Fake Innocence

Por Alessandra Cesana

Model Verónica Dreick, ready to hand valuable information for a lot of money, disappears without being able to go through with her mission. Events transpire in the Principality of Monaco, where her friend Marian Fynch and her family are awaiting her for a pleasant holiday. However, after a few hours of restlessness over the disappearance of the girl, Veronica called from Florence, giving signs of life. Vincent Fynch, Marian's brother, is travelling to the beautiful Italian city to try to win over the beautiful model. At the same time, he desires to overcome the strong attraction he feels for sexy designer Cat Preston, who maintains a loving relationship with architect, and father of the boy, Phil Fynch. But what secret is Veronica hiding? Could it be related to the mysterious disappearance of photographer Alessio Rosso? His brother, Greg Rosso, will try to find out the truth in the hope of finding Alessio alive. The main suspect is famous model, Belinda Star, who maintained a tumultuous relationship with the photographer. But is she really to blame?

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: BadPress
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 23 may 2018
• ISBN: 9781547531455

Vista previa del libro

THE DISAPPEARANCE.................................................................................................................................................2

THE ALLURING CAT PRESTON...................................................................................................................................7

ARRIVING IN FLORENCE..........................................................................................................................................12

SEARCHING FOR VERONICA...................................................................................................................................19

THE DATE..................................................................................................................................................................25

DESTINED FOR VENICE............................................................................................................................................29

ALESSIO’S CLUE........................................................................................................................................................33

RACHEL’S PLAN........................................................................................................................................................38

PROOF FOR VINCENT..............................................................................................................................................43

A REUNION IN VENICE............................................................................................................................................52

HALF THE TRUTH.....................................................................................................................................................56

A WOMAN IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE.....................................................................................................................65

THE AMAZING CAT..................................................................................................................................................71

VERONICA’S SECRET................................................................................................................................................78

"This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual

people or events is purely coincidental."

THE DISAPPEARENCE

It was a warm night in early June and the beach on the French Riviera was deserted. The sky was filled with stars that, along with the moon, lit up the darkness of the night. A girl with long, blond hair checked her luxurious looking wristwatch and saw that it was almost two in the morning, the time she had agreed to meet up with someone. While she waited, she could feel the soft tumbling of the waves beginning to crash in a slightly raging manner while the wet sand seeped into her high-heeled sandals.

Suddenly, a tall and stocky man, who appeared out of nowhere, came running toward her, abruptly snatched her bag and ran off with it in hand. The girl, completely taken aback, threw off her shoes and ran after him screaming:

Hey, my bag! Give it back!

But the man didn't stop. He kept running toward the street hoping she might follow him. Once out of sight of the beach, he stopped to wait until she had reached him and then another man, of about the same stature as the first, forcefully grabbed her and stuck a handkerchief over her mouth. She was left unconscious and they immediately threw her into a big, black car and then climbed in and quickly disappeared, crossing the deserted streets and heading towards the outskirts of town.

About five minutes or so later, a middle-aged woman showed up to the beach where the girl had been waiting. She had come with briefcase in hand: a briefcase that was filled with a considerable amount of money.  Knowing she had been running late, it seemed strange to her that the girl had not already been there waiting for their meetup. She waited a few more minutes, but when she still hadn’t arrived, she decided to call her mobile. She didn’t answer. She tried calling again, but still nobody answered. After waiting for another half an hour, the woman, unsettled and confused, decided to leave. She couldn’t imagine why the beautiful model, who had arranged the previous morning to meet her there, had not shown up. The only thing she knew was that she had wanted to let her in on some valuable information that she was ready to pay a lot of money for and she didn’t even want to think about losing the opportunity to find out what the girl had wanted to tell her.

*****

Phil Fynch was a prestigious architect who had been finishing up the construction of a luxury housing development in the outskirts of Monaco. The plan was to have a series of vacation homes styled like bungalows, each with its own pool. They were to be decorated and furnished with a cozy, colonial theme by interior decorator Cat Preston, who had worked with Phil on various occasions. They made a great team and, well, had always achieved brilliant results by bringing together their styles of architecture and design.

