High above the clouds, in the business class of an airplane, Kristi walked through the aisle in her crisp flight attendant uniform with practiced grace.
She stopped at a couple sitting by the window, absorbed in their own world. The man in his well-tailored suit handed the woman, whose eyes sparkled like on the Fourth of July, a small velvet box.
As he opened it, a delicate necklace shimmered, spreading prismatic colors over their seats. Kristi’s eyes widened, and she paused for a moment.
“May I, my beautiful Isabella?” the man whispered to his companion, his voice sounding excited. The woman nodded and blushed as she lifted her hair so he could put the necklace on her.
“That’s a beautiful lipstick,” the woman said, turning to Kristi with a warm smile.
Confused and touched, Kristi touched her lips. “Thank you, it’s my favorite lipstick,” she replied, stuttering as she was caught snooping.
The man smiled up at Kristi and gave her a generous tip. “Thank you for making this flight special,” he said sincerely.
“It was my pleasure. Enjoy your journey together,” Kristi replied, her heart fluttering as she moved on, while the couple’s joy echoed in her thoughts.
The next day was her only day off that weekend, and Kristi had promised to visit her mother. When she arrived, the older woman grabbed her by the arm and introduced her to Edwin, her new fiancé.
Only he was none other than the man from the plane, who had given another, younger woman a beautiful diamond necklace. Kristi’s shock made her freeze, but she composed her expression.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kristi. Your mother has told me so much about you,” Edwin said gently, extending his hand as if they had never met.
“Nice to meet you too,” she replied cautiously, playing along for her mother’s sake.
Then Edwin took over the kitchen and whipped up a meal with the flair of an experienced chef. “This is how I show I care,” he explained, serving the dishes with ease.
As they ate, Edwin told them stories of his travels, but he only answered vaguely when Kristi pressed him further about his past.
That made everything worse, but she wasn’t sure what to tell her mother. Could she have been wrong about him?
After dinner, Kristi decided to go outside with her mother, hoping the fresh air would clear her mind.
The cool breeze on the patio was just what she needed before she could ask some difficult questions. “Mom, what do you really know about Edwin?” Kristi asked cautiously.
“He’s wonderful. A billionaire, the son of a diamond magnate. He’s shown me such a glamorous life,” her mother replied with shining eyes. “We’re getting married in a few days!”
“Mom, I know this sounds strange now, but I swear I saw him on a flight with another woman recently, and now he’s suddenly with you and getting married,” Kristi pressed.
Her mother frowned. “Why are you lying? Can’t you be happy for me? Edwin loves me. You just don’t want me to be with another man after your father’s death.”
“That’s not it! Doesn’t his quick step seem strange to you?” Kristi argued.
“Strange? No, it’s romantic. You’re too young to understand. With Edwin, it’s all about love,” her mother shook her head.
Kristi sighed: “Mom, please think about it. He could be a scammer. That number on the plane… he’s like a Casanova.”
“Scammer? Kristi, that’s ridiculous. Edwin is a good man!” her mother defended him.
“I just don’t want you to lose everything to a man we barely know,” Kristi said, desperately trying to convince her.
But at that moment, Edwin appeared with drinks in hand: “Ladies, let’s celebrate,” he said cheerily, and Kristi’s mother briefly excused herself.
As they were alone, Kristi glared at Edwin and could no longer hold back.
“How can you manipulate my mother’s feelings?” she demanded, revealing everything she had seen him do on the plane.
Edwin’s smile faded: “Kristi, I just want your mother to be happy. No reason for hostility.”
She scoffed and poured a drink over his head. “You think you’re clever, but I see right through you. I won’t let you hurt my mother,” she declared resolutely. “You’re a scammer!”
Her mother appeared and stared wide-eyed at the orange slice still dripping from Edwin’s face. “Kristi, how could you? Edwin, I’m so sorry…”
Edwin assured her: “It’s alright. Let’s not spoil the evening.”
