Six Months to Steal a Billionaire’s Fortune

Victoria walked toward the altar as though the world had been built for her.

The orchestra swelled. Guests rose from their seats. Camera flashes illuminated the aisle, catching the sparkle of her tiara and the delicate lace of her gown.

Ethan watched her approach.

Every step brought back a memory of the woman he thought he knew.

The first time she had kissed him.

The night she had fallen asleep against his shoulder while they watched an old movie.

The morning she had told him that she wanted their future children to grow up understanding that money was a responsibility, not a measure of human worth.

Now, as she reached the altar, she slipped her hand into his.

“Are you all right?”” Victoria whispered, her smile fixed for the cameras.

“You look beautiful,” Ethan replied.

Her fingers tightened around his.

“That's not what I asked.””

“I'm fine.””

She searched his face for a moment, then relaxed.

“Good. You look a little pale. I was worried you'd caught something.””

Ethan almost laughed.

Even now, she was performing concern with the precision of an actress waiting for her cue.

The officiant opened his book.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Ethan Carter and Victoria Hayes.””

Applause faded into silence.

The officiant spoke about trust, commitment, and the courage required to build a life with another person. Ethan listened to every word, wondering whether Victoria had ever considered what any of them meant.

When the time came for their vows, she went first.

“Ethan,” she began, her voice trembling beautifully, “before I met you, I thought love was something people talked about because they were afraid of being alone.””

A few guests smiled.

Victoria looked directly into his eyes.

“Then you showed me that love is choosing someone every day. You made me feel safe, understood, and valued. I promise to stand beside you in every storm, to celebrate your victories, and to love you when life is difficult.””

Her eyes glistened.

“I promise that you will never have to wonder whether I am on your side.””

Ethan felt something cold settle behind his ribs.

The guests applauded softly.

The officiant turned toward him.

“Ethan, your vows.””

Ethan looked at Victoria's face.

She was waiting for him to say the words she had prepared herself to hear.

He could end the wedding now. One sentence would be enough. The guests would gasp, the cameras would capture the moment, and by sunset the entire city would know that the Carter wedding had collapsed.

But the anonymous message remained on his phone.

Ask her what happened to her last fiancé.

There was a story here he didn't understand. If he confronted her without knowing the truth, she might destroy evidence, contact her accomplices, or disappear before he could learn what she had done.

So Ethan made a decision.

He would finish the ceremony.

But he would not give Victoria what she expected.

“Victoria,” he began, “when I met you, I thought I'd found someone who could see past everything the world thinks it knows about me.””

Her smile softened.

“You made me believe that trust was worth the risk. You reminded me that love should be a choice, freely made, without fear or obligation.””

He paused.

“I promise to be honest with you. I promise to protect the people I love. And I promise that whatever our future brings, I will never mistake appearances for truth.””

Victoria's smile flickered.

Only for a fraction of a second.

Then it returned.

“I do,” Ethan said when the officiant asked for his consent.

“I do,” Victoria echoed immediately.

The officiant pronounced them husband and wife.

The ballroom erupted in applause.

Victoria leaned forward and kissed Ethan.

Her lips were warm. Her perfume was familiar. Her hand rested against his cheek as cameras flashed around them.

To the guests, it was a perfect wedding kiss.

To Ethan, it felt like signing a contract he had not yet finished reading.

When they separated, Victoria whispered against his ear.

“See? We did it.””

“Yes,” Ethan replied.

“We did.””

Her eyes searched his again.

For a moment, he thought she might sense something wrong.

Then her attention shifted toward the guests, and her familiar smile returned.

The reception began with champagne, speeches, and a five-tier wedding cake decorated with white sugar roses. Ethan's father had been dead for eight years, but the company executives who had known him raised their glasses to the family legacy.

Victoria sat beside Ethan at the head table, one hand resting on his arm.

“Your aunt is lovely,” she said as an elderly woman approached to congratulate them.

“She used to smuggle me candy when I was a child.””

“That's adorable. We should invite her to stay with us sometime.””

Ethan looked at his bride.

“We should.””

Victoria lifted her champagne glass.

“To our future.””

He touched his glass to hers.

“To the truth.””

She laughed.

“That's a strange wedding toast.””

“I'm told I'm a strange man.””

“Not to me,” she said, kissing his cheek.

“I know you better than anyone.””

Across the room, Daniel caught Ethan's eye and subtly pointed toward the exit.

Ethan waited until the photographer called for a family portrait.

“Excuse me,” he told Victoria.

“I need to speak with Daniel about tomorrow's schedule.””

“Already working?”” She pouted playfully.

“You promised me one day without business.””

“Five minutes.””

“Three.””

He kissed her forehead.

“Three.””

Daniel was waiting in a service corridor near the kitchen, holding a folder.

“Tell me this is nothing,” Daniel said.

Ethan opened the folder.

Inside were printed screenshots of messages exchanged through an encrypted messaging application. The venue's security team had identified a staff member who had entered the bridal suite corridor earlier that morning and left carrying a sealed envelope.

The staff member had been paid in cash.

“Who is he?”” Ethan asked.

“Temporary event contractor. His name is Lucas Bennett. He says a woman hired him to deliver a package to Victoria.””

“Which woman?””

“He claims he doesn't know. But he gave us the message she sent him.””

Daniel handed Ethan a printed page.

The message was short.

Deliver this to Victoria before the ceremony. Make sure nobody sees you. If Carter asks questions, you were never here.

Ethan's jaw tightened.

“What's in the package?””

“Nothing. Lucas says Victoria opened it in the dressing room and returned it to him empty.””

“Then why pay someone to deliver an empty package?””

“That's what I asked.””

Daniel pulled out another sheet.

