Chapter 1

I was the long-lost heiress of the Carter family.

To reclaim my place among the wealthy, I broke up with Mateo Nelson, who had nothing to his name.

Back then, I arrogantly told him, "A rich heiress and a poor guy can never be together.

"And you, Mateo, are not worthy of me."

He stopped acting meek and let me go without a fight.

When we met again, he pinned me against the wall, his dangerous charm on full display. "Scarlett, am I good enough for you now?"

*****

Mateo whispered in my ear, his voice rough and low.

I stayed silent.

He continued, "I'll give you money, and you can have me too. Deal?"

I froze, not daring to make a sound.

This was nothing like I expected.

This was the first project I'd handled completely on my own after leaving Scarly Group.

I had to nail it if I wanted to earn their trust.

I only came to this party to lock in a deal with the project lead.

I never expected to run into Mateo here.

I'd imagined he might try to get back at me, but I never thought he'd talk to me like this.

I looked up, trying to break free from his hold, but he wouldn't let go.

I let out a sigh. "Mateo, do whatever you want to get back at me."

I went on, "But can you please just sign the contract?"

He gave a self-mocking laugh. "What matters most to you? Is that little bit of Carter money really all you care about?

"You dumped me just to get back in with them, and now you're ready to forget everything just for a deal?"

He stared straight at me.

I met his gaze. "Yes."

Just then, my phone rang.

The screen showed "Jack Anderson."

My arranged marriage partner.

I motioned for Mateo to let go, then answered the call.

Jack's gentle voice came through. "Scarlett, where are you? I'll come pick you up."

I smiled. "No, you don't have to."

Jack said, "How about we go try on wedding dresses tomorrow?"

"Okay," I replied.

Before I could even react, Mateo grabbed my phone.

His hand slid up my neck, and then he kissed me.

I stared at him in shock, beating against his chest in protest.

The air was thick with the metallic tang of blood.

I let out a sigh of relief when I saw the call had ended.

Then I slapped Mateo across the face.

"Mateo, are you out of your mind?" I said.

He just smirked. "Not as crazy as you, Scarlett."

I wasn't in the mood to play his games. I gathered my dress and started to leave.

His voice came from behind me, "Tomorrow morning. Scarly Group."

I hesitated for a second, then kept walking.

Since I had to meet with Mateo's company about the contract, I had to turn Jack down.

I didn't see Mateo anywhere, but I ended up exploring his company.

After waiting all morning, he finally finished his meeting.

He claimed he was hungry and made me join him for the staff lunch in his office.

As he spoke, he served me a piece of pork ribs.

"You love this, don't you?" Mateo said.

I buried myself in my meal, keeping quiet.

Once we finished, he still didn't mention the contract.

That was when it dawned on me. He never intended to sign.

I cut to the chase. "Mateo, you never planned to sign, did you?"

He stared at me for a long time, his eyes full of resentment and anger. "Yeah. Scarlett, I hate you. I hate how heartless you are, how it's always all about you.

"Are you marrying Jack because you actually like him?"

I didn't say a word.

"If he can be the one, why can't I?" he asked.

My brows quivered, but I stayed silent.

Back then, they found me.

Madison said to me, "Your mother is gone. From now on, Layla will be your mother, and Eleanor will be your sister.

"You're the Carter heiress now. Anyone you don't want to deal with, just cut them off."

I looked at my adoptive mother, sick in bed, and I really didn't want to agree.

Seeing me like that, my adoptive mother's eyes brimmed with tears. "Scarlett, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have ended up out there, no one would have stolen your place in the family, and your mother wouldn't have died."

I could barely process it. Turns out, everything was a twisted plot cooked up by my so-called "good father" and his family.

Maybe their deaths weren't just some random tragedy.

So I said yes, and went back to the Carters.

I snapped back to reality and said, "No way. Mateo, if you're not interested in signing, I'll leave now."

I didn't bother saying anything else. I turned and left.