Kristi’s frown deepened as her mother cared for the scammer, and she realized there was no way to win that evening. Still, she knew she had to prove Edwin’s true nature to protect her mother.
It would just take some time.
Then she remembered an important detail from the day of the flight when she had seen Edwin… and Isabella.
Kristi paced in front of the airline’s office, gathering her courage before entering. At the reception, she was greeted by a cheerful employee: “Good morning! How can I help you today?”
“I need to see the passenger list from my last flight. It’s important,” Kristi said, stumbling over her words.
“That’s confidential. May I ask why you need it?” the employee asked, furrowing her brow.
Kristi tried to hide her nervousness as she said, “A passenger left something valuable behind. I want to help return it.”
“Okay, I can’t show you the list, but I can help you if you give me more information,” the employee said, leading Kristi into a private office.
After taking a seat, Kristi explained that a passenger named Isabella had lost her jewelry and had been talking about it as they disembarked.
The employee confirmed that the Lost & Found department had received Isabella’s missing report and had actually found the jewelry.
“Can I return it to her myself? It might mean more if it comes from someone who was on the flight,” Kristi asked.
After signing a release form, Kristi received Isabella’s jewelry and her contact information. She called the stranger and arranged to meet her the next day in a hotel lobby.
Kristi approached Isabella, the same woman Edwin had spoken tenderly to on her last flight, in a nice hotel café and was immediately recognized.
“You were the flight attendant on my last trip, right?” Isabella asked in astonishment.
“Yes, that was me. The world is small.”
Kristi launched into her story about Edwin, her suspicions, and everything else she knew. The young woman furrowed her brow in frustration.
“I knew something was off. Edwin asked me for a large sum of money for an emergency. I trusted him and am supposed to meet him soon to give him the money,” Isabella explained, leaning back and crossing her arms.
Kristi told her this was their chance to expose him: “We can set up a scenario to catch him. We’ll record everything. I’ll disguise myself so he won’t recognize me,” she planned.
Isabella agreed, and they spent the next hour working out their strategy and focusing on every detail and possible reaction from Edwin.
As Kristi left the café, she was nervous but determined. The plan was set, and together they would save her mother.
In a dimly lit upscale restaurant, where Isabella had arranged to meet Edwin to give him the money he had demanded, the young woman waited and twirled her wine glass.
Meanwhile, Kristi, disguised as a waitress, watched from the other end of the room as Edwin confidently entered and greeted Isabella.
“Isabella, my dear, sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, sitting down.
Kristi came to their table to take their order, and Isabella played along perfectly, suggesting they celebrate with red wine.
“Excellent choice,” Edwin agreed, without taking his eyes off Isabella. Kristi quickly brought the wine, and her heart raced with every step.
“That’s all, thank you,” Edwin said, only glancing briefly at Kristi. It wasn’t enough to realize who she was. His attention quickly returned to his date.
As they sipped their wine, Isabella suggested that instead of money, she could give him something more tangible like jewelry since he had been so generous in giving her diamonds.
Fascinated, Edwin pulled out his phone to show her some options, from Cartier and Rolex watches to designer clothing.
As soon as his phone was on the table, Kristi saw her chance. She pretended to refill their wine glasses and accidentally spilled some on Edwin’s shirt.
“Damn! My shirt!” he exclaimed, jumping up angrily.
“It’s just a mishap, Edwin. Let’s not make a scene,” Isabella calmed him and nodded discreetly to Kristi.
Kristi apologized profusely, then rushed off, claiming she needed to get soda water and napkins.
She had swapped Edwin’s unlocked phone with a temporary dummy during the commotion and then hurried to the restroom to check the real phone.
After a few minutes of searching, Kristi discovered Edwin’s active dating profile and flirtatious messages similar to those he had sent her mother.
Although it wasn’t the incontrovertible evidence she had hoped for, it was still disturbing. So, Kristi began typing a message to trap Edwin.
