My Husband Is An International Idol

Chapter 23: The Photograph

Victor Reyes stared at the photograph for a very long time.

The elderly caretaker had already returned to organizing documents.

The clock on the wall had ticked several minutes forward. Yet Victor remained frozen.

His eyes never left the faded handwriting.

"To our future in-laws, with love."

Six words. Just six words.

But those six words had the power to destroy five years of secrecy. Or at least, that was what Victor thought.

Slowly, he placed the photograph on the table. Then, looked at the people inside the picture.

Edward and Vanessa Sterling.

Matthew and Amanda St. Claire.

All smiling. All younger. And standing together like family. Not business partners or acquaintances. But more like a family.

Victor swallowed. The implication was too obvious. Yet he forced himself to remain calm.

A good journalist never jumped to conclusions. Because assumptions were dangerous. Evidence, facts and proof mattered.

And this photograph alone wasn’t enough. At least for him.

"Do you know who wrote it?" Victor looked up at the caretaker.

The old man adjusted his glasses. Then chuckled softly. "The note?"

Victor nodded. "Yes."

The caretaker smiled. "Vanessa Sterling."

Victor immediately sat upright.

Edward Sterling’s wife. Liliana’s mother.

The realization sent another jolt through him. "You’re certain?"

"Oh yes."

The caretaker laughed. "Nobody could mistake Vanessa’s handwriting."

Victor looked down at the photograph again. Then another question occurred to him.

"When was this taken?"

The caretaker thought for a moment. Then answered. "About thirty years ago."

Victor froze.

Thirty years? That was before Chris and Liliana were born.

Several seconds passed. Then realization struck. "Oh."

The caretaker nodded. Understanding immediately. "The children weren’t even born yet."

Victor’s heartbeat accelerated which meant something very important.

The phrase future in-laws couldn’t possibly refer to Chris and Liliana directly because they didn’t exist yet.

The photograph was older than both of them.

Victor leaned back thinking. Analyzing and recalculating.

His theory shifted.

Perhaps the families had discussed joining through marriage long before the children were born.

Perhaps it had been a joke. Or maybe it had been serious.

Either way, the connection between the two families clearly ran deeper than anyone realized.

Three hours later, Victor left the archive building.

The photograph remained carefully stored inside his folder.

The afternoon sun hung low above Sterling Village.

The roads were quiet, peaceful and ordinary.

Victor slowly walked toward the village center. His mind remained occupied.

The evidence continued piling up. The photographs, school records, funeral records, charity galas, family friendships, and now this.

A photograph suggesting the families once considered themselves future relatives.

The pattern was becoming impossible to ignore. Yet one major problem remained.

He still lacked proof of a marriage. An actual proof. Not theories or assumptions. But proof.

Victor sighed. Then looked toward the familiar road leading to Lucia Sterling’s house.

The flower-covered house. The house Chris always visited and where every clue seemed to lead.

For the first time, Victor considered something he had previously avoided.

Direct observation.

Meanwhile, inside the city, Chris was having another terrible day.

He honestly wasn’t sure anymore what day it was.

Concert preparations had consumed his entire life.

Rehearsals began before sunrise then ended long after sunset.

And somehow there was still more work. It just never ends.

His manager entered the dressing room holding a coffee. The universal symbol of survival.

Chris accepted it immediately. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

Several moments passed.

The manager looked anxious and hesitant which Chris immediately became suspicious.

"What?"

The manager looked uncomfortable.

"What?"

"There is something you should know."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "That sentence never ends well."

The manager nodded. Then he handed over a tablet.

Chris looked down.

An article filled the screen.

Not a scandal. Not a rumor, just an article about Sterling Village.

Chris frowned. Then continued reading.

His expression gradually darkened. Because the author was familiar—Victor Reyes.

The journalist hadn’t published anything dangerous. Not yet.

The article focused on the history of Sterling Corporation.

The downfall of the family and the tragedy twenty years ago.

Nothing incriminating. Nothing controversial. Yet Chris immediately understood the problem.

