Kristina had dreamed since childhood of marrying a wealthy man, so when she started working at an elite fitness club, she immediately realized that the owner, Dmitry, was someone she needed to “take control of.”

Dmitry was twenty-five years older than Kristina and came to the gym more for the “checklist” than anything else, but his black SUV stood out among the usual foreign cars, and his VIP membership card immediately caught Kristina’s attention. As an administrator keeping an eye out for potential suitors, she saw an opportunity.

At first, Kristina thought Dmitry was married, so she only expected occasional meetings and expensive gifts. But then, she found out that Dmitry was a widower. Kristina received this news with unprecedented enthusiasm. She went all out to get Dmitry’s attention, and eventually, it worked.

One day, he offered to drive her home after her shift. Of course, she agreed. Dmitry appreciated her efforts and her beautiful “third-size eyes.” He invited her to a restaurant. Later, at the club’s anniversary party, Kristina asked him to dance, and the next day, she was promoted from administrator to club manager.

Their romance was gaining momentum.

A month later, Kristina hinted that it was time for them to move in together. Dmitry avoided eye contact and stunned Kristina with news about his family.

“I can’t.”

“Why?!”

“I need to consult with my daughter,” Dmitry said.

“You have a daughter?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“She’s fifteen, and you’re twenty. I’m afraid she won’t understand…”

“Don’t worry, darling… we’ll find a common language,” Kristina smiled slyly, backing up her words with personal actions, after which Dmitry, like a real man, had no arguments left. So, a few days later, he came home not alone.

“Sweetheart, meet Kristina.”

Vera looked at Kristina, said nothing, and went to her room. She was still mourning her mother’s death, and now her father had brought a new woman into their home!

“I knew it… it wasn’t worth it,” Dmitry said, disappointed.

“Don’t worry, darling, we’ll get along! Give us time,” Kristina reassured him. They had dinner together, and Dmitry drove her home. But Kristina was firmly decided she didn’t want to live in her small rental apartment anymore. Dmitry’s luxurious apartment kept occupying her thoughts—expensive furniture, luxurious carpets, and a jacuzzi in the bathroom! Kristina had long dreamed of such a bath and in her mind had already moved her shampoos to Dmitry’s bathroom shelf.

“We need to spend more time with your daughter,” she insisted.

“Vera doesn’t want to… she’s upset,” Dmitry shrugged.

“I know what to do!” Kristina smiled. She took Dmitry’s personal driver and his card, and went shopping, inviting Vera to join. Vera was with a friend at school at the time and initially refused, but her friend suggested giving Kristina a chance.

“Maybe she’s not as bad as you think? Besides, a new outfit wouldn’t hurt,” her friend suggested. Vera shrugged and agreed.

She watched Kristina’s behavior and only became more convinced that Kristina was after nothing but her father’s money. Kristina didn’t hesitate to empty his card. She behaved as though she were the queen of the world, being rude to salespeople in boutiques and buying only the most expensive brand-name items. She filled whole bags, as if she’d never been to a store before, and her wardrobe was empty.

“Why are you so shy? Come on, we have an unlimited card!” Kristina pretended to smile at Vera, who grabbed a simple black T-shirt and wandered off. Kristina didn’t even notice her departure, too absorbed in shopping.

When it was time to leave, she got in the car and told the driver to go home.

“What about Vera?” asked the driver, Semen.

“She’ll get home on her own! Let’s go!” Kristina tried to give orders, but Dmitry’s driver had known their family for years. He had driven Vera since she was a child and would never leave her alone.

“No. Dmitry Nikolaevich told me not to leave her. I obey him, sorry,” he replied. Kristina had to call Vera. The girl was found at a nearby café.

“Finally! Get in the car,” Kristina demanded as she approached Vera. Vera paid for her juice and stood up. She was very happy, but Kristina didn’t immediately understand why the café patrons were looking at them so strangely, and why the serious driver was smiling broadly upon seeing Vera.

It wasn’t until they got home that Kristina noticed Vera was wearing a new T-shirt with a printed image of Kristina crossed out, with the words: “Stay away from my dad, bitch.”

“When did she have time to get this printed?” Kristina wondered, plotting her revenge.

Kristina swallowed her anger but decided she would do whatever it took to get Dmitry, even if it meant eliminating his daughter.

