I was the most notorious pauper in the Grimborough slums. And yet, I held in my hands three marriage contracts from the wealthiest families in the country.

I left the city for Rosecliff today for one reason only—to fulfill one of those marriage agreements.

The Fairfax Family, a dynasty with ties to the governor and the biggest business empire around, threw a suitcase of cash at me.

“Don’t even think about coming any closer,” one of them sneered. “You reek of poverty. I won’t let your stench taint our family. Take the money and get lost.”

The Montroses, who practically ran the underworld with their influence, broke one of my legs and threw me into an alley swarming with hired thugs.

“Even those mutts know how to behave,” one of them said, spitting on the ground. “They wag their tails for scraps. But you? You waltz in here talking about marriage like you’re someone? You think you’re worthy of us? Pathetic.”

Then there was the famous A-list actress and a national sweetheart—she shredded our marriage contract and shoved the pieces into my mouth.

“Do you even understand the kind of status we hold now? The three of our families have risen to heights you filthy ants could never even dream of.” 

She leaned in, eyes full of venom.

“Cass Mercer, hasn’t anyone ever told you? Slum trash doesn’t marry Rosecliff royalty.”

They seemed to have forgotten—the luxurious lives they enjoy today were paid for by my family’s sacrifice. My forefathers traded their good fortune to lift those families to greatness and the marriage contracts were the binding force behind it all.

Destroy them and neither heaven nor earth would forgive. Their fortune would collapse.

All their wealth, glory and fame—gone, in an instant.

I met the gaze of the three representatives, my voice calm and cold, “The moment you violate that agreement, doom will follow. Are you ready to face the consequences?”

——

What I got in return was laughter.

“What kind of joke is that? That contract was probably just a bedtime story your grandpa made up. And the curse? Please.” 

“Why don’t you just take the money and get lost, Cass Mercer?”

That’s when Adrienne Fontaine, who had remained quiet this whole time—never picking a side—stepped forward. She picked up the old, weathered contract and held it delicately between her fingers.

“This is the contract?” she said, her voice laced with disbelief. “This little piece of paper is supposed to bind us together?”

I looked at her and nodded.

“Will you marry me?”

She burst out laughing.

“Marry you?” Her eyes raked over me like I was a roach on the sidewalk. She laughed louder, pressing a hand to her mouth.

Then she slapped me in the face with the contract. Over and over.

“Everyone knows you’re just a rat from the slums. And you think you deserve me?”

The very next second, she started tearing the contract apart.

I grabbed her wrist, “Do you have any idea what you’re doing? Destroy that contract and you’re inviting doom. Nothing will be able to save you nor your family.”

But Adrienne shoved my hand away and shredded the contract without hesitation. 

I let out a long sigh and shook my head.

I hadn’t come here to bring them harm. But if they insisted on digging their own graves—who am I to stop them?

Adrienne crammed the shredded contract into my mouth. “Cut the crap! If what you’re saying is real, then where’s the lightning? Huh? Where’s the damn lightning strike? ‘Doom,’ my ass!”

Once she got the whole thing in, she dusted off her palms like it was nothing.

I spit out the paper, the taste bitter and sharp. My eyes zeroed in on the faint red glow still pulsing at her fingertips.

“The contract’s destroyed,” I said calmly. “Your mark has appeared. The lightning will come—and there’s nothing you can do to escape it.”

Adrienne turned to rinse her hands, but the red stain wouldn’t come off—no matter how hard she scrubbed.

Seeing this, Cecilia Fairfax and Blair Montrose—who had both been ready to destroy their own contracts—began to hesitate.

“My grandpa did mention that our family’s fortune was somehow tied to the marriage contract… Do you think he might actually be telling the truth?”

Just then, a deep and aged voice interrupted them.

“The Montroses has stood strong for twenty years on merit and legacy, not some fairy-tale contract!” An old man stepped into view, his voice laced with scorn.

