The following days flew by in feverish preparation. Sterling processed documents and collected dossiers. Keisha and Renee reconstructed all the details of their stories and dug up old papers.
Nia continued to live a double life. By day, she was a happy bride. She met with Marcus, discussed final preparations, tried on dresses, and had dinner with his mother, who smiled sweetly and talked about how glad she was for the addition to the family. Nia looked Evelyn in the eye and smiled back, although inside she was boiling with rage.
In the evenings, when Marcus fell asleep, she texted Keisha and Sterling, planning the next steps. She recorded on her phone everything Marcus and his mother said—any mentions of documents or of important papers after the wedding.
Three days before the wedding, Evelyn stopped by their place. She brought a cake and sat in the kitchen to drink tea. Marcus was in the shower, so they were left alone.
«Nia, dear…» Evelyn placed her hand over Nia’s. «I want to talk to you about an important matter.»
Nia went on alert and turned on the voice recorder in her robe pocket. «I’m listening.»
«You see, my sons and I have a family business. A small firm, but it brings in income. After the wedding, you will become part of our family, and I want to sign over a share to you. This will be your financial safety net.»
«A share in the business?» Nia feigned surprise and joy. «That is so generous of you.»
«Oh, nonsense, my dear. Family should stick together. I have already prepared the documents.» Evelyn took a folder out of her bag. «Just a few papers here. You’ll need to sign after the ceremony when you have time. Preferably before leaving for the honeymoon, so everything takes effect.»
«What kind of documents are these?» Nia took the folder and opened it. Inside were about twenty sheets in small print.
«Oh, it’s legal terminology there. Don’t clutter your head.» Evelyn waved her hand. «Marcus checked everything. Everything is in order. Just registration of a founder’s share. Need your signature and a notary seal. Marcus and I will go with you. Get it all done in one day.»
Nia flipped through the papers, pretending to read. In reality, she was photographing every page with the phone she held under the table.
«There are a lot of words I don’t understand here,» she said, portraying confusion. «Collateral, personal guarantee. That is mandatory for a founder.»
«Of course, honey, it is standard procedure. When you join an LLC, you need to give guarantees that you are solvent, just a formality for the IRS.»
«And what does my condo have to do with it?»
Evelyn froze for a second but immediately broke into a smile. «The condo is your asset. Show the state that you have property means you are a reliable partner. Nothing scary, just a piece of paper.»
Nia nodded and closed the folder. «Okay, I’ll sign if Marcus says everything is normal.»
«Good girl.» Evelyn patted her hand. «I knew you were a sensible girl.»
When her mother-in-law left, Nia locked herself in the bathroom, took out her phone, and sent the photos of the documents and the recording of the conversation to Sterling. Half an hour later, he called back.
«Nia, this is gold.» The lawyer’s voice sounded excited. «There are loan agreements here for $150,000. A lien on your condo, personal guarantees for the debts of a non-existent firm for another $40,000. Plus the recording where she clearly lies to you about the content of the documents. This is direct evidence of fraudulent intent.»
«What’s next?»
«Next, we go to the police. Tomorrow morning, me, you, Keisha, Renee, we file a collective report. Three victims, one potential victim, a pile of evidence. They are obligated to open a case.»
«And the wedding?»
«What wedding, Nia? You aren’t intending to marry this person?»
Nia was silent. Of course not. Of course she wouldn’t marry Marcus. But a part of her, the part that still remembered being in love, still clung to the illusion of happiness, shrank painfully at the thought of canceling the wedding.
«No,» she said quietly. «I’m not.»
«Then tomorrow at nine in the morning, I expect you at my office. From there, we’ll go to the police station together.»
Nia hung up and looked at herself in the mirror. She saw a pale face, dark circles under her eyes, and compressed lips. She almost didn’t recognize herself. A week ago, she was an ordinary girl, dreaming of a wedding. And now she was a participant in an operation to catch scammers.
Life had turned upside down in a few days, but there was no turning back. She had gone too far. And most importantly, she couldn’t leave unpunished the people who had destroyed the lives of at least two women and were going to destroy hers. She came out of the bathroom.
Marcus sat on the sofa, watching football.
«Nia, come here.» He patted the spot next to him.
Nia sat down. Marcus put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple.
«Three days,» he said. «In three days, you will become my wife. I am the happiest man on earth.»
