Christie was taking care of a rich couple in business class who were really sweet to each other. The next day, she was shocked to find out that the same guy was engaged to her mum. Christie knew she had to do something, but she had no idea what was coming.
High above the clouds, in the business class cabin of a commercial aircraft, Christie, dressed in her flight attendant uniform, walked down the aisle with practical grace.
She stopped next to a couple sitting by the window, immersed in their own world. The man, dressed in a formal suit, handed the woman a small velvet box, her eyes lighting up like fireworks on the Fourth of July.
When he opened it, an elegant necklace sparkled around her neck, its stones scattering prismatic colours across the seats. Christie’s eyes widened, and she paused for a moment in her rounds.
‘May I, my magnificent Isabella?’ the man whispered to his companion, his voice tinged with excitement. The woman nodded, her cheeks flushing as she lifted her hair so he could fasten the necklace.
‘What a beautiful shade of lipstick,’ the woman said, turning her warm smile toward Christie.
Embarrassed and touched, Christie touched her lips. ‘Thank you, it’s my favourite,’ she replied, stammering from being caught peeking.
The man smiled at Christie and offered her a generous tip. ‘Thank you for making this flight special,’ he said sincerely.
‘With pleasure. Enjoy your trip together,’ replied Christy, and her heart fluttered as she walked away, mindful of the couple’s happiness.
The next day was her only day off, and Christie promised to visit her mother. When she arrived, the elderly woman grabbed her by the hand and introduced her to Edwin, her new fiancé.
Only he turned out to be none other than the man from the plane who had given another, younger woman a beautiful diamond necklace. Shocked, Christie froze in place, but tried to keep her expression neutral.
‘It’s very nice to meet you, Christie. Your mother has told me so much about you,’ Edwin said calmly, extending his hand as if they had never met before.
‘It’s nice to meet you too,’ she replied cautiously, playing along with her mother.
Then Edwin went into the kitchen and prepared the meal with the skill of an experienced chef. ‘It’s my way of showing I care,’ he explained, serving the dishes with ease.
While they ate, Edwin told them stories from his travels, but only gave vague answers to Christie’s questions about his past.
This only made things worse, but she didn’t know what to say to her mother. Could she be wrong about him?
After dinner, Christie decided to take her mother outside, hoping that the fresh air would clear her head.
The cool breeze from the terrace was just what she needed before asking some difficult questions. ‘Mum, what do you really know about Edwin?’ Christie asked cautiously.
‘He’s wonderful. A billionaire, the son of a diamond magnate. He showed me such a luxurious life,’ her mother replied, her eyes shining. ‘We’re getting married in just a few days!’
‘Mum, I know this is going to sound strange, but I swear I saw him on a recent flight with another woman, and now he’s suddenly with you and getting married,’ Christie 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 the point! Doesn’t his quick move seem strange?’ Christie objected.
‘Strange? No, it’s romantic. You’re too young to understand. Edwin is love,’ her mother shook her head.
Christie sighed. “Mum, please think about it. He could be a con man. That act in the … he’s like Casanova.”
‘A con artist? Christie, that’s ridiculous. Edwin is a good man!’ her mother defended him.
‘I just don’t want you to lose everything because of a man we barely know,’ Christie said, desperately trying to make her understand.
But at that moment, Edwin appeared with drinks in his hands. ‘Ladies, let’s celebrate,’ he said cheerfully, and Christie’s mother left for a second.
When they were alone, Christie, unable to hold back any longer, frowned and asked Edwin.
‘How can you manipulate my mother’s feelings?’ she demanded, laying out everything she had seen him do on the plane.
Edwin’s smile faded. ‘Christie, I only want happiness for your mother. There’s no need for hostility.’
She smiled mockingly and poured her drink over his head. ‘You think you’re clever, but I see right through you. I won’t let you hurt my mother,’ she said firmly. ‘You’re a fraud!’
Her mother appeared, her eyes widening at the sight of the orange slice still dripping from Edwin’s face. ‘Christie, how could you? Edwin, I’m so sorry…’
Edwin reassured her. ‘It’s okay. Let’s not let this ruin our evening.’