He worried about Liliana. The accident involving her parents was the most painful day not only for Liliana but also for his family.

And Victor was digging deeper. The wound that was forgotten decades ago was now being publicized.

Chris slowly handed the tablet back.

The manager sighed. "You noticed too."

"Yeah."

For several moments, neither spoke.

Then Chris asked quietly: "Does my father know?"

The manager almost laughed. "Chris."

Right. Of course Matthew knew. He probably knew before the article was even written.

The thought wasn’t particularly comforting.

That evening, Matthew St. Claire sat inside his office once again.

Henry stood nearby.

A new report rested on the desk. It was Victor’s latest movement. His latest discoveries and activities.

Matthew finished reading then closed the folder.

"He found the photograph."

Henry nodded. "Yes, Chairman."

Matthew wasn’t surprised.

Victor was good. And he had to admit he was very good. That was precisely why he had become a problem.

Henry waited. "Should we intervene?"

Matthew looked toward the city lights thinking.

Then he shook his head. "Not yet."

Henry remained silent.

Matthew continued.."Every step he takes tells us what he knows."

"And when he learns too much?"

The question hung in the air.

Matthew’s gaze hardened slightly. "Then we’ll deal with it."

The answer was simple, direct and final.

Henry nodded.

Back in Sterling Village, Liliana remained blissfully unaware of everything.

At least for the moment.

She was currently arguing with Emily. Apparently that was now part of her daily routine.

"You bought twenty packets of seeds."

Emily pointed proudly at the shopping basket.."Thirty."

Liliana closed her eyes. "Why?"

"Optimism."

"That’s not how gardening works."

Emily strongly disagreed. The debate continued for several minutes until Grandmother Lucia appeared, holding a tablet.

The two stopped because Grandma was having a suspicious aura, especially that she wasn’t fond of technology.

"Grandma?" Emily frowned.

The old woman adjusted her glasses before looking at Liliana.

"There is a photograph of Chris."

Liliana immediately relaxed.

"Okay."

Lucia frowned.

"He appears to be wearing pants with holes in them and with no shirt."

The room became silent.

Emily looked at the screen then burst out laughing.

"Oh."

Liliana peeked then laughed too.

It was a fashion photoshoot for a very expensive designer jeans.

"It’s a new endorsement. New sponsor." Liliana smiled.

"They paid him to wear damaged clothing?"

Emily could no longer breathe while explaining everything to Grandma Sterling.

The old woman nodded and looked satisfied with the answer.

Then Emily turned to Liliana.

"How much does he make in a month? I read that brand alone worth millions."

Liliana leaned against the table, thinking.

"I don’t know. He sends me money every month and has given me a lot of luxury bags, shoes and clothes."

"How much does he give you?"

Liliana never really cared about the money. She spends a little from what Chris gave her and saves the rest for future use.

"Come on, tell us."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I want to know if my cousin is getting enough from her idol husband."

Liliana shook her head. "He’s giving me more than enough, Emily. You don’t need to know."

"Please tell me! I’m dying to know. Ten thousand?"

"No."

"Twenty?"

"No."

"Fifty? A hundred?"

"Nope."

"Five hundred?"

"Emily!"

Emily’s eyes widened. "Not even five hundred thousand dollars? Do you get a million dollars a month from him?"

Liliana froze for a moment.

"Oh my god! Oh my! This is huge! The most popular idol in the universe is giving his whole income to his wife!"

Liliana frowned. Was Chris sending her everything? How about his daily expenses?

Far away, Chris suddenly received a text message. It was Liliana.

Liliana: Are you sending me everything monthly?

Chris: What do you mean?

Liliana: Your salary, your money.

Chris couldn’t reply. How did she find out?

Liliana: Why? How about your daily expenses? Do you eat properly?

Chris smiled. Then replied.

Chris: I have more than enough here. Don’t worry. I’m giving it to you because I know you can handle it better than I could. If it’s with me, I’ll just buy you gifts and send it at home.

Liliana wasn’t convinced. So she decided to bring him something on the day of the concert.