That June, Phil and his wife Rachel, together with their two kids Vincent and Marian, decided to settle into one of the houses that Phil had reserved for his family and himself, intending to spend the holidays there.

It’s fantastic, dad! I love it! This is going to be a great holiday! cried Marian as soon as they arrived and saw how beautiful it all was.

Marian had just turned twenty-two and was excited to spend her holiday on the Costa Azul. The only things she had been wanting to do were go swimming, go to the beach, play some sports, learn to sail a boat, do some shopping and spend time doing touristy things. At night, she thought she might either go dancing or attend some outdoor concerts.

Vincent, on the other hand, was now twenty-five and would have preferred to have spent his holiday with his friends. The only reason he had agreed to go with his family was to be with Veronica Dreick, a friend of Marian’s who would be staying with them for a few days in their vacation home.

A few weeks of rest would be good for Rachel. Her job consisted of writing articles on art for a well-known magazine and, due to this, she normally travelled cities known for being part of the world of art such as Paris, St. Petersburg, or the country of art at its finest: Italy. She loved what she did because she learned so much, mostly when she was interviewing those who worked in restoration and the important artists, but it also exhausted her having to be on the go so often so she was very much going to enjoy this lazy vacation.

It was almost ten in the morning when Rachel, wearing a raspberry colored bikini and white cover-up, went downstairs to make some breakfast. The bungalow was spacious and well-lit. In the kitchen, there was a large dining set which made for a convenient layout. On the ground floor, there were two bedrooms which had a shared bathroom and, outside, there was a nice little garden with a porch and pool. By just going up a few stairs from the kitchen area, you could find yourself on the first floor where there was a study and another full bathroom. From the garden, there was access to a little guest house that had two bedrooms and a bathroom. Next to that, there was also a home gym that any athlete should be able to enjoy. There was even a jacuzzi that guests could relax in, something that, especially, the women found to be a great amenity.

Rachel poured herself a big glass of juice and made up some toast with jam. A little later, taking off her swimsuit cover and throwing up her long, chestnut hair, she laid out on one of the teak deck chairs next to the pool. She felt completely relaxed and was ready to enjoy just getting some sun and going for a swim. Phil had left early that morning to go sailing on the little yacht he had rented for their stay in Monaco. Marian had gone to the station to look for her friend, Veronica, who was going to arrive shortly. Meanwhile, she had not seen any signs of Vincent since the night before. About ten minutes later, he came in through the garden wearing his swimsuit and said hey to his mom with a little more enthusiasm than that of his usual demeanor right after waking up. This seemed strange to her. Vincent dipped into the pool and swam a couple of laps. He then got out, dried off a little, and grabbed a croissant that had been laying on the table. He ate it in two big bites and while he went to grab another, he asked his mom what time it was.

––––––––

It’s almost half past ten. Are you meeting up with somebody? asked Rachel, wanting to know why her son was in such a good mood at such an early hour.

No. Who would I be meeting up with? I don’t know anyone around here, he responded while gulping down the last of the croissant and pouring himself a glass of juice.

I don’t know. I thought maybe you had already made a friend, she answered while covering her slightly plump body with sunscreen.

Right then, Marian came up. Her brother, upon seeing that she was alone, asked, with some concern,

Didn’t you go to find Veronica? 

His sister gave him a worried look and responded,

Of course I went. I waited for her for a long time, but she never showed. I’ve called her a few times, but she’s not answering me. I’m worried. I don’t know what could have happened to her.

Rachel, seeing the disappointed look on her son’s face, now understood the reason why he had woken up so happily this morning: the arrival of Veronica. But his happy demeanor that was now waning due to her not showing up.

Maybe she just wasn’t able to come. Or it could be that she was confused over the time or day, he said thinking of the two most plausible explanations.

Don’t you have her parents’ phone number? Or maybe one of her family member’s, asked Vincent, trying to figure out how to find the girl.

"No. I