Chapter 7: The Apartment Deposit
Marcus stood beside the kitchen island, staring at Vanessa's phone.
Did he find out about the apartment deposit too?
Don't let him cancel the wedding before we transfer the remaining money.
The words seemed to grow larger the longer he looked at them.
He heard the bedroom door open.
Vanessa appeared, holding her handbag and checking her reflection in the hallway mirror.
“Why are you standing there?””
Marcus slowly turned toward her.
“What apartment deposit?””
Vanessa froze.
For one brief second, her expression revealed everything.
Then she recovered.
“What?””
“Your father's message.””
Her eyes darted toward the phone.
“You went through my messages?””
“I didn't have to. They appeared on your screen.””
Vanessa snatched the phone from the counter.
“You have absolutely no right to invade my privacy.””
Marcus almost laughed.
“Your father just asked whether I knew about an apartment deposit. He mentioned transferring money before I could cancel the wedding. Explain that.””
Vanessa placed her handbag down.
“It's nothing.””
“Nothing?””
“It's a business arrangement.””
“What business arrangement?””
She rubbed her forehead.
“Marcus, I'm exhausted. We've been fighting for days. Can we discuss this tomorrow?””
“No.””
“Please don't do this.””
“Do what?””
“Interrogate me like I'm some criminal.””
Marcus pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Then give me a straight answer.””
Vanessa stared at him.
Finally, she spoke.
“My parents found a beautiful apartment in the city. They thought it would be a good investment for us.””
Marcus frowned.
“For us?””
“Yes. For our future.””
“Where is it?””
“Near the financial district.””
“How much?””
Vanessa hesitated.
“It's expensive.””
“That's not a number.””
She gave him an irritated look.
“Four hundred and eighty thousand dollars.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Four hundred and eighty thousand?””
“It's a luxury property.””
“Did you purchase it?””
“Not exactly.””
“Then what did you do?””
Vanessa walked toward the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.
“My father paid the initial deposit.””
“With whose money?””
“His.””
“Then why does his message mention transferring the remaining money before I cancel the wedding?””
She set down the glass.
“Because he doesn't want the investment to fall through.””
Marcus leaned forward.
“Is my name on the property?””
Vanessa said nothing.
That silence was enough.
He stood.
“Vanessa.””
She looked away.
“Your name is on the preliminary paperwork.””
Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
“Why?””
“Because we're getting married.””
“That doesn't give you permission to put my name on a property.””
“It's normal for married couples to share assets.””
“We aren't married.””
She rolled her eyes.
“Not yet.””
Marcus took out his phone.
“Show me the documents.””
“I don't have them here.””
“Then email them to me.””
“Marcus, you're being ridiculous.””
“Email them.””
Vanessa stared at him for several seconds before grabbing her laptop.
She opened her email and searched through several folders.
Finally, she turned the screen toward him.
The property was a luxury apartment in a new development.
The purchase price was $480,000.
The deposit had already been paid.
The proposed mortgage application listed Marcus as the primary borrower.
Vanessa was listed as the intended co-owner.
But the application contained something else.
A declaration stating that Marcus had agreed to contribute $120,000 toward the purchase.
He read the sentence twice.
“I never agreed to this.””
Vanessa folded her arms.
“You said you wanted to build a future with me.””
“I didn't agree to buy an apartment.””
“You're making it sound like I stole something.””
Marcus looked at her.
“Did you submit my financial information?””
“I needed to complete the application.””
“Did you authorize a credit check?””
“Marcus, please.””
“Did you?””
She looked down.
“Yes.””
He stepped away from the laptop.
“How long have you been planning this?””
Vanessa's voice became defensive.
“My father found the property months ago.””
“Months?””
“Yes.””
“So you were arranging a mortgage while we were planning our wedding?””
“We were planning our future.””
“No. You were planning to use my finances without asking me.””
Vanessa slammed the laptop shut.
“Stop saying that!””
Marcus looked at her.
“Who is paying the mortgage?””
“We would.””
“Who is contributing the deposit?””
“My father.””
“And who owns the property?””
She hesitated.
“We would both own it.””
Marcus laughed quietly.
“Your father pays the deposit, I take out the mortgage, and you become a co-owner.””
“That's how couples build wealth!””
“Then why wasn't I told?””
Vanessa had no answer.
Marcus reached for his jacket.
“Where are you going?”” she demanded.
“To speak to a lawyer.””
Her face changed.
“You wouldn't dare.””
“Watch me.””
She grabbed his sleeve.
“Marcus, think about what you're doing. The wedding is in two days!””
He gently removed her hand.
“Then you have two days to explain everything.””
He walked out.
That evening, Marcus met an attorney named Daniel Brooks, a friend of his late father's family.
Daniel listened carefully as Marcus described the forged wedding guarantee and the apartment application.
When Marcus finished, Daniel opened his laptop.
“Do you have copies?””
Marcus forwarded everything.
Daniel examined the documents.
“First, contact the lender and formally dispute any application or authorization made without your consent. Request a freeze on processing until the matter is investigated.””
“And the wedding payment?””
“Dispute the guarantee with the venue. Preserve every communication. Don't sign anything else.””
Marcus nodded.
Daniel leaned back.
“There's another issue. If someone has submitted false financial information using your identity, we need to establish exactly what information was submitted and when.””
Marcus looked at the apartment documents.
“I want to know whether there's anything else.””
Daniel nodded.
“We'll investigate.””
The following morning, Marcus received an email from the lender.
The subject line read:
*Additional Supporting Documentation Required.*
He opened it.
The attachment contained bank statements, identification documents, and a financial declaration.
Some of the information was familiar.
Some wasn't.
He noticed a transfer listed from an account connected to the apartment transaction.
The amount was $35,000.
The recipient was a company called Reed Property Holdings.
Marcus immediately called Daniel.
“There's money involved.””
Daniel examined the documents over a secure video call.
“Do you recognize this transfer?””
“No.””
“Did you authorize it?””
“Absolutely not.””
Daniel enlarged the supporting declaration.
“Marcus, I need you to look at the last page.””
Marcus did.
At the bottom was a signature authorizing the transfer.
It was supposed to be his.
But beneath it was another name.
*Vanessa Reed.*
And the date was three weeks earlier.
Daniel looked directly at him.
“Marcus, I think your fiancée has been using your identity for longer than we realized.””
Then his phone rang.
It was Evelyn.
“Sweetheart,” she said, her voice trembling.
“Vanessa's father just called me.””
Marcus straightened.
“What did he want?””
“He told me to convince you to go through with the wedding.””
“Mom, did he threaten you?””
There was a pause.
“He said if you embarrassed his daughter, he would make sure everyone knew what kind of family you came from.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
Then Evelyn added something that made him grip the phone harder.
“He also said he knows about the money your father left you.””
Marcus went completely still.
May you like
Because he had never told Vanessa's father about his inheritance.
And only a handful of people knew it existed.
