In October 2020, Melissa Cuc was visiting friends in South Florida. They were excited about attending a party that weekend. She was not.
“I said I’d rather die than go out for Halloween in Miami,” Ms. Cuc, 27, said.
She relented and wound up at the party, wearing a leopard-print skirt. Early into the event, Ms. Cuc was separated from her friends. As she scanned the crowded venue for them, she locked eyes with Alexander Witkoff. He wore a cowboy hat and boots — and an inviting smile.
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The two struck up a conversation and immediately felt at ease with each other.
“She had a bubbly personality and a positive demeanor,” Mr. Witkoff, 31, said. “She radiated happiness.”
They made plans to meet the next day because Ms. Cuc, who works as a model, would soon be returning home to New York City for a job. For their first date, they went to a barbecue hosted by Mr. Witkoff’s friends and spent the afternoon jet skiing.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, her modeling gig kept getting postponed and the two ended up spending eight consecutive days together.