She started acting extra sweet toward Vera in Dmitry’s presence. Vera, on the other hand, behaved like a childish fool, provoking her potential stepmother into conflict. Dmitry enjoyed spending time with the beautiful Kristina, and he began getting irritated with his daughter’s scandals and attempts to pit them against each other.

For Vera’s birthday, Kristina gave her a gold pendant with a diamond, purchased with Dmitry’s money. Vera dramatically flushed the expensive gift down the toilet. That was the final straw.

“You’re acting awful! Your grades are slipping, and your behavior is like that of a child from a dysfunctional family! You need to respect my opinion and my choice, not throw obstacles in the way!” Dmitry told her.

“But I don’t like Kristina! Don’t you see that?!”

“But I like her!” Dmitry snapped. The birthday was ruined, and Vera spent it crying, remembering her mother. But the worst began after the party. Dmitry announced that Kristina would be moving in with them.

“Kristina will teach you how to behave properly. She’s a kind and well-mannered girl, and she, too, grew up without a mother. You have a lot in common, try to be friends with her,” Dmitry gave an ultimatum.

Vera realized that arguing was useless. She decided to accept the situation and even tried to make contact, but Kristina hated Vera and dreamed of getting rid of her. So, when Dmitry was away, Kristina openly told Vera that her days in that house were numbered.

“We’ll see who gets kicked out first,” Vera replied. They had a real battle for Dmitry’s attention.

“Soon I’ll marry your father, and you’ll end up in a school for the mentally challenged,” Kristina hissed when Vera slipped laxatives into her soup. Clever Kristina set up the situation so that Dmitry would find out about Vera’s actions, but not think Kristina was upset with her.

“Don’t scold her, darling… she didn’t mean it! It just… needs time,” Kristina pleaded, making puppy eyes.

“Time?! Two months have passed, and she… she’s acting like a child!”

“Maybe she’s missing her mom. I’ll never win her trust or be a mom to her, although I really want to!” Kristina cried on Dmitry’s shoulder. That evening, Dmitry comforted not his daughter, but Kristina. The next morning, they went to a jewelry store. Kristina was happy, anticipating her victory.

But on the wedding day, when Dmitry arrived to pick Kristina up, he found the wedding dress ruined and Kristina herself covered in bruises.

“Who did this to you?”

“Your daughter! She’s dangerous to society!” Kristina declared.

Dmitry was shocked.

“Vera!” he called, but the girl didn’t respond.

“She beat me up, ruined the dress, and left!” Kristina sobbed.

“Then there will be no wedding.”

“What?!”

“You need to see a doctor.”

“No, darling! Let’s just get married, please! The makeup artist will come and cover up the bruises,” Kristina panicked.

Dmitry thought for a moment and agreed. He called his daughter, but she didn’t answer. Then he left Kristina and went outside to clear his thoughts. He couldn’t understand how Vera, the quiet and modest girl, had turned into a monster in just a few months.

“Dmitry Nikolaevich… may I talk to you?” the driver, who was supposed to drive them to the registry office, approached.

“Honestly, I need to. I don’t know where Vera is, what’s happening with her, and why she and Kristina don’t get along. I don’t have anyone to ask for advice. I don’t have friends, no relatives left. Only you, Semen… you’ve been with us for so many years,” Dmitry smiled sadly.

“Don’t worry, Vera called me. She’s fine.”

“Where is she? What do you know?”

“She said she ran away because she saw Kristina ruining her dress. After that… well, Vera isn’t to blame,” Semen reported.

Dmitry was surprised. He didn’t know whether to listen to the driver or believe his fiancée, whom he loved.

“Why would my fiancée, Kristina, create this circus? Why ruin her own wedding dress and complain about my daughter?” Dmitry asked his driver, Semen.

“Vera told me that Kristina wants to send her to a school for the mentally challenged. After that, she plans to send her to an orphanage,” Semen reported.

“That’s a lie!” Dmitry shouted. “You don’t know anything! She’s a stupid teenager who doesn’t know what she’s doing!”

“Sorry, Dmitry Nikolaevich, but now you’re acting like a stupid teenager. I don’t want to get involved in this, but… your fiancée…”

“If you don’t want to get involved, then don’t!” Dmitry cut him off and went home to calm down his fiancée and prepare for the wedding.

