Chapter 1

Charles Dalton came to me for financial help when he had nowhere else to turn, promising he'd marry me.

But it wasn't until he ruined my whole family and left me with nothing that I finally realized his real intention.

He'd hated me all along, blaming me for tearing him and his first crush apart all these years.

The day I time-traveled back to the first time I visited his house, I stood outside the kitchen and heard him say in utter humiliation, "She is not even worth a fraction compared to Eva. After the wedding, there is no way I would ever sleep with her."

His mom let out a sigh. "Just suck it up for now. Find a way to make her pay off your debts. Besides, Luna's wedding is going to have to be bankrolled by her."

I let out a cold laugh.

The whole family was just a bunch of leeches. This time, I would make damn sure they pay dearly for it.

*****

I quietly took my seat at the dining table again.

Charles Dalton came out of the kitchen soon after, scowling as he sat across from me, eyes glued to his phone, making it obvious he had no intention of speaking with me.

In the past, I would've jumped at any chance to be alone with him and try to get closer, always the one to strike up a conversation.

But now, I just gave a mocking smile, crossed my legs, and put on my headset to play games out loud, totally ignoring him.

Charles glanced up at me, his frown deepening.

Before long, Charles's mom, Evelyn Dalton, pushed open the door with a tray in her hands, calling out, "Come eat."

Charles glanced up, barely moving. "My mom cooked. Go help her out already."

I remembered how, on the way here, Charles kept going on about this. "My mom's had it rough raising Luna and me on her own all these years. You need to treat her right from now on."

Now, I glanced at Charles, practically glued to his chair, and his sister, Luna Dalton, dead silent in her room.

No wonder Evelyn had it rough, raising these two who act like the world owes them everything.

I rolled my eyes. "Your mom's in the kitchen cooking, and you just sit there? Why don't you get off your butt and help her for once?"

"Seriously, Cassandra, what's your deal today? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?" Charles snapped, his patience wearing thin.

Evelyn quickly jumped in to break the tension.

"Oh, it's just a tray. What's the big deal?" she tried to calm him down.

Evelyn kept signaling Charles, and he huffed, slumping back into his chair, still fuming.

My nose twitched as I caught a whiff of something.

The table was loaded with two big plates—one piled high with onion blossom, the other chili with onions.

Charles knew I hated onions, especially the ones that were stewed until they turned all soft and mushy.

In my previous life, I thought it was just a misunderstanding and forced myself to eat it, even though it made me want to gag.

At the dinner table, Evelyn kept shoveling onions onto my plate, while Luna polished off every last one of my favorite chicken wings.

But later, I realized this was just the beginning, a test to see how much I could take.

Evelyn had cooked this meal to test my limits, to make sure I'd completely submit to her.

Right now, a calculating glint flashed in Evelyn's eyes, the wrinkles around them deepening.

"What's the matter, Cassandra? Not to your liking? I spent all morning in the kitchen just for you," she said.

Charles shot me a vicious glare. "I'm warning you. Don't bring that princess attitude into my house. Take it or leave it."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow as she said, "Cassandra, you're like family to me. So if you do something wrong, I'll call you out on it, but don't forget—it's only because I care. And if I come off a bit tough, don't get upset. No one's too special to get by on simple food."

A cold, mocking smile curled at my lips as I cut her off without a second thought, "Well, if that's how it is, I'll treat you like my family, too. So if I feel like flipping the table, I won't hold back.

"I don't eat onions. Why don't you keep this for yourselves? My dad's got me a reservation at a five-star restaurant."

With that, I grabbed my Chanel bag, turned on my heel, and walked out the door without looking back.

Charles didn't even bother to follow me.

It wasn't until I'd driven through a few intersections and was waiting at a red light that my phone buzzed with a message from him.

Charles: [Cassandra, you let me down deeply. I can't believe how disrespectful you are. If you don't apologize to my mom, we're over.]

Charles was always holding the threat of breaking up over my head.

In my previous life, every time Charles and I argued, I was always the one who caved first.

I still remembered the most ridiculous time. I actually bought him a luxury sports car just to cheer him up. I totally believed I had been completely bewitched.

But Charles never once put in the effort to make things right with me.

One day, I was pissed off because he left me to get drenched after work; he didn't even bother to pick me up in the pouring rain.

I made my way home, soaked to the bone, and after a hot shower, his call came out of the blue.

Before I could even get my hopes up, he hit me with, "My mom fell on the stairs and she's in the hospital. Go check on her."

It was still the same impatient, bossy tone, just barking orders at me.

I paused for a moment, feeling a bit helpless, but still said, "Okay."

He hung up without another word.

But when I got to the hospital, I found out Evelyn was perfectly fine, not even a scratch on her.

But the second Evelyn laid eyes on me, she shot me a nasty look.

Evelyn barked, "What took you so long? Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting? Go get me a basin of water so I can wash my feet."

Later, someone told me that while I was running around for Evelyn that night, Charles was actually shacked up with his first crush, Eva Winters.

And the funniest part was that they paid for their rendezvous with the credit card I gave him.

*****

Now, I shot back with a blank-faced reply: [Whatever.]

He dared to break up with me? Please, I guessed he forgot about the nearly 3 million he still owed.

Before he even typed back, I didn't hesitate and sent him straight to my blocklist.