Chapter 1: The Woman Who Claimed My Husband

Georgina and I had promised ourselves one thing before arriving at the Solenne Hotel in Rivera City.

No names.

No business.

No drama.

We were supposed to spend a quiet afternoon by the pool, enjoy the sunshine, and forget about the endless complications that came with being part of the Hart family.

Of course, that plan lasted less than an hour.

I had barely settled into my lounge chair when a woman in a glittering swimsuit and oversized sunglasses walked toward us.

She stopped several feet away and pinched her nose dramatically.

"What is that smell?"

I looked around.

There was nothing unusual.

Georgina lifted her sunglasses slightly.

"Excuse me?"

The woman looked directly at us.

"This is a luxury hotel."

"How did you people even get in?"

My eyebrows rose.

"We checked in."

"We are guests."

She laughed.

"Guests?"

"You two look like you wandered in from the street just to use the pool."

Georgina's expression immediately hardened.

She had spent decades building businesses from nothing.

Yet this woman had managed to insult her within thirty seconds.

"The only thing that reeks here is your attitude," Georgina said calmly.

The woman's face turned red.

"Excuse me? Do you even know who I am?"

"No," Georgina replied.

"And I don't care."

The woman pointed toward the hotel.

"My husband owns this place."

"We always stay in the top suite."

"So get out."

"You're contaminating the water."

I stared at her.

Something about that sentence felt ridiculous.

Then Georgina and I exchanged a look.

This was her son's hotel.

My husband's hotel.

The Solenne Hotel had originally been one of the properties Georgina built and later transferred to her son Derrick to manage.

Which left one rather uncomfortable question.

Who exactly was this woman?

And why was she claiming to be Derrick's wife?

Georgina leaned toward me.

"Vera, let's swim."

"She's not worth our time."

"When we get back, I'll ask Derrick what the hell is going on."

The woman's eyes widened.

She clearly wasn't used to being ignored.

"Fine," she snapped.

"You love the water so much?"

"Stay in it."

"Don't come out."

She immediately pulled out her phone.

I watched her dial a number.

"Rosalie?"

A man's voice answered.

"What's up?"

"You want a swim lesson or something?"

"Dmitry, teach these clueless women a lesson."

My expression changed.

"What?"

The man appeared only minutes later.

He was tall, muscular, and dressed in a hotel staff uniform.

He looked at Rosalie and then at us.

"You called?"

"Yes."

"These two don't understand hotel rules."

"Teach them."

Dmitry gave a disturbing smile.

"Don't worry."

"I'm a swim coach."

"I know exactly how to handle people in the water."

Before I could process what he meant, he jumped into the pool.

He swam directly toward Georgina.

"Hey!" I shouted.

He grabbed her.

Then shoved her head underwater.

Everything happened so quickly that my brain couldn't keep up.

"Georgina!"

She struggled violently.

She was older and couldn't match his strength.

I jumped into the pool.

The cold water shocked me.

I grabbed Dmitry's arm.

He shoved me away.

I came back at him and bit down hard.

He cursed and released Georgina.

I immediately pulled her toward the surface.

She broke through the water coughing violently.

"Breathe!" I cried.

"Georgina, breathe!"

Her chest heaved.

Her eyes were unfocused.

I held her upright until she could finally breathe properly.

Dmitry backed away.

Rosalie simply laughed.

"So dramatic."

I stared at her in disbelief.

This woman had nearly drowned my mother-in-law.

"You could have killed her!" I shouted.

Georgina finally found enough strength to speak.

"You could've killed someone!"

"You're insane!"

"My lawyers will bury you."

Rosalie laughed again.

"Lawyers?"

"Please."

"My husband owns hundreds of hotels."

"What he makes in a day could buy your entire bloodline."

"You even have a lawyer?"

My stomach twisted.

This was one of Derrick's hotels.

One of the properties Georgina had personally handed over to him.

Yet Rosalie acted as though she owned the entire empire.

I helped Georgina out of the pool.

She was still coughing.

I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," she said through clenched teeth.

"But Derrick is going to hear about this."

Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Go ahead."

"Call him."

"When he comes, you'll learn who actually matters here."

I stared at her.

"Your husband's name is Derrick Hart?"

She tilted her chin arrogantly.

"That's right."

"At least you know who you're dealing with."

"Now get on your knees, apologize, and scrub this pool clean."

"Maybe then I'll let you leave with some dignity."

My chest went numb.

Derrick.

The man who had promised me forever.

The man who had told me that there was no one else.

The man whose mother was standing beside me dripping wet because this woman had ordered someone to attack her.

I took out my phone.

My hands were shaking.

Not from fear.

From the possibility that my entire marriage had been a lie.

I dialed Derrick.

He answered after several rings.

"Vera?"

Hearing his voice almost broke me.

"Derrick."

"Where are you?"

"At the Solenne Hotel."

There was a pause.

"Why?"

"Your mother and I came here for a few days."

"Your mother?"

Rosalie crossed her arms and smiled smugly.

I looked at Georgina.

Then back at Rosalie.

"Yes."

"And there's a woman here claiming to be your wife."

Silence.

The entire pool area seemed to go quiet.

Derrick finally spoke.

"What woman?"

Rosalie's expression changed.

I looked directly at her.

"Rosalie."

"She says the hotel belongs to her husband."

"She says she is your wife."

Derrick didn't answer.

My heart sank.

"Derrick?"

"I'm coming."

The call ended.

Rosalie smiled confidently.

"Good."

"Now you'll finally understand."

I looked at Georgina.

She was pale but standing.

Her eyes met mine.

Neither of us said anything.

We didn't need to.

We both knew.

Whatever Derrick was hiding...

We were about to find out.