Kristina was almost ready. Her face was made up, and the ruined dress had been replaced with a new one, urgently delivered from the store.

“Shall we go to the registry office?”

“Yes, I decided that my daughter doesn’t deserve to be with us on this wonderful day. What do you think?” Dmitry said.

“I completely agree!” Kristina laughed.

“I think she needs to be properly punished for what she did. And we need to send her to a psychologist.”

“I’ve noticed for a while that she’s not normal… I’ve heard what teens from troubled families are capable of, and I’m scared to be around her!” Kristina nodded. “She needs to be isolated.”

“Today?”

“Yes. But first, to the registry office,” Kristina sweetly kissed her future husband.

“You go to the car, I’ll be right there,” Dmitry nodded. Kristina smiled contentedly and left.

Dmitry sat in his chair, thinking. He hadn’t used the cameras in a long time. He had installed them to watch over Vera’s nanny when she was a baby, and later for the new housekeepers. Over time, Vera grew up, and the housekeepers settled in, and the hidden cameras were gathering dust in the corners of the apartment. But they were still recording, capturing everything that happened in the house. Old recordings were erased, replaced by new ones. The updates happened about once every few days.

Dmitry turned on the laptop and rewound the recording to the early morning. The quality wasn’t very good, and there was no sound, but he could still make out what was happening.

In Kristina’s bedroom, there hung a beautiful white dress. Vera had entered Kristina’s room several times but Kristina refused to talk to her and kicked her out. Then the most interesting part began. Kristina’s friend from the fitness club came over. They laughed as they cut the hem of the dress, ruining it. When Vera entered Kristina’s room again and saw them doing this, Kristina attacked Dmitry’s daughter, grabbing her by the hair. Vera pushed Kristina away, and Kristina seemed to fall on purpose. Then… after saying something to his daughter, Kristina fell again, breaking her lip.

Vera ran out of the room crying, and Dmitry didn’t watch any further. He was furious with himself for not noticing the obvious all this time!

Dmitry saved the footage to his phone and went to Kristina. She was waiting for him with a hurt expression.

“You took too long! We’re almost late! And your idiot driver isn’t moving!” Kristina complained.

“Dmitry Nikolaevich? What do you think?” Semen asked gloomily.

“Take us to the registry office quickly! Otherwise, you’ll have to find another job tomorrow!” Kristina shouted, ignoring the question.

“No, Kristina. You’ll have to find a job. Get out of the car and give me the keys to my apartment.”

“What?!” She couldn’t believe her ears. “How could you?! Is this all Vera’s doing?! Did she influence you?!”

“I’ve seen everything for myself. That’s enough for me,” Dmitry turned on the recording and showed it to Kristina. She broke out in a cold sweat and tried to push Dmitry away, insulting him and his entire family.

“Get out,” Dmitry said calmly. He couldn’t wait to go to his daughter and apologize for his mistake.

Kristina grabbed the fluffy hem of her dress and climbed out of the car. She was furious and hated the whole world.

Dmitry drove to Vera. Fortunately, his driver knew that she had run to a friend’s house. After the incident and Kristina’s words, Vera realized she couldn’t live with her father and his witch anymore. Her friend offered her to stay with them for a while, and her mother, Larisa, was more than happy to help. Larisa Petrovna was a kind woman who had long been friends with Vera’s mother and sympathized with Vera, understanding her.

So when Dmitry rang the doorbell, Larisa opened it with a frown.

“Your daughter is still a child… and you, Dmitry…” she didn’t finish.

“I know. I’m deeply ashamed. Please let me make things right.”

Vera listened and forgave her father.

From that moment on, he no longer brought new women home, meeting them on neutral ground and protecting his family from discord. Vera was fine with this arrangement. And Larisa Petrovna became like a second mother to her, whom she turned to for advice.

A few years later, Dmitry saw in the quiet, modest Larisa the beautiful and loving woman who had always cared for him and his daughter. She wasn’t as young as his girlfriends, but she cooked delicious pies and sincerely cared about his daughter. Dmitry realized that true happiness was found in care and mutual understanding. They spent some time as friends, and then Dmitry decided that he wanted to marry Larisa and finally find the family happiness he had longed for.

And this time, his daughter was completely on board with the wedding.