Nia pressed against him so he wouldn’t see her face. «Me too,» she whispered. One last lie. The last time she pretends.
On Friday morning, Nia woke up at six, although the alarm was set for seven. She couldn’t sleep. Marcus snored nearby, sprawled over half the bed. She quietly got up, dressed, and wrote a note: Gone to my friends. Last wedding preparations. Love you.
She left it on the table and left the apartment. Keisha and Renee were already at Sterling’s office. The women looked agitated but determined. The lawyer laid out all the documents on the table: statements, photos of papers, audio recordings, and extracts from courts about divorces.
«This is a serious case,» he said. «We have everything necessary. Victims, evidence, the crime scheme. The police are obligated to open a criminal investigation.»
They went to the precinct all together. The detective, a woman in her forties with a tired face, listened to them, looked through the documents, asked questions, and took notes. Two hours later, she leaned back in her chair.
«The situation is indeed serious,» she said. «There are signs of fraud by a group of persons by prior conspiracy. I am opening a criminal case, but understand, this is just the beginning. The investigation will take time. We will need to conduct forensic examinations, interrogations, and seize documents from the suspects.»
«How quickly can you arrest them?» Nia asked.
«We need to gather enough evidence for an arrest first. For now, I can summon Evelyn Thorne and her sons for questioning. But to catch them red-handed, we need an operation. Are you ready to participate in it?»
«I’m ready,» Nia said firmly.
The detective nodded. «Here is what I propose. You say that Evelyn planned to execute the paperwork after your wedding. We need to organize a meeting for signing, but in such a way that we can document the moment of handing over fake documents and the attempt to obtain a signature under false pretenses. If they come with these papers and try to mislead you, we will take them.»
«But the wedding is the day after tomorrow.» Nia paused. «I can’t marry him.»
«And you don’t have to. Cancel the wedding. Say that you need to urgently sign some documents before the celebration, for example, for tax benefits or for joint ownership. Invent any excuse, just so they bring these papers. Schedule a meeting at a notary office. We will be there.»
Nia nodded, although everything inside her tightened. Cancel the wedding. Finally, irrevocably. Call all the guests. Say everything is canceled. Explain, lie, endure questions.
«I’ll do it,» she said.
They left the police station around one in the afternoon. Keisha hugged Nia goodbye. «Hang in there. The hardest part is ahead.»
Nia got in her car and took out her phone. Fifteen missed calls from Marcus and messages: Where are you? Nia, answer. I’m worried. Are you OK?
She dialed his number. He answered on the first ring.
«Nia, God, where have you been? I was going crazy.»
«Sorry, Marcus. Was at a friend’s discussing the bachelorette party. Phone was on silent. You scared me. OK, main thing is, you’re OK. Coming home?»
«Soon. In about two hours. We need to talk.»
«About what?»
«About the documents. Your mom gave me papers to sign. I want to get everything filed before the wedding so I don’t get distracted later.»
Pause. Nia heard Marcus breathing into the phone.
«Yes. Mom said it was better after the ceremony.»
«No, I want to. It will make me calmer. Let’s go to the notary tomorrow morning, sign everything, and that’s it. So on the wedding day we don’t think about anything.»
«OK.» Marcus spoke slowly, as if weighing every word. «I’ll call mom right now. Arrange it.»
«Great. I’ll be there soon.»
She hung up and leaned on the steering wheel, breathing deeply, trying to calm her pounding heart. Everything was going according to plan. She just had to hold on for one more day.
Friday evening, the three of them sat in the kitchen: Nia, Marcus, and Evelyn. Her mother-in-law came with the same folder of documents.
«Well, daughter-in-law, decided not to delay?» Evelyn smiled, but her gaze was wary.
«Rightly so. I already arranged with the notary for tomorrow at 10 in the morning. We’ll arrive, process everything quickly, and you are free.»
«Which notary?» Nia asked, making an innocent face.
«Ms. Abernathy. We have worked with her for a long time. A reliable woman. We’ll do everything as needed.»
«Can we go to a different one?» Nia spoke cautiously. «It’s just that I have an acquaintance who is a notary, Ms. Davids. I trust her. She explained everything to me about documents when I bought my condo.»
Evelyn frowned. «Why another one? Ms. Abernathy is an excellent specialist.»
«But I will be calmer with Ms. Davids. She told me everything about the documents. Please.»