“This is where it gets interesting. Our venue manager recognized the name on the payment receipt. The transfer came through a company called Hayes Strategic Consulting.””

“Victoria's company?””

“Registered to her older brother, Nathan. At least, that's what the paperwork says.””

Ethan looked at the document.

He had met Nathan Hayes twice. Both times, Victoria had described him as a struggling entrepreneur who had made several poor investments.

She had asked Ethan not to offer him money because she wanted her brother to learn responsibility.

Ethan had admired her for that.

Now he wondered whether the story had been designed to keep him from asking questions.

“Did Lucas see anything else?”” Ethan asked.

“He heard Victoria arguing with someone on the phone before the ceremony. He couldn't hear the other person clearly, but he remembers one sentence.””

Daniel leaned closer.

“She said, 'The transfer has to happen before the six-month mark. If he discovers the old agreement, we're finished.''”

Ethan stared at him.

“The old agreement?””

“That's all he heard.””

For several seconds, the sounds of the reception seemed impossibly distant.

Ethan opened his phone and searched the unfamiliar number that had sent him the warning.

No name appeared.

He typed a reply.

Who are you?

The response came almost immediately.

Someone who knows what Victoria did to Daniel Price.

Ethan read the name twice.

“Daniel,” he said slowly, “do you know anyone named Daniel Price?””

His best friend frowned.

“Not personally. Why?””

Ethan showed him the message.

Daniel's expression changed.

“Wait. Daniel Price? The real estate investor from Boston?””

“You've heard of him?””

“Only because of a case from a few years ago. He was engaged to a woman named Victoria Hayes. The wedding was canceled, and his company went into administration shortly afterward.””

Ethan felt the floor shift beneath him.

“Why?””

“Rumors about fraud. Something involving a property portfolio and forged guarantees. But Price disappeared from the public eye, and the case never became a major story.””

“Disappeared?””

“Not literally. He sold what was left of his business and moved overseas, I think.””

Ethan stared at the message.

A former fiancé.

A failed business.

An old agreement.

Six months.

The pieces were beginning to form a picture, but the center remained hidden.

Before he could ask another question, a woman's voice sounded behind them.

“Ethan?””

Victoria stood at the end of the corridor, holding her bouquet in one hand.

Her smile remained in place, but her eyes had narrowed.

“There you are. Everyone is waiting for our first dance.””

Ethan closed the folder.

“Daniel and I were discussing tomorrow's schedule.””

“Really?”” Victoria glanced at the papers in his hand.

“At our wedding?””

“It's a complicated schedule.””

She approached and slipped her arm through his.

“Then you can explain it to me later. Right now, I want my husband.””

The word husband sounded rehearsed.

Ethan put the folder inside Daniel's jacket.

“Of course.””

Victoria kissed his cheek.

Then she turned toward Daniel with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

“Daniel, would you mind giving us a moment? I need to tell Ethan something private.””

Daniel hesitated.

Ethan nodded.

“Go ahead. I'll meet you inside.””

Daniel walked away.

Victoria waited until he disappeared around the corner.

Then she took Ethan's hand and pressed it against her waist.

“Something has changed,” she said softly.

“Has it?””

“You're looking at me differently.””

“Maybe I'm tired.””

“Don't lie to me, Ethan.””

He studied her face.

For the first time since meeting her, he saw no trace of the woman who had made him feel safe.

He saw a woman measuring the distance between suspicion and exposure.

“What do you want me to say?”” he asked.

Victoria stepped closer.

“I want you to tell me that nothing is wrong.””

Ethan's wedding ring felt strangely heavy.

“Nothing is wrong,” he said.

She searched his face for another moment.

Then she smiled and kissed him.

“Good. Because tonight is important.””

“Why?””

Victoria's fingers tightened around his.

“Because tonight, we're going to sign the final documents.””

Ethan went still.

“What documents?””

“The postnuptial asset declaration. My attorney sent it over last week. You said your office would review it.””

He remembered the email. His assistant had forwarded a document from a law firm he didn't recognize, but the wedding preparations had consumed his attention, and he had asked Margaret to review it.

He had not yet received her response.

“Why does it need to be signed tonight?”” he asked.

Victoria's smile hardened.

“Because the bank needs confirmation of our marital status before it can process the transfer.””

“What transfer?””

She blinked.

For the first time all day, she seemed genuinely caught off guard.

Then she laughed.

“Ethan, don't look at me like that. I'm talking about the household account we discussed. The one for our shared expenses.””

“Of course.””

He held her gaze.

“Send me the paperwork. I'll have Margaret review it.””

Victoria's expression tightened.

“Your lawyer?””

“Our lawyer.””

“Ethan, we're married now. Do you really need your legal team involved in every decision we make?””

“It's a financial document. I wouldn't expect you to sign something without your attorney reviewing it.””

She withdrew her hand.

For a heartbeat, the mask slipped completely.

“You promised me you trusted me.””

“I do,” he replied.

“That's why I want us both protected.””

Victoria looked at him as though he had slapped her.

Then, slowly, she smiled.

“Fine. Have Margaret review it.””

She turned toward the ballroom.

“But don't take too long, darling. There are some things that become much harder once the clock starts running.””

Ethan watched her walk away.

His phone vibrated again.

The anonymous number had sent another message.

Do not sign anything she gives you tonight. The six-month plan is only the beginning.

A final message appeared beneath it.

And if you want to know why Daniel Price lost everything, ask Victoria what happened to the money she claimed was stolen from her.

Ethan looked toward the ballroom doors.

Victoria was laughing with the guests, her hand resting on the arm of one of his senior executives. She looked like a woman celebrating the happiest day of her life.

Then she glanced over her shoulder.

Their eyes met.

Her smile disappeared.