“That little trick might work on naïve girls, but not on someone like me. I, Bob Montrose, the richest man in this city, won't be fooled by the words of a penniless beggar like you!”

I scratched my ear and tilted my head toward the sky.

The once blue, cloudless sky was now covered in dark storm clouds.

I smiled.

“Is that so?”

Whatever doubts Blair had before were gone. She clung to her father’s arm.

“Dad.”

“Don’t be afraid, Blair!” the old man barked. “Scum like him can only deceive the soft-hearted. I, Bob Montrose, have seen too much of this world to fall for it.”

“You! Sign the cancellation contract, right now!” he shouted at me.

Bob tossed a crumpled agreement onto the table like it was trash.

“The young are foolish and the old pretend to forget. Hey, old man—don’t act like you’ve always been high and mighty. You all came from the slums too, remember? Back then, the three great families were on their knees, begging my ancestors for help. Crying, groveling, until your knees gave out! The Mercer Family traded away centuries of good fortune just to lift your bloodlines out of the dirt!”

“Nonsense!” Bob barked. “The Montrose Family stands tall, with our feet planted firmly on the ground! Everything we have, we earned with our own blood and sweat! You think you can rewrite history with that ‘destiny’ crap? I’m not here to argue. Sign the damn paper, or die.”

Behind him, a line of Montrose bodyguards loomed—huge, intimidating men, all built like tanks.

They surrounded me, their eyes full of menace.

Like if I so much as hesitated, they’d beat me to death right where I stood.

I sat cross-legged on the edge of the street, unfolded the contract and raised my hand.

“Pen.”

One of the guards handed it over—but instead of placing it in my hand, he dropped it at my feet. Then kicked it toward me like I was trash.

I shrugged. There was no point arguing with a man about to die.

“Dad, that was amazing! You made him cancel the marriage agreement. Just imagine if we actually had to associate with someone from the slums like him. That would’ve been so embarrassing.”

Suddenly, Adrienne screamed. “It’s gone!”

“I washed it off. See? That red mark is gone now! I knew you're just a liar!”

But above us, the sky had gone black. Lightning cracked in the distance.

I bit off the pen cap.

“Too late.”

“Where’s that lightning you said would strike me? Lying piece of—”

A bolt of lightning split the sky, striking down with a deafening boom of thunder.

“Dad,” Blair whispered, inching closer, “t-that’s not the punishment he was talking about… right?”

Bob let out a low chuckle, calmly stroking his beard with amused confidence.

“Don’t be scared. It’s just small lightning.”

Then he turned to me with a sneer and barked, “Now listen, boy—if you waste one more second of my time, I’ll start with your arm.”

“Signing a contract bound your fate this takes time. Hold your pants.”

I focused every ounce of energy into my right hand.

The moment the pen touched the paper, the wind howled.

Blood-red lightning streaked across the sky. The air turned sulfurous, yellowish, unnatural.

“No! You fools! Stop this at once!” The Montrose patriarch stumbling toward us with his cane. He knew better than anyone what was about to happen.

“Grandpa, what are you doing here?”

“This is madness! Absolute madness! That contract—our entire family’s fate depends on it!” He shouted, panicked. “You can’t back out of a destiny pact without invoking heaven’s wrath. The Montrose Family will crumble! Cass, don’t sign—!”

His hand landed on my shoulder, trying to stop me—but a violent gust hurled him back several feet.

I clicked the pen shut, then turned and tossed the signed contract into the wind.

“Sorry, what was that?” I asked, my voice deadpan. “Couldn’t hear you over the storm.”

The old man clutched the signed document, his hands trembling.

Blair stormed up to me. “How dare you push my grandfather? Do you have any idea who we are? The Montrose name is worth more than a hundred of you! How dare you!”

Push him? I didn’t even lay a finger on the guy. The man was so old his bones could barely hold him up—one strong gust of wind was enough to knock him over. That had nothing to do with me.

Fed up with the entire Montrose clan, I turned my eyes to Cecilia Fairfax.

