Nia listened to this conversation and felt everything inside her slowly freezing. There were no tears, no hysterics, just an icy emptiness spreading through her veins. The person she loved, to whom she was going to give her life, who kissed her and whispered how dear she was to him, sat there discussing how to deceive her. This person sat across from his mother and discussed how to rob her and leave her with massive debts.
«Mom, what if she suspects something after all? She isn’t a complete fool. She works as an analyst. She deals with numbers.»
«You will distract her,» Evelyn said harshly. «That is exactly why I insisted on a honeymoon in Mexico. Two weeks on the beach, all-inclusive, romance, champagne. While she is swimming in happiness and hormones, all the documents will take effect. And when you return, I will have already received the money from the banks and transferred it to offshore accounts. And even if she realizes something, it will be too late.»
«I just… I feel sorry for her,» Marcus said quietly.
Nia flinched. Sorry. He felt sorry for her, like a homeless kitten in the rain, but not sorry enough not to betray her.
Evelyn leaned back in her chair. «Marcus, listen to me carefully. Your father left us a business that I have been trying to save for ten years. For ten years, I put in all my strength, all my money, and all my connections, and it still burned out. The crisis, competitors, partners, traders. Right now, we have a debt of half a million dollars.»
She continued, her voice hard. «This 150,000 is a drop in the ocean, but it will allow us to buy time, regroup, maybe find new investors, or maybe just declare bankruptcy and lose absolutely everything. Condos, cars, the last shreds of reputation.»
She shook her head. «No, I won’t give up. I will find a way to swim out. And for that, money is needed. Any money. Even if it means destroying someone’s life.»
«Destroying?» Evelyn chuckled. «You are being dramatic. She is young, healthy. She works. She will pay off the loans in a few years, find herself another husband. She’ll survive. But you and Julian and I won’t survive. The loan sharks don’t stand on ceremony, son. They already came by once and threw a brick through the window. Next time, it could be much worse.»
Marcus fell silent again. Nia watched him through the slit in the screen and didn’t recognize him. Where was that charming guy who courted her for six months? Who brought flowers, kissed her hands, and said she was the meaning of his life? Was it really all a lie from the very beginning?
«All right,» Marcus finally said. «I will do as you say. But Mom, promise me, never again. This is the last time.»
«Of course, son.» Evelyn smiled softly, patting his hand. «One last time, we get the money, close the most urgent debts, and everything will be fine. I promise.»
She stood up and took the bag with the documents. «Let’s go. The hostess said your fiancé should arrive at seven. I don’t want her to see us here. Did we discuss everything?»
«Yes.» Marcus stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets. «Everything is clear.»
They headed for the exit. Nia sat behind the screen, unable to move. She heard the door slam, and heard the hall become quiet again. Only the quiet music and her own heartbeat, which throbbed in her temples, remained.
A few seconds later, that same waitress appeared. She peeked behind the screen and sat down next to Nia on the sofa.
«Did you hear everything?» she asked quietly.
Nia nodded slowly. Her throat was tight, but there were still no tears. Only that strange, icy emptiness.
«I knew they would come today.» The waitress spoke quickly, stumbling over her words. «Evelyn Thorne is a regular client. I studied her schedule. She always comes here to discuss her dirty business. She thinks it’s safe here.»
«When I saw your name on the reservation list for seven in the evening, and then learned that Evelyn had booked a table for six, I realized I had to act.»
«How do you… How do you know all this?» Nia could barely move her tongue.
«Because three years ago, I was in your place.» The waitress looked her in the eye. «My name is Keisha. I was the wife of Julian, Evelyn’s older son.»
Nia looked at Keisha and slowly began to understand. That story Evelyn had so coldly told Marcus—“She was a nice girl. True, she figured out the scheme too quickly.”—that was her. This thin waitress with tired eyes and nervous fingers.
«You… You are that girl?» Nia whispered. «That fool who believed in love?»
Keisha smiled crookedly. «Let’s go. It’s uncomfortable to talk here. I am finishing my shift now. I’ll ask the manager for a break. There is a supply room on the second floor. No one will disturb us there.»
