Chapter 1

Somehow, I woke up inside a novel, cast as the so-called villain, Esther Crawford, the wealthy heiress forced into "financially supporting" the golden boy of Highmont.

My mother, apparently convinced I wouldn't be able to handle him, had secretly spiked his drink with a triple dose of a certain kind of drug.

And now Charles Evans, the man who would one day bring my family to ruin, was on the bed in front of me, eyes bloodshot and unfocused, tearing at his tie like a caged animal gone feral.

I lay there, trying to decide whether to jump from the tenth floor myself or throw him off first.

*****

I'd somehow woken up inside one of those ridiculous rich-family drama novels, stuck playing Esther, the dumb, busty villain girl who was destined for a horrible ending.

And lying right in front of me on the huge, soft bed was Charles Evans, the male lead I was supposed to have basically forced into being my sugar baby.

His shirt was half unbuttoned, and the low lighting showed off the tight lines of his muscles. His hair was damp with sweat, and his eyes were so red and furious that they looked bloodshot as he stared me down.

"Esther, don't you dare." Charles's voice was raw and rasping, packed with a vicious hatred that felt like he'd kill me if he could.

I knew exactly why he hated me so much.

According to the original storyline, my so-called "caring" mother had arranged for him to be kidnapped so I could secure him, the long-lost rightful heir of the Evans family. She also had him drugged with something dangerously potent.

Tonight, the original Esther was supposed to snap photos while he wasn't fully conscious, then use them to blackmail him and torture him for an entire year.

Later, after Charles reclaimed his place in the family, his revenge came fast and brutal.

The Crawford family went bankrupt, and I was sold off to some nightclub in Gransbur, where I was tortured to death.

Thinking about that ending made me shiver.

This wasn't some kind of lucky break. It was a ticking time bomb with my name on it.

"Esther, if you lay a finger on me, I swear I'll make your life a living hell," Charles ground out the words through clenched teeth as he saw me step closer.

Damn, he was fierce, but I had to admit that his face and body were seriously top-tier. No surprise the original Esther had gone crazy over him.

Too bad. Survival mattered a whole lot more to me.

I ignored the murderous look he gave me and reached into my Hermès bag, pulling out a knife.

Charles's eyes narrowed, and his whole body tensed up. He probably thought I was about to do something more twisted.

"Get lost," he spat.

I didn't respond. I walked into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and filled the tub all the way up with cold water.

It didn't feel like enough. I emptied every tray of ice from the fridge into the tub.

Then I went back to the bed, and while he watched me with confusion and suspicion, I cut through the silk scarf tied around his wrists.

"Can you walk on your own?" I asked, standing over him. "If not, I don't mind dragging you there myself."

Charles was stunned, his face a mask of disbelief.

The drug left his entire body burning, his thoughts slipping further out of focus, yet instinct still told him something was wrong. "What kind of trick are you pulling now?"

I didn't feel like arguing. I grabbed his arm, dragged him into the bathroom, and kicked him straight into the tub full of ice water.

A loud splash echoed, soaking me from head to toe.

The freezing water made Charles cough hard, and the wild redness in his eyes faded a little. Now he looked confused.

I leaned against the door, pulled out the check I'd prepared earlier, and tossed it onto his wet chest. "Charles, I must have been blind to think someone so untouchable like you was interesting.

"Here's 300 thousand dollars for your emotional damage tonight."

Then I tossed over a document. "That's the contract termination. You're free."

I turned to leave, but before I closed the bathroom door, I glanced back at him. His lips were pale from the cold, but his eyes were still fixed on me.

Then I added one last line. "When I walked in earlier and saw how easily you could be pushed around, I suddenly realized this whole thing wasn't interesting anymore."

I rushed out of that suite as fast as I could, like something was right on my heels.

*****

When I got back to Crawford Villa, my overly glamorous mother, Viola Crawford, was lounging in the living room with a face mask on, waiting for me.

"Well, how did it go, sweetheart?" she said, smiling as she peeled off her mask. "Charles didn't disappoint you, right?"

The pride and scheming in her tone made me sick.

This was the kind of mother who'd kidnap and drug someone to secure her daughter's "happiness".

"It was fine," I said, keeping my face blank as I walked past her. "I'm a bit tired. I'm heading upstairs."

"What happened?" Viola followed me, lowering her voice, buzzing with excitement. "Did everything go as planned? Did you get the photos?"

I stopped and looked back at her, forcing a fake smile. "Mom, with your help, how could anything possibly go wrong?"

Viola looked satisfied and patted my hand. "Good. Esther, listen. Men are simple. Once you've got something on them, they'll behave.

"And when he goes back to the Evans family someday, you'll be the lady of that house."

I couldn't be bothered to keep up the act anymore. I went upstairs, locking the door behind me.

I leaned against the door, shaking all over, feeling angry and scared at the same time.

I fired up my laptop and started digging for everything I could find about the Evans family.

The Evans family was one of the most powerful elite families in Highmont, worth billions, with influence stretching across politics, business, and military circles. Charles was the family's long-lost only grandson.

In about six months, he'd officially return to the family, and within three years, he'd take down everyone who had crossed him.

The Crawford family was the biggest target on his revenge list.

No way. I couldn't sit here and wait for the axe to fall.

I logged into an encrypted offshore asset website and began calculating exactly how much money I controlled.

The original Esther might have been foolish, but as the sole heiress of the Crawford family, she had more than enough money in her accounts.

I had to move all that money out before Charles made his move to make sure I had a backup plan.

Right in the middle of moving assets around, my phone rang. It was an unknown number.

Almost without thinking, I answered.

The line stayed silent, except for slow, heavy breathing.

My heart skipped a beat. It hit me instantly who it was.

"Hello?" I said cautiously.

Still nothing from the other end.

"If you're not gonna talk, I'm hanging up," I said, pretending to sound impatient.

"Why?" A hoarse, cold voice finally broke the silence.

It was Charles. He still sounded weak, like he hadn't fully recovered, but there was a sharp, chilling edge to it.