Chapter 3
After all, Luna had her sights set on me tonight. So even when Charles stormed off in anger, she didn't go after him.
Soon, the dishes started arriving, including White Truffle Pizza, Seafood Curry, Kobe Beef Steak, and Steamed Yellow Croaker.
For dessert, there was a Golden Sundae and Caviar Chocolate.
Even I was stunned by the feast in front of me.
Luna's friends looked like their jaws were about to hit the floor.
"Oh my god, Luna, you're seriously next-level lavish," one of them gasped.
"Now I feel like the cash I gave you for your birthday is nothing compared to this feast," another chimed in.
"These dishes are so fancy. I've never had this much amazing food in my life."
"Even my dad's never taken me anywhere like this. I can't believe it's you who's giving us this experience, Luna."
Luna lifted her chin with pride. "Eat as much as you want, and if it's not enough, we'll just order more. Sophie, you love caviar, right? Let's get you another Caviar Chocolate."
"Really? That's awesome. I love you, Babe," Sophie squealed.
Luna waved her hand with a flourish. "Seriously, everyone, dig in. It's not every day Cassandra actually joins us."
She shot me a playful wink and blew me a kiss from across the table.
But in her eyes, there was a shrewdness far beyond her years.
Back then, I used to spoil Luna just to try and win Charles over.
The first time we met, Luna had her eye on my brand-new Hermès bag, and I handed it to her without even blinking.
After that, Luna somehow figured out where I lived and started dropping by with all sorts of excuses. And every time she left, she'd always have her arms full of my stuff.
"Cassandra, this bag is so pretty. Let me borrow it for a while, okay?" Luna would say, but nothing she took ever found its way back to me.
I quickly did the math in my head. This meal would cost nearly 30 grand.
But honestly, that didn't even come close to the value of all the stuff she'd swiped from me.
"Luna, you're really generous," I said with a smile. "This Ossetra caviar is seriously delicious."
"Oh, really?" Luna called over the waiter right away. "Let's get another round of this. Cassandra's a fan."
Luna was convinced I'd be so flattered and grateful that I'd just foot the bill without a second thought.
But I just smiled and let her order more. Then, I grabbed a couple of napkins and said, "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom. You guys keep eating."
Luna tensed up for a second, but the moment she saw I was only holding my phone, she let out a breath of relief.
Her eyes landed on the small LV tote sitting on my seat, a calculating look flashing in her gaze. I walked out the door right in front of her.
As the door clicked shut behind me, I couldn't help but let out a laugh.
What an idiot. The bag I left behind was just a cheap knockoff; they could pick one up for less than 100 bucks.
And as for this meal? Since Luna loved pretending to be loaded so much, she could foot the bill herself.
Soon enough, I drove back to the villa.
First, I soaked in a rose petal bath, then let my private masseuse work her magic with a full-body massage.
Only after all that did I text her: [Sorry, Luna, my stomach's still not feeling right, so I went home early. Hope you all have a great time.]
Luna lost it the second she saw my message.
She started bombarding me with texts, but I just ignored them all.
Finally, she called me, totally freaking out.
From the echo, I could tell she was holed up in the bathroom, her voice practically gritting with anger. "Cassandra, I'm short on cash. Can you send me some? Hurry up. I need to pay the bill."
Lounging on my king-sized bed, I admired my manicure and took a slow sip of lemon water before finally replying, "You mean tonight's dinner?"
"Yeah." Luna sounded almost out of breath, clearly desperate. "Cassandra, you ate, too, and with how close we are, you can't just leave me in the lurch. Everyone's waiting for me to pay the bill."
Staring out at the city lights, I couldn't help but think how gorgeous the night looked.
I never thought the world could be this lovely once one ditched a bunch of bloodsuckers.
"Cassandra? Are you still there?" Luna's voice cut through my thoughts.
"How much do you need?" I asked, snapping back to the call.
"40 grand," she practically screamed.
Without hesitation, I transferred her 3 grand.
Luna was thrilled for all of two seconds before she started to panic again. "No, no, Cassandra, you misunderstood. It's 40 grand, not just 3 grand."
"There are twelve people at the table, so I'm just paying for my share. Is there a problem? Besides, I didn't even eat most of the dishes you ordered. You can keep the rest. Goodnight." With that, I hung up and promptly blocked her.
As I set my phone down, my eyes landed on the calendar hanging on the wall.
I circled one date in bright red, the mark growing darker with every pass of my pen.
No one knew just how much humiliation and hatred I felt every time I marked that date.
In my previous life, that was the day Evelyn fell down the stairs and, without a word, Charles forced me to the hospital to wait on her hand and foot.
It was also the day Charles reunited with his first crush, Eva, and things got heated between them that night.
Those two shameless scumbags even flaunted what happened that night just to rub it in my dad's face, making sure he knew his daughter was humiliated so badly.
At the thought, my nails dug deep into my palm.
Charles really thought the whole world should revolve around him.
Then this time, I would let him see for himself; those who bullied others would always end up being bullied.
I tapped out a number on my phone.
"Zach, send someone to hound Charles for his debts again. This time, don't let up; make his life hell," I said.
I wanted him to come to me, burning with resentment, forced to beg for my hand in marriage. And when he did, I would still say yes, just like he expected.
But at the engagement party, I would give him a surprise that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
The Dalton family cared about their reputation more than anything, so I was going to rip off their masks for everyone to see.