Nia obediently got up and followed Keisha. Her legs moved automatically, and her head was in a fog. They went up a narrow service staircase to the second floor, past the kitchen where sounds and smells of cooking drifted out, and turned into a corridor. Keisha opened the door to a small room, apparently a staff break room.
It contained an old sofa, a table, a few chairs, and a coffee maker on the windowsill. Keisha closed the door, poured water from a cooler into a plastic cup, and handed it to Nia.
«Sit down. Drink! You look like you’re about to pass out.»
Nia took the cup with trembling hands and took a few sips. The water was cold, cutting unpleasantly at her throat, but it cleared her head a little. Keisha sat opposite on a worn chair, placing her hands on her knees.
«I know what you are feeling right now,» she said quietly. «It feels like the ground has disappeared from under your feet, like everything you believed in turned out to be a lie, like you are an idiot who was led by the nose. How are you? How did this happen to you?»
Nia put the cup on the table and clenched her hands into fists to stop the trembling. Keisha leaned back in her chair and looked out the window. Outside the glass, November twilight was thickening, and streetlights were turning on.
«Three and a half years ago, I was working as an assistant accountant at a small firm. The salary was pennies. I lived in a rented apartment with a friend. My parents died when I was nineteen, so I was left alone. But I had my own condo, a two-bedroom in a quiet suburb, an inheritance from my grandmother. Not much, but mine.»
She paused and ran a hand over her face. «I met Julian at a mutual friend’s birthday party. He was so charming, courted beautifully, gave flowers, and took me to restaurants. He said he worked in the family business, that he and his mother had a construction company. Four months later, he proposed. I was on cloud nine. I was twenty-three, in love like a fool. And here was a successful man in a nice car proposing marriage. I thought it was fate.»
Nia listened and saw her own reflection in this story. She had met Marcus eight months ago at a corporate party for mutual acquaintances. He was just as handsome, courteous, and attentive. He also talked about the family business—an advertising agency. He also proposed a few months later.
«After the wedding,» Keisha continued, «Evelyn became very actively involved in my life. She said that since I was now part of the family, I should participate in the business. She brought some documents and said we needed to transfer a share of the company to me. For tax benefits, she said. I, the fool, didn’t even read them properly. I just signed where they pointed. Julian stood nearby, nodding his head, saying everything was fine.»
«And those were loan agreements?» Nia asked quietly.
«Not just that. Also a power of attorney to manage my condo. A mortgage lien. Personal guarantees for some fictitious obligations. A whole package of documents. I signed everything in one day. A week later, Julian and I flew to the Maldives for our honeymoon. Two weeks in paradise. I was happy.»
Keisha’s voice hardened. «And when we returned, it turned out that I had over $100,000 in debt hanging on me. My condo was in foreclosure, and Evelyn had already received the cash.»
Nia covered her face with her hands. Exactly the same scheme. Word for word. Only they planned to pull it off on her for $150,000.
«What did you do?» she asked.
«At first, I thought it was a mistake. I went to Julian. He started dodging, saying it was temporary. That money was needed for the business. That they would return everything soon. Then I went to Evelyn. She didn’t even pretend. She said straight out, ‘The money went to close debts.’ The condo would be sold if I didn’t pay on the loans. And she also advised me not to make a scene, or there could be problems more serious than financial ones.»
«She threatened you?»
«Hinted. Said she had connections in law enforcement. That if I went to the police, I would end up guilty of fraud myself. Like I dragged their family into some illegal schemes. After all, all their documents were clean. Everything processed according to the law. I signed it myself. The notary certified it. Proving coercion is impossible.»
Keisha stood up, walked to the window, and leaned on the sill.
«I tried to fight. I hired a lawyer with my last money. He said the case was almost hopeless. All signatures were mine. All documents were executed correctly. The only chance was if other victims of this family were found. Then we could prove systematic fraud. But where to find them?»
«Julian filed for divorce two months after the wedding. Said I was hysterical and we were incompatible. We split quickly. By court order, the debts remained with me.»
«And you are still paying?» Nia’s voice trembled.
«I am paying. Had to sell the condo. The bank took the money to cover the debt. I rent a room. Work two jobs. Waitress here during the day. In the evenings, I moonlight putting up flyers. I pay $40,000 a year. Two more years to pay.»
