Chapter 2

I wasn't lying to Charles. My dad really did make a reservation for me.

But when Charles suddenly asked me to meet Evelyn at his place, I didn't even hesitate to blow off my dad.

My dad had always been against my relationship with Charles, thinking he was arrogant and irresponsible.

Unfortunately, I was so blinded by love back then that I not only ignored my dad's advice but also kept asking him to pave the way for Charles.

Now, standing at the entrance of the restaurant, I saw my dad sitting all by himself in the dining hall, looking so alone.

All around him, families were chatting and laughing over their meals, but he alone sat in silence, flipping through the menu.

He'd already ordered a whole table of my favorite dishes.

"Hey, Dad," I said softly.

He looked up at me right away.

The tough, decisive businessman I knew now had eyes lit up with pure joy, like a kid who'd just gotten a surprise gift. "Hi, Cassandra."

"Dad, I broke up with Charles," I said. Meeting my dad's shocked gaze, I sat down in the chair next to him.

"I've stopped funding him. His debts are no longer my problem. If the creditors beat him up, he had it coming," I added. "And—"

I stared at my dad. "Tomorrow's Monday. I'll go with you to the hospital for a check-up. From now on, your health is our top priority."

I could never forget how, in my previous life, Charles took over every single share of the Lawrence Group, and even had someone run me over on purpose, leaving me badly injured.

Charles even showed up at our house with his mistress on his arm, just to rub it in, bragging to my dad about how he'd had me completely under his thumb.

In the end, Charles's cruelty literally drove my dad to a heart attack; he died from the anger and heartbreak.

"T-That's great," my dad said, so overwhelmed with shock and joy that he could barely get the words out.

In my heart, I swore that this time, I would never let my dad down again.

Over the next few days, I erased Charles from my world completely, and he didn't even bother to contact me.

That was when I realized that life could actually be amazing even without romance in it.

Once I was free from a jerk, everything started going my way.

But I knew Charles would never just let go of a gullible, rich pushover like me.

Charles was a pro at soaking up everything I did for him, all while molding me to his liking from his high horse.

That day, I got a message from Charles's little sister, Luna.

Luna: [Hey, Cassandra, are you free today? I'll send you the address. How about coming to have dinner with us?]

Luna: [Don't be mad at Charles, okay? He has a bit of a temper. Why not cut him some slack? You two still have a whole life to live together.]

Luna: [My friends will be there, too, so it'll be super lively. You have to come, Cassandra.]

Luna kept calming me down, but I knew exactly what she wanted—someone to pick up the tab.

My eyes landed on the address Luna sent; it was a fancy place where dinner cost over 1,000 dollars a head.

I smirked to myself. With her paycheck barely scraping a few grand a month, there was no way she could swing that bill.

Still, I texted back anyway: [Alright, wait for me. I'll be there soon.]

I got to the restaurant Luna sent me the address for in no time.

As soon as I arrived downstairs, I spotted the Lamborghini I'd bought for Charles.

I calmly made my way upstairs.

When I opened the door to the private room, Luna was right in the spotlight, holding court while her classmates fawned all over her.

Charles was off to the side, drinking with his friends. When he saw me, he flashed a mocking smile.

"Hey, Cassandra, you're here," Luna called out with a big smile, but she didn't even make a move to get up.

I just grabbed a seat in the corner.

Luna always loved pretending to be a socialite, and all her friends were daughters of rich families.

One of the girls who recognized me couldn't help but let out a quiet gasp. "Isn't that the heiress of the Lawrence Group? Luna, aren't you being a little too rude to your guest?"

Luna lifted her chin with a smug little smirk. "So what? No matter what, she's still Charles's girlfriend; she does whatever he says."

I couldn't help but scoff.

To the Dalton family, I was just a prop to make themselves look better.

Luna's words set off Charles's friends right away.

"Man, Charles is a legend; there's no woman he can't get," one of them jeered.

"Charles is so damn good-looking; he could have any girl he wants," another one chimed in.

"You guys have no idea how much Ms. Lawrence simps for Charles. One time, he got sick from drinking, and she stayed up all night taking care of him; her eyes were all red from crying," someone else added.

"Yeah, she's always throwing money at him, buying him cars, just so Charles won't ignore her," another guy said with a laugh.

Charles shot them a cold glare. "Don't act like I need her money. I can make my own. Who cares about her cash anyway?"

Back then, I just thought Charles's friends were crude and tactless.

But now I realized something; if one's boyfriend's friends treat her like crap, it was only because he never bothered to show you any respect in front of them.

Charles never once stood up for me or made them treat me any better.

I smiled and said, "Yeah, you're such a hotshot at making money. Too bad all your investments tanked, and you're about to end up on the blacklist for unpaid debts."

Suddenly, the whole table went dead quiet.

Charles's face went ashen, and his friends just gaped at me, stunned.

"You keep telling everyone that you don't need my money, but what have you done? Every time I sent you cash, you took it. You never said no to the car I bought you. And now, all those debts you racked up? You expect me to bail you out?" I said, shaking my head, "Wow, Charles, you really have some nerve."

"Cassandra, how can you say something like that?" Luna jumped up, her face a little embarrassed. "I know Charles didn't stand up for you that day, and it made you upset. But you can't just air all this out in front of everyone. Girls shouldn't be so dramatic; what if Charles actually gets mad?"

"Cassandra, I understand you. You just love Charles so much that you can't help blurting things out, all because you want him to know he needs you, that he can't live without you," Luna added.

Charles gave me a cold, knowing look, like he could see right through me.

Suddenly, he shot to his feet and smashed a cup onto the floor.

"Cassandra, don't think you can push me around just because you've got some cash. You really think you're all that, huh?" With that, he stormed out of the room.

I just stared, speechless.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered.

After all, I'd been simping for Charles for so long; no one was buying that I'd suddenly done a 180.

"Cassandra, aren't you going to chase after him?" someone asked.

I chased after him? Yeah, in his dreams.

I rolled my eyes, glanced at the table, grabbed the priciest bottle of wine, and popped it open.