one hundred fifty thousand dollars. We will put everything in Nia’s name right after the civil ceremony.»
Nia felt the ground drop out from under her feet. What? Loans in her name? What were they talking about?
«Mom, I don’t understand. Why Nia?» There was confusion in Marcus’s voice.
«Because you and I, and Julian, can’t get approved for anything anymore,» Evelyn spoke calmly, practically, as if discussing buying groceries. «Our credit history is ruined. We are blacklisted everywhere. But your little bride is clean. She has an excellent credit score. Plus, she owns a condo. The banks will give it without a problem.»
«But she won’t agree to just take out loans for one hundred fifty thousand dollars.»
«And we won’t tell her they are loans,» Evelyn laughed. That laugh made Nia’s blood run cold. «We will say these are documents for the family business. Registering an LLC where she is a co-founder. We’ll say that for tax benefits, it needs to be registered to a married couple. She is trusting. She is in love. She will sign whatever she is given. She won’t even read it.»
Nia gripped the screen with her hands. It became hard to breathe. This couldn’t be happening for real. It couldn’t. She must be sleeping; this was a nightmare. She would wake up any moment.
«And if she reads it anyway?» Marcus’s voice sounded unsure.
«She won’t read it. You will stand next to her, rush her, say you are running late. You’ll say that you checked everything. That it’s just a formality. She trusts you. She trusts you like a fool.»
«Mom, this… this is dishonest,» Marcus spoke quietly. But Nia heard every word. The hall was almost empty, and the acoustics were excellent. «She is a good girl. She loves me.»
«Good means stupid,» Evelyn cut him off. «Marcus, wake up. We are losing everything. The business burned out. The debts are huge. Collectors are already calling. If we don’t find the money, they will simply destroy us. And here is a solution on a silver platter. A fresh daughter-in-law with a condo and a clean reputation.»
«But $150,000. How will we pay it back?»
«We won’t,» Evelyn was calmly putting the documents back. «More accurately, she will be paying it back. The loans are in her name. The condo is collateral. In six months, you will get a divorce.»
«What?» Marcus almost cried out.
«Quiet, you idiot!» His mother looked around, but there was no one in the hall. That young waitress seemed to have dissolved into thin air. «Six months after the wedding, you will file for divorce. You’ll say irreconcilable differences. By law, assets are divided, but debts remain with the person whose name they are on, that is, on her.»
«But that… that is low, Mom.»
«It is survival.» Evelyn took a mirror out of her purse and fixed her hair. «Julian and I already pulled this off three years ago. Everything went smoothly. The girl was left with the debts. We got the money and closed some holes. True, it didn’t last long.»
Nia listened and didn’t believe her ears. Three years ago? That meant this wasn’t the first time. They had already done this to someone.
«Julian married someone specifically for this, too?» Marcus asked.
«Well, of course. She was a nice girl. True, she figured out the scheme too quickly. We had to act tougher, but in the end, it all worked out. She is working somewhere now, paying off loans, and we are alive and well.»
Marcus was silent. Nia saw his profile, his clenched jaw, and his slumped shoulders. He looked crushed, but not protesting. Not indignant. Just accepting.
«Marcus, I understand it’s unpleasant for you,» Evelyn’s voice became softer, almost tender. «You are a good boy. You have a conscience. But the world is cruel, son. It is us or them. And it is better that some random girl suffers than my family ends up on the street. You don’t want your mother to live in poverty, do you?»
«No, of course not.»
«That’s wonderful. So, we do as I said. After the ceremony, we will have three days before you fly to the resort. During those three days, you will bring her to the notary’s office. She will sign a power of attorney for me to manage her property. You’ll say it is for setting up joint ownership so I can handle legal issues while you are away.»
«Then you bring her to the bank. There she will sign the loan agreements. I will be with you. I will control everything.»
«And if she finds out later, she’ll sue,» Marcus worried.
«Sue for what?» Evelyn chuckled. «The documents are signed by her hand. The notary will certify that she was of sound mind and memory. No threats, no coercion. Just a stupid girl trusted her husband and mother-in-law. It happens. Besides, by the time she figures out what’s what, you will already be divorced and I will be completely on the sidelines. Let her try to prove something.»