Théodora quietly closed the office door.
Andréas was standing in front of her.
— Mom… why did Lydia say that this house was going to become hers?
Théodora placed her phone on the desk.
— Listen.
She played the recording.
Lydia’s voice filled the room.
— After the wedding, Andréas will sign. Then his mother won’t be able to stop anything anymore.
Her son’s face fell.
— Sign what?
Théodora opened the safe hidden behind a bookcase.
She took out several documents.
— This estate belongs to a family-owned company. And I own every single share.
Andréas stared at her in disbelief.
He had grown up here, but his mother had always told him that he would inherit everything only after her death.
— Lydia thinks you already own it, she continued.
— Why?
— That’s exactly what I’d like to know.
They decided not to reveal anything right away.
During the reception, Andréas discreetly asked Lydia to show him the documents she wanted him to sign after their wedding.
She hesitated.
Then she handed him a folder, claiming that it was simply meant to arrange their shared finances.
Théodora photographed it.
Her lawyer confirmed their suspicions a few minutes later.
The folder contained an extremely broad power of attorney.
Once signed, Lydia would have been able to act on Andréas’s behalf in several financial transactions.
But the most alarming document concerned the estate.
Lydia had already prepared a property transfer request.
Théodora’s signature appeared at the bottom of the page.
It was forged.
— They forged my signature, Théodora whispered.
Andréas turned pale.
He wanted to confront his fiancée immediately.
His mother stopped him.
— Not yet.
She went back into the garden.
Her clothes had been changed, but her hair was still damp.
The guests fell silent when she appeared.
Lydia approached her with a nervous smile.
— Théodora, I’d like to apologize for this misunderstanding.
— A misunderstanding?
— I didn’t know you were Andréas’s mother.
Théodora stared at her for a long moment.
— That is precisely the problem.
She picked up a glass from a nearby table.
— You believe a person’s dignity depends on their name, their clothes, or the amount of money in their bank account.
Lydia went pale.
Her mother stepped in.
— We can settle this as a family.
— Certainly.
Théodora gestured toward her lawyer, who was waiting near the house.
He walked over carrying the folder.
— Then let’s begin with this forged signature.
Silence fell instantly.
Andréas looked at Lydia.
— You really wanted me to sign this after our wedding?
— Your mother is trying to tear us apart!
— Answer me.
Lydia said nothing.
Her mother tried to leave the garden.
Two officers, discreetly called by the lawyer, were already waiting for her near the gate.
The investigation that followed revealed that the two women had accumulated substantial debts.
They had discovered the true value of Théodora’s assets several months earlier.
The marriage was supposed to give them a way to gradually gain access to the family’s wealth.
Lydia had never imagined that the old woman in the apron she had humiliated was precisely the person whose fortune she was trying to get her hands on.
Andréas called off the engagement.
But Théodora did not consider it a victory.
— I’m sorry I didn’t see who she really was, he told her a few days later.
His mother shook her head.
— What worries me more is that you didn’t know how she treated people when she thought they had nothing to offer her.
Andréas never forgot those words.
Théodora kept the recording.
Not to listen to the humiliation again.
But to remember the exact moment when Lydia had revealed her true character.
Because it is easy to respect someone when you know how much power they possess.
A person’s true nature often emerges in the way they treat those they believe are powerless.