Suddenly, she was startled by a knock. “I know you’re in there with my phone! Come out right now!” Edwin called from outside.
“I’m calling the police!” he declared with a stern and urgent voice.
Kristi stood up with the phone in hand and her heart pounding. She opened the stall door and faced Edwin in a tense standoff. He reached for the phone, but Kristi dodged him.
“Stay back!” she warned, leaning against the cold wall of the restroom.
“Give me my phone, or you’ll regret it!” Edwin cornered her and reached out his hand. Kristi screamed, hoping someone would come to her aid, and bracing herself for what would happen next.
In a sterile police station, Kristi sat under the cold glow of fluorescent tubes.
“You’re lucky Mr. Edwin didn’t press charges,” a stern officer warned. “Consider this your only warning.”
Kristi nodded, her voice low: “I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“Good intentions don’t always lead to good deeds,” the officer replied before walking away.
At that moment, her mother stormed through the door, her face full of disappointment. “Kristi, this is not the daughter I raised,” she declared, her voice full of emotion.
“Mom, I was trying to protect you from Edwin,” Kristi explained, looking down.
“Protecting me by breaking the law?” her mother retorted sharply. “You’ve gone too far.”
An officer intervened. “Mr. Edwin has filed for a restraining order. Any further action will lead to arrest.”
Kristi closed her eyes, but her mother offered no reprieve.
“I don’t want to see you anymore. Learn from this. Goodbye, Kristi,” the older woman said before leaving.
Kristi returned to the hotel where she had met Isabella and sat at the bar in the lobby. As she sipped a drink, Isabella slid next to her.
“I heard what happened. I’m sorry,” Isabella sighed, interlocking her fingers on the bar surface.
“Thank you,” Kristi half-smiled. “But before everything went wrong, I changed Edwin’s password on the dating site.”
“That’s brilliant,” Isabella responded, fascinated. “We can use that. Let’s warn the other women.”
Kristi laughed as they logged into Edwin’s dating profile together and composed many messages to warn his targets.
“Beware of Edwin. He is not who he pretends to be. Protect your heart and your wallet,” Kristi typed relentlessly.
Their initial laughter faded to determined silence as they saw how far this man would go to deceive women for their money.
It was late at night when Isabella closed her laptop and squeezed Kristi’s hand.
“And remember, what we started tonight is just the beginning. Edwin has no idea what’s coming. Wait until the wedding—it’ll be unforgettable!”
The morning sun cast a golden glow on the city chapel as Edwin prepared for his wedding with Kristi’s mother in a chic black tuxedo.
However, he was unaware that this was the last time he would get away with his Casanova scheme.
Kristi watched from the trees as the ceremony began and her heart pounded. Suddenly, an unusual murmur spread through the crowd.
Heels clicked on the floor as one woman, then another, and dozens more converged in the chapel. All were women Edwin had deceived.
A woman in a bright red dress yelled, “Scammer!” Her voice pierced the solemn atmosphere of the ceremony.
Edwin frowned, and his confusion turned to horror as he recognized them and the others.
“He’s a liar!” another shouted.
“You won’t get away with this!” a third added.
The ceremony descended into chaos. A woman smashed a piece of wedding cake into Edwin’s face, smearing him with cream.
He tried to flee down the aisle, but a guest tripped him, sending him tumbling into a flower bed.
The women charged, using handbags, shoes, and floral arrangements to exact revenge, shouting accusations.
Eventually, the police intervened, dispersing the crowd and escorting a disheveled Edwin away. When calm returned, the chapel buzzed with muted conversations and occasional sobbing.
Kristi stepped out of her hiding spot as her mother exited the chapel, tears streaming down her face. The older woman shook her head at her and climbed into a car.
Her mother was too proud to admit she had been wrong. But Kristi would wait and give her time to grieve. In the meantime, she would ensure Edwin faced the full force of the law.
Share