Christie frowned as she watched her mother fuss over the fraudster and realised that winning this evening was impossible. Nevertheless, she knew she had to prove Edwin’s true nature in order to protect her mother.
That would take time.
It was then that she remembered an important detail from the day she saw Edwin… and Isabella.
Christy stood outside the airline office, gathering her courage before entering. At the check-in counter, she was greeted by a cheerful representative. ‘Good morning! How can I help you today?’
‘I need to see the passenger list from my last flight. It’s important,’ Christie said, stumbling over her words.
‘That’s confidential. May I ask why you need it?’ the representative asked, frowning.
Christie tried to hide her nervousness: ‘One passenger left something valuable behind. I want to help return it.’
‘Well, I can’t show you the list, but I can help if you tell me the details,’ said the representative and led Christie into a separate office.
Sitting down in a chair, Christie explained that a passenger named Isabella had lost a piece of jewellery and had mentioned it when they were disembarking from the plane.
The representative confirmed that the lost and found department had received a report about Isabella’s loss and that the jewellery had indeed been found.
‘Can I return it to her myself? It might mean more if it’s given to her by someone who was on the flight,’ Christie asked.
After signing a release form, Christie received Isabella’s jewellery and her contact details. She called the stranger and arranged to meet her the next day in the hotel lobby.
Christie approached Isabella, the very woman Edwin had been affectionate with during her last flight, in the hotel’s beautiful café and recognised her immediately.
‘You were the flight attendant on my last trip, weren’t you?’ Isabella asked in surprise.
‘Yes, that was me. It’s a small world.’
Christie immediately got down to business, telling her about Edwin, her suspicions, and everything else she knew. The young woman frowned, upset.
“I knew something was wrong. Edwin asked me for a large sum of money for urgent needs. I trusted him, and I was supposed to meet him soon to give him the money,” Isabella said, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms.
Christie told her that this was their chance to expose him. ‘We can devise a plan to catch him. We’ll record everything. I’ll disguise myself so he won’t recognise me,’ she planned.
Isabella agreed, and they spent the next hour devising a strategy, paying attention to every detail and Edwin’s possible reactions.
Leaving the coffee shop, Christie was nervous but determined. The plan was in place, and together they were going to save her mother.
In the dimly lit, upscale restaurant where Isabella had arranged to meet Edwin and give him the money he had requested, the young woman waited, twirling a glass of wine in her hands.
Meanwhile, Christy, disguised as a waitress, watched from the other end of the room as Edwin confidently entered and greeted Isabella.
‘Isabella, dear, I’m sorry to keep you waiting,’ he said as he sat down.
Christie approached their table to take their order, and Isabella played along perfectly, suggesting they celebrate with red wine.
‘Excellent choice,’ Edwin agreed, never taking his eyes off Isabella. Christie quickly brought the wine, her heart pounding with every step.
‘That’s all, thank you,’ said Edwin, glancing briefly at Christie. It wasn’t enough for him to understand who she was. His attention quickly returned to his companion.
As they sipped their wine, Isabella suggested that instead of giving him money, she should give him a gift, something more tangible, such as jewellery, since he had been so generous with her diamonds. Gift baskets
While they sipped wine, Isabella suggested that instead of giving him money, she should give him a gift, something more tangible, such as jewellery, since he had been so generous in giving her diamonds. Gift baskets
Intrigued, Edwin took out his phone to show her a few options, from Cartier and Rolex watches to designer clothes.
As soon as his phone was on the table, Christie saw her chance. She pretended to fill their glasses with wine and accidentally spilled some on Edwin’s shirt.
‘Damn it! My shirt!’ he exclaimed, jumping to his feet in irritation.
‘It was just an accident, Edwin. Let’s not make a scene,’ Isabella reassured him, nodding discreetly to Christie.
Christie apologised and then hurried away, saying she needed to fetch soda and napkins.
During the commotion, she replaced Edwin’s unlocked phone with a temporary decoy and hurried to the bathroom to check the real phone.
After searching for a few minutes, Christie discovered Edwin’s active profile on a dating site and flirtatious messages similar to those he had sent her mother.