Marcus intervened. «Mom, what difference does it make? It’s more comfortable for Nia.»
Evelyn was silent, then nodded. «Fine. Let it be your Ms. Davids. Give me the address.»
Nia dictated the address of the notary office the detective had named. Everything was already prepared there: undercover officers, hidden cameras, and voice recorders. Tomorrow at ten, we will be there.
Evelyn gathered the documents. «Well, that’s it. I’m going. You need to get some sleep before tomorrow. The wedding is the day after tomorrow.»
When her mother-in-law left, Marcus hugged Nia. «You seem tense. Nervous?»
«A little.» Nia pressed against him, closed her eyes. «Just so much piled up. Wedding, documents, worries.»
«Everything will be fine,» Marcus stroked her hair. «Tomorrow, we’ll sign everything. And the day after tomorrow, we become husband and wife and fly to Mexico. And for two weeks, we will just enjoy the ocean and each other.»
Nia didn’t answer. She thought about how tomorrow his mother would be arrested, and him, possibly too. And there would be no Mexico, no wedding, nothing of what she dreamed.
That night, she barely slept. She lay next to Marcus, looked into the dark, and thought. Part of her still didn’t believe all this was happening for real. That tomorrow, she would go to the notary office not to sign documents, but to hand over to the police the people she was supposed to consider family.
Saturday morning began as usual. Breakfast, getting ready, the road. Marcus was calm, even cheerful. He joked about how after tomorrow’s wedding, they would be a real family. Nia nodded and smiled, though everything inside was clenched into a tight knot.
They pulled up to the notary office at ten to ten. Evelyn was already waiting at the entrance with that same leather bag and folder of documents.
«Well, ready?» She smiled. But Nia noticed how her eyes darted quickly, assessing the situation.
«Ready,» said Marcus.
They entered the building and went up to the second floor. In the waiting room, they were met by a receptionist. «Thorne party? Go to office number three.»
They entered a spacious room. Behind the desk sat the notary, an elderly woman in glasses. In reality, this was the real notary, Ms. Davids, who agreed to help the police. In the adjacent room, behind a two-way mirror, sat the undercover officers and the detective.
«Good morning,» the notary nodded. «Sit down. What documents are we processing?»
Evelyn placed the folder on the table. «Here, need to notarize signatures on documents for joining as a founder.»
«I see. Let me take a look.» The notary took the documents and began to leaf through them slowly. She frowned and marked something with a pencil.
«Excuse me, but these aren’t just incorporation documents. There are loan agreements and a real estate mortgage deed here.»
«Well, yes, it’s all for processing the share in the company,» Evelyn said quickly. «Standard procedure.»
«Not quite standard.» The notary looked at Nia. «Do you understand what you are signing?»
Nia made a confused face. «I thought these were just papers for the business. Evelyn said they are signing over a share in the family company to me.»
«It isn’t just a share.» The notary placed the documents on the table. «These are loan agreements for $150,000. Your condo goes as collateral. Plus, you become a personal guarantor for the debts of a certain BuildTech LLC for the amount of $40,000.»
Silence reigned. Evelyn went pale. Marcus jerked as if to stand up, but froze.
«This… This is a misunderstanding,» the mother-in-law began. «It’s just complex legal terminology there.»
«No misunderstanding.» The notary stood up. «I cannot notarize these documents because there is an obvious attempt to mislead. The young lady clearly doesn’t understand what she is signing.»
At that moment, the door from the next room opened. Two men in uniform and the detective entered.
«Evelyn Thorne. Marcus Thorne. You are detained on suspicion of fraud,» said the senior officer.
Evelyn’s face twisted. «What? What fraud? This is a completely clean deal.»
«A deal in which you tried to deceive your son’s fiancé by forcing her to sign loan agreements under the guise of incorporation documents.» The detective placed a voice recorder on the table. «We have a recording of your conversation in the restaurant with your son where you discussed the scheme. There are statements from two women who have already suffered from your actions. There is forensic analysis of the documents, and there is today’s attempt captured on camera.»
Evelyn slowly sank onto a chair. Marcus stood ashen, unable to move.
«It’s her!» The mother-in-law pointed a finger at Nia. «She set it all up. Entrapment.»
«No entrapment,» the detective said calmly. «You brought the fake documents yourselves. You tried to obtain the signature by deception yourselves. Nia Vance simply exercised her right to defense.»