Chapter 1

My sugar daddy took me to a party, and I ended up beating his childhood sweetheart so bad she was left with a bruised face and a swollen eye.

And just for good measure, I kicked Quillan Greenwood into the lake.

That day, sniffling and crying, I said, "Quillan, we're over.

"The kind of breakup where we never see each other again, not even in the next life."

Afterward, I was afraid Quillan would kill me, so I fled back to my hometown and hid.

When I saw Quillan again, he was practically gnashing his teeth with hatred. "So you messed with my stepmom, and now you're coming for me too?

"Serena, you've really got guts."

I gagged a couple of times, my mind racing. Did he know? Did he even know I was pregnant?

After throwing out my last threat, I took advantage of Quillan still being dazed in the water and made a run for it.

I didn't dare use my card or ID, so I swapped my limited-edition bag for five hundred cash from a random girl on the street.

I grabbed a cab and bolted back to my hometown in the middle of the night.

It wasn't until the car started moving that it finally hit me.

I, Serena Tennant, had actually thrown hands at Quillan Greenwood, the Sereneville's crown prince, the guy who could stir up a storm in this city with just a wave of his hand.

And he was the sugar daddy who'd been spoiling me rotten for three years.

Cold sweat instantly trickled down my back.

Quillan's name lit up my screen. My hand was trembling so much I tried to hit decline, but accidentally answered instead.

My heart was already six feet under.

Anyone who ever pissed off Quillan Greenwood either lost everything or vanished from the scene for good.

"Hello? Hello?" I called our first.

There was a brief silence on the other end, then Quillan spoke, trying hard not to explode. "Where are you?

"I'm sending someone to pick you up."

Before my brain could catch up, my mouth was already running.

I shot back, "Seriously, Quillan? You've got the guts to call me after all that? Newsflash, I dumped you, remember?

"And don't you dare bother me again. Why don't you go enjoy your honeymoon with your fiancée?"

I gritted my teeth, thinking about the one thing I could never forget about Quillan. "Honestly, you're just average. I never once had a good time with you."

With that, I hung up and blocked him everywhere, including social media, messaging apps, the whole nine yards.

Who cared if he was Sereneville's golden boy? I was not wasting another second on that so-called crown prince.

After a bumpy, endless ride that felt like forever, I finally rolled into my hometown just as the sky was starting to lighten.

In front of me stood a freshly built two-story house. Life really did come full circle.

Three years ago, I'd just graduated right when the job market was in the dumps. As a liberal arts major from a not-so-fancy college, I was basically jobless the second I got my diploma.

My parents were counting on me, the only college kid in the family, to land a cushy office job and make big bucks, so they could show off to the neighbors.

But screw that. I didn't hesitate. I just went straight to a restaurant and started waiting tables.

On my very first day waiting tables, I ran into Quillan.

It was his buddy's birthday, and I was the one slicing up the cake and passing out slices to everyone.

When I got to Quillan, his sharp eyes swept over my face, and my hand shook.

The cake landed right on Quillan, the white frosting glaringly obvious on his black suit pants.

Everything froze for a second.

I kept my head down, too nervous to even glance at Quillan, and pulled a rag out of my pocket to wipe off his pants.

As I wiped, I mumbled, "I'm sorry, sir."

Honestly, I sounded more like I was whimpering than actually apologizing.

Quillan didn't kick me out, but he kept tapping his fingers on the table, and honestly, it was freaking me out.

The more I wiped, the more the white frosting just kept spreading, until there was a massive stain on Quillan's pants.

I knew there was no way I could get it clean, but I kept scrubbing like I was trying to start a fire.

Quillan cupped my chin and made me look up at him, his gaze steady and calm. "First day on the job?" he asked.

I stammered out, "Yes."

Quillan held my face for a bit, sizing me up, until the manager rushed over, yelling at me and falling over himself to apologize to Quillan.

Only then did Quillan let go, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I snuck a look at Quillan's clothes. Even if I sold myself off, I still couldn't afford to pay for whatever he was wearing.

Guess I could kiss this month's salary goodbye. Maybe next month's too.

Quillan's gaze lingered on my face for a split second before moving on.