It wasn’t the irrefutable proof she had hoped for, but it was still disturbing. So Christie began typing a message, trying with all her might to lure Edwin into a trap.
Suddenly there was a knock. ‘I know you’re in there with my phone! Come out now!’ Edwin shouted from outside.
‘I’m calling the police!’ he announced, his voice stern and insistent.
Christie stood with the phone in her hand, her heart pounding. She opened the cubicle door and came face to face with Edwin in a tense standoff. He lunged for the phone, but Christie dodged him.
‘Don’t come any closer!’ she warned, pressing her back against the cold wall of the toilet.
‘Give me my phone, or you’ll regret it!’ Edwin cornered her, reaching out his hand. Christie screamed, hoping someone would come to her aid and waiting to see what would happen next.
In the sterile police station, Christie sat under the cold gaze of fluorescent lights.
‘You’re lucky Mr. Edwin didn’t press charges,’ the stern officer warned, ‘Consider this your only warning.’
Christie nodded, her voice quiet. ‘I thought I was doing the right thing.’
‘Good intentions don’t always lead to good deeds,’ replied the policeman and left.
At that moment, her mother burst through the door, her face reflecting disappointment. ‘Christie, this is not the daughter I raised,’ she said, her voice thick with emotion.
‘Mum, I was trying to protect you from Edwin,’ Christie explained, lowering her eyes.
‘Protect me by breaking the law?’ her mother retorted sharply. ‘You’ve gone too far.’
The officer intervened. ‘Mr. Edwin has filed a restraining order. Any further action will result in arrest.’
Christie closed her eyes, but her mother gave her no respite.
‘I don’t want to see you anymore. Learn your lesson. Goodbye, Christie,’ said the elderly woman and left.
Christie returned to the same hotel where she had met Isabella and sat down at the lobby bar. Sipping a strong drink, Isabella moved closer to her.
‘I heard about what happened. I’m so sorry,’ she sighed, clasping her fingers on the surface of the bar.
‘Thank you,’ Christie replied with a half-smile. ‘But before it was all over, I changed Edwin’s password on the dating site.’
‘That’s great,’ Isabella replied, intrigued. ‘We can use that. Let’s warn the other women.’
Christie laughed as they logged into Edwin’s dating site profile together, creating multiple messages to warn his targets.
‘Beware of Edwin. He’s not who he says he is. Guard your heart and your wallet,’ Christie typed confidently.
Their initial laughter turned to determined silence as they saw how far this man was willing to go to deceive women.
It was late at night when Isabella closed her laptop and squeezed Christie’s hand.
“And just think, what we started today is only the beginning. Edwin has no idea what’s in store for him. Wait until the wedding — it will be unforgettable!”
The morning sun flooded the city chapel with golden light as Edwin, dressed in a formal black tuxedo, prepared for his wedding to Christie’s mother.
However, he did not know that today would be the last time he would be able to pull off his Casanova scam.
Christie watched the beginning of the ceremony from the trees, her heart pounding. Suddenly, an unusual murmur arose from the crowd.
Heels clicked on the floor: one woman, then another, and dozens more gathered at the chapel. They were all women whom Edwin had deceived.
A woman in a bright red dress shouted, ‘Fraud!’ Her voice pierced the solemnity of the ceremony.
Edwin frowned, and his confusion turned to horror when he recognised her and the others.
‘He’s a liar!’ shouted another.
‘You won’t get away with this!’ added a third.
The ceremony descended into chaos. One of the women smeared a piece of wedding cake across Edwin’s face, covering him in cream.
He started to run towards the altar, but one of the guests tripped him up and he fell into a flower bed.
The women attacked him, using handbags, shoes and flower arrangements to take revenge, shouting accusations.
In the end, the police intervened, dispersing the crowd and leading away a dishevelled Edwin. When calm returned, quiet conversations and occasional sobs could be heard in the chapel.
Christie emerged from her hiding place just as her mother came out of the chapel, tears streaming down her face. The elderly woman shook her head and got into her car.
Her mother was too proud to admit she was wrong. But Christie would wait and give her enough time to mourn. In the meantime, she would make sure that Edwin felt the full force of the law.
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