Nia stood up, walked over to Keisha, and hugged her by the shoulders. The women stood by the window and both cried. Finally, the tears broke through the icy crust. Nia sobbed for real, gasping and shuddering. Keisha didn’t hold back either.
They cried together. Two deceived women whom one family decided to use as cash cows.
«Why didn’t you leave this city?» Nia asked when she had calmed down a little. «Why did you stay? Why work in this particular restaurant?»
Keisha wiped her tears with the back of her hand and turned to Nia. «Because I haven’t accepted it. Six months ago, I found out that Evelyn is a regular client of the White Rose. She comes here once a week, sometimes more often. Holds meetings, discusses business. I got a job here as a waitress specifically to watch her. Listen to her conversations when there was an opportunity. Collect information.»
«What for?»
«To find other victims. To collect evidence. Evelyn is cautious, but not enough to keep her mouth completely shut. In six months, I learned a lot. For example, that she really pulled this scheme not only with me. There are at least two other women. I don’t know their names, but I know they exist. If we find them and combine our testimonies, we can file a class action lawsuit.»
Nia sat back on the sofa and wiped her face with a napkin. Her head was spinning from the abundance of information, from shock, and from tears.
«You want to put her in jail?»
«I want justice,» Keisha said harshly. «She destroyed my life and the lives of other women. And she was going to destroy yours. Such people must answer for their actions. I was waiting for the moment when I would catch her on something concrete with evidence.»
Keisha continued, «And then suddenly, I see the name Vance on the reservation list. Time, seven in the evening. Reason, discussing a wedding banquet. Then the manager mentioned that the banquet was booked under the name Thorne.»
«And you realized I was the next victim.»
«Checked through mutual friends on social media. Found your page. There were photos with Marcus. A Thorne. Evelyn’s younger son. That meant they were at it again. When I saw that Evelyn ordered a table for today, an hour before you, everything became clear. They would come to discuss the plan. And you would have to arrive later, suspecting nothing.»
Nia shook her head, not fully believing the reality of what was happening. «You saved me. If not for you, I would have gotten married in a week, signed all those papers, and in a few months been left with nothing.»
«I couldn’t let it happen again.» Keisha sat next to Nia and took her hand. «You know, all this year I blamed myself. Thought that if I had been smarter, more attentive, not such a trusting fool, nothing would have happened. But when I saw that they were going to pull the same thing with you, I realized it’s not that we are fools. The thing is, they are professional scammers. They know how to choose a victim, how to gain trust, how to manipulate. This is not our fault. This is their crime.»
«What should I do now?» Nia looked at Keisha with clouded eyes. «I can’t just go home and pretend I don’t know anything. I can’t look Marcus in the eye knowing he plans to betray me.»
«And you shouldn’t pretend.» Keisha squeezed her hand tighter. «But showing that you know their plans is also impossible. If they realize you know, they will simply disappear, find another victim, and it will all start over.»
«Then what?»
Keisha fell silent, thinking, then slowly pronounced, «We need to catch them. Red-handed, with evidence. We need to make it so they can’t wriggle out. Are you ready for this?»
Nia raised her head and looked Keisha in the eyes. Through the tears, through the pain, through the shock, something else was breaking through. Anger. Cold, hard anger.
«I’m ready,» she said. «Tell me what to do.»
Keisha nodded and took out her phone. «First, we need a lawyer. A good lawyer who specializes in fraud. I have the contact of the one who helped me three years ago. He is honest, experienced. We’ll explain the situation to him. He will advise on how to act from a legal point of view.»
«Okay.»
«Second, we need to go to the police, but not just walk in and complain. We need evidence. Today’s conversation between Evelyn and Marcus is already something, but it wasn’t recorded. We need them to repeat their intentions in front of witnesses or on a recording.»
«How do we do that?»
«You must continue to play the role of the unsuspecting bride. Meet with Marcus, talk about the wedding, rejoice. And when Evelyn or Marcus start slipping you documents, you must record that moment on your phone, on a voice recorder, however you can. The main thing is to document that they are offering you papers to sign under false pretenses.»