Chapter 3 - Playing the FoolWhen I stepped back into the hotel suite forty minutes later, the air was thick with the scent of hot coffee and patronizing arrogance.

Cecilia—still posing as Celeste—was reclining on the velvet sofa, wearing a sheer white lace beach cover-up over a swimsuit, sipping a mimosa. Marcus was pacing near the balcony, holding the thick envelope I had left on the nightstand.

“Where were you?” Marcus demanded, turning around with a sharp crease between his brows. His charming facade slipped for a fraction of a second, revealing the tense, controlling predator underneath. “I told you to rest.”

I forced my shoulders to slump, squeezed my eyes until tears welled up, and let out a shaky, trembling breath.

“I... I’m sorry, Adrian,” I whimpered, using my softest, most vulnerable voice. “I went down to the pharmacy. My stomach was turning... I think the wedding dinner gave me food poisoning.”

Cecilia rolled her eyes, taking a long sip of her drink. “Good Lord, Marcus. She’s already falling apart and we haven't even made it to the boat.”

Marcus relaxed, his charming smile snapping back into place like a well-rehearsed mask. He walked over, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close against his chest.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he murmured, stroking my hair with fake tenderness. “We’ll get you to the beach, and the sea air will fix you right up. But before the car arrives, we really need to finalize these property management forms. The county clerk’s office closes at noon, and my legal team needs these signed so we can secure the insurance policies on your father’s cottages.”

He laid the papers out on the glass coffee table, capping a heavy gold fountain pen and pressing it into my trembling fingers.

I looked down at the document. It was a masterfully disguised Quitclaim Deed, transferring total ownership of thirty million dollars worth of prime oceanfront land to a shell corporation registered in the Cayman Islands.

“Adrian...” I hesitated, rubbing my forehead as if dizzy. “Shouldn't my family lawyer review these first? My father always said never to sign land transfers without Arthur present.”

Cecilia set her glass down with a loud clink. “Your father is dead, Maya. And Adrian is your husband now. Are you saying you don't trust the man you swore to honor yesterday?”

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