Alicia Karisson’s best friend, Astrid, had set up the blind date with Richard Franklin. She was feeling excited and a little nervous about meeting one of the city’s most eligible bachelors. Alicia was a twenty-five-year-old Swedish national who worked as an assistant attaché at her consulate, located in the financial district in San Francisco.

She had the classic Nordic appearance: blonde hair, blue eyes and a long, slim frame. She was a natural beauty. Four years earlier, she’d represented her country in the annual Miss World contest where she’d finished third. Her friend, Astrid, who also worked at the consulate, was dating one of Richard’s friends and he’d suggested they get together for dinner as a foursome.

They met at the fashionable Jolly Harbor restaurant, which was only a five-minute stroll from the consulate. Alicia felt an instant attraction to Richard, which appeared to be reciprocated and, in the following three months, they began a whirlwind romance, culminating in her moving into his spectacular penthouse apartment with its three-hundred-and-sixty-degree views of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge. As well as being the natural heir to one of the foremost companies in America, Richard was attractive, charming and extremely attentive and Alicia couldn’t believe she’d actually landed her dream man. She had no idea he was also an accomplished actor and was playing his role to perfection.

Six weeks after moving in, she fell pregnant, and, a month after that, they were married. The wedding celebration took place at the prestigious Hotel Fairmont in the bay area and no expense was spared as Bormann wanted to make it a statement wedding. Richard paid for Alicia’s entire family to fly over from Europe and five hundred guests enjoyed a lavish reception in the opulent ballroom. Richard had explained his mother was too sick to travel from Argentina and his only family representative at the wedding was his beloved Uncle Ronald.

Ronald, aka Martin Bormann, supervised the guest list and ensured it included the great and the good, including the mayor and governor. It was hailed in high-society circles as the wedding of the year and featured as a double-page spread in the prestigious Life magazine. The couple honeymooned in Europe, visiting Paris, Rome and London, before taking the Orient Express to Venice where they ended their trip at the legendary Cipriani Hotel. On the last night, they were relaxing together on the massive queen-sized bed, and, as Alicia lay against Richard’s body, he gently stroked her slightly swollen stomach. She snuggled in close and didn’t see his face wince when she asked the inevitable question.

“Richard, when it comes to my background, I’m a totally open book but you never say anything about your family. The only person I’ve ever met is your Uncle Ronald. I’m desperate to know more, but we never seem to talk about it.”