Chapter 2

I walked out of the banquet hall, and Samuel's mother, Aria Quinn, called after me, her voice full of worry, "Rachel, don't be so hasty..."

She clicked after me in her heels, dropping her voice. "Samuel's just young and reckless—he's not thinking straight. Everyone's got their eyes on us, and both our families have a reputation to keep..."

I stepped back, putting just the right amount of space between us, and nodded. "Mrs. Aria Quinn, I've already taken the check. From now on, Ms. Reed is your son's wife."

My voice was pitched just right so the rich ladies nearby could hear me loud and clear.

At my words, Aria's face went ghostly pale.

Just then, Dylan's furious roar rang out behind me. "You disgrace! The reputation of Quinn Group is ruined today—all because of you!"

Samuel squared his shoulders, defiant. "What's wrong with me protecting Jess? She's genuine—a hundred times better than those phony, pretentious heiresses!"

"You... you..." Dylan was shaking with rage, then suddenly his eyes rolled back, and he fell back hard, collapsing to the floor.

"Honey!" Aria screamed, throwing herself at him.

The whole hall erupted into chaos.

I strode out of the hotel without a backward glance, leaving total mayhem in my wake.

As I crossed the threshold, I overheard someone mutter, "Man, Ms. Hughes has some serious backbone..."

"No kidding. Anyone else would've totally lost it by now..."

"Mr. Quinn is way out of line..."

The barest hint of a smirk appeared on my face.

Last time, I collapsed in tears right at this spot. But in this life, I was going to make sure everyone saw me leave with my back straight and my pride unbroken.

Outside the hotel, rain drizzled steadily, soaking the hem of my dress.

I looked down at the homeless man crouched at the street corner, digging through a trash bin.

His thin, bony fingers picked through the trash, searching for a piece of moldy bread.

"Here, go buy yourself something to eat," I said, slipping off my diamond bracelet and setting it gently into his battered hat.

The crisp sound of the bracelet dropping into his hat made the homeless man jolt. He looked up, and I saw that half his face was scarred by burns.

It was only then that I realized—not only was his face ruined, but his eyes were empty and unfocused. He was blind.

His hand shook as he reached for the bracelet, his rough fingertips brushing against my wrist, leaving a light mark on my skin.

"T-thank you, miss..." His voice was so hoarse, it sounded like his throat had been burned by fire.

I managed a wry smile, shook my head, and turned to leave.

In my previous life, when I was locked away, I'd groped through the darkness for food just like him.

Now that I had been given another shot at life, I could barely look after myself. That bracelet was the only thing I could offer him.

I didn't go back to Hughes Villa.

Going by memory, I headed for a tucked-away apartment in Northside.

This was a property my mom secretly bought before she died—not even Dad knew about it.

I pushed open the door. Dust was everywhere, but the essentials were still intact.

I took off my jewelry one piece at a time, planning to pawn it all for cash.

My dad's all about keeping up appearances. Going back to the Hughes family? That door's closed for good.

Sure enough, the next day, all the major financial news outlets were blowing up with headlines.

The headline "Hughes Group Cuts Ties with Rachel Hughes" hit me like a slap in the face.

I took a deep breath and made my way to the consignment store.

Two weeks later, Rachel's Café was up and running on the busiest street in Northside.

I used the money from selling my jewelry, plus Samuel's check, to snag this storefront right on the main drag.

The first floor was all about coffee, while upstairs, I turned it into a few cozy private rooms.

"Hey, did you hear? This café belongs to that Hughes heiress—the one Mr. Quinn totally ditched at her own wedding..."

"From high society to running a coffee shop... Talk about a fall from grace."