"Funny." Dario accepts the handshake, his larger hand engulfing Marc's. "I've heard too much about you."
Marc's smile tightens almost imperceptibly. "Shall we sit? I've taken the liberty of ordering a bottle of wine. Unless mountain men prefer something stronger?"
"Water's fine." Dario pulls out my chair, a courteous gesture that I know is also strategic—positioning himself between Marc and me.
"Still so concerned with appearances." I settle into my seat, eyes never leaving Marc's face. "Why are you here?"
He laughs, the sound practiced and hollow. "Direct as ever. I've missed that about you."
"I haven't missed anything about you." The words come easily, honestly. "Answer the question."
Marc leans back, swirling the red wine in his glass. "Can't I check on an old friend? See how married life is treating you?"
"We're not friends, Marc. We never were." I fold my hands on the table. "You're here because you can't stand that I escaped your control. That I found a loophole in your father's ironclad prenup."
His expression hardens momentarily before the smooth mask slips back into place. "I'm here because I'm concerned. You suddenly marry a stranger and move to the wilderness? It's not like you, Judith."
"Maybe you never knew me at all." I glance at Dario, drawing strength from his steady presence. "What do you really want?"
Marc's eyes shift between us, calculating. "I want to understand what's going on. This rushed marriage, right after learning about a convenient inheritance clause? The timing is... suspicious."
"The timing was accelerated," Dario speaks, voice deceptively calm. "The relationship is genuine."
Marc's smile doesn't reach his eyes. "So genuine that my private investigator reports you met at The Velvet Antler and married within a week? That Judith had never set foot in Crimson Hollow before that day? That you placed an ad for a temporary wife?"
Ice floods my veins. He knows. Somehow, he knows.
"You had me investigated?" I keep my voice level despite the fury building inside me. "That's a new low, even for you."
"I was worried." He has the audacity to look concerned. "You disappeared, breaking our engagement without explanation. Then suddenly you're married to a mountain recluse with convenient timing for his inheritance issues."
"You know exactly why I ended our engagement." I lean forward, lowering my voice. "The embezzlement. The threats. The control."
"Ancient history." He waves a dismissive hand. "And irrelevant to my current concerns. This marriage is clearly an arrangement. A business transaction."
"What's your point?" Dario asks, the dangerous edge more pronounced now.
Marc smiles, victorious. "My point is that fraud invalidates contracts. Including marriage certificates and land transfers."
"You're threatening us." Not a question.
"I'm stating facts." Marc sips his wine. "I have evidence your marriage was arranged specifically to circumvent both Judith's prenuptial obligations and your inheritance requirements."
"What evidence?" I challenge, though dread pools in my stomach.
"The original classified ad. Email exchanges. Witness statements from the inn where Judith stayed before moving to your cabin." He sets down his glass. "Enough to convince a judge."
"To what end?" Dario's voice remains calm, but I can feel the tension radiating from him. "What do you want, Alexander?"
Marc leans forward, all pretense of civility dropping. "I want what's mine. Judith violated our prenup. She owes me."
"I don't owe you anything." The words come out sharper than intended.
"The morality clause says otherwise." His smile turns cruel. "One million dollars, to be exact."
"Your prenup became void the moment we married." Dario's hand covers mine on the table, warm and reassuring.
"Not if the marriage is fraudulent." Marc's eyes gleam with triumph. "Which I can prove it is."