Honesty, of the three, she was the one I found most appealing—especially with that flawless figure of hers. But also the one who despised me the most.

“You?”

Cecilia caught my gaze and sneered. “Disgusting.”

I rubbed my nose. “So… are we breaking it off too?”

“Obviously,” she snapped. “You think I’d actually marry a broke loser like you?”

“Fine by me.” I reached for my pen again, ready to sign the cancellation agreement.

But before the ink could hit the page, Cecilia suddenly snatched it from my hands.

“No need,” she said coolly, tearing the paper to shreds. “Consider it me saving you some ink.”

I let out a long sigh. Everything that had happened during my visit to this city had truly been beyond anything I’d expected.

Might as well head home.

But suddenly, the Montrose patriarch reached out and grabbed my arm.

“Mr. Mercer, the Montrose will not be backing out. We’ll fulfill the contract.”

“But the annulment papers have already been signed.”

Blair pulled on his sleeve. “Grandpa, what are you doing? There’s no way you’re falling for this prick’s lies. You wouldn’t actually make me marry some broke nobody from the slums, would you?”

The Montrose patriarch stared at the crumpled engagement papers in his hands, his legs trembling.

“What’s done is done. We have to bear the consequences. Let’s just go home,” he said weakly.

He looked at me once more.

“The Montrose Family wouldn’t have made it this far without help from your family, sir. We will forever be indebted to the Mercers.” He gave me a solemn bow.

But Bob and Blair still glared at me with scorn.

“What the hell did you do to my grandpa? Did you put some kind of spell on him?” Blair hissed. “You know what? Forget it. You’re just a broke nobody. If anything, we’re glad we won’t have to see your face again.”

That’s when I noticed her—timid, quiet, peeking out from behind the crowd.

I lit up instantly. “Faye? What are you doing here?”

“I-I heard you were leaving the city and I got worried. I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

Faye Sherman lowered her head, clearly nervous. She’d always been shy—and kind. The Sherman Family had treated me decently over the years. Especially her.

“It’s okay,” I said gently.

“Well, look at that. Another little rat from the slums? You two really do belong together,” Blair mocked. “Seriously, what are you even wearing? You look filthy and smell disgusting.”

Faye flinched and quickly hid behind me.

“She’s my friend. I don’t care if you won’t respect me, but I expect you to respect her.”

The engagement is void. All three families will face the doom they deserve and the Mercer Family’s fortune will return a hundredfold.

“Faye,” I said with a smile, “tomorrow, I’m taking you out for the best food in the city. We’ll eat like royalty.”

She nodded hesitantly, her small hand tightening around the hem of my coat.

Adrienne clapped mockingly, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“What a touching scene. A pair of broke lovebirds. Eat like royalty? You two can barely afford dollar menu fries.”

She snapped her fingers and her bodyguards came forward and dumped a large suitcase full of cash right at our feet.

“Here,” she said, brushing her hands off. “Take this and run back to whatever slum hole you crawled out of. This should be enough to keep you alive ‘til you rot. From now on, your path and ours never cross again.”

She turned to leave.

But just as she stepped away, a sudden gust of wind whipped through the air.

The bills on the ground lifted, swirling, dancing like they were caught in a storm. The wind hit Adrienne’s face and she swatted at it, annoyed.

“Cass Mercer! What the hell are you—”

Adrienne caught one of the papers and fell silent. The bills weren’t cash anymore. They turned to funeral notes.

The air around her was filled with swirling funeral bills, spiraling like specters. They clung to her, wrapping around her like spirits out for vengeance.

A streak of red lightning cracked the sky, striking the ground with a thunderous boom. The asphalt split, black scorch marks tearing across the pavement.

Suddenly, Bob’s phone started ringing.

Cecilia’s phone lit up too.

Then the others.

Ringtones echoed everywhere. Rain began to fall, heavy and slow. I caught one of the ghostly bills between my fingers and turned to the three families, “It’s here. Are you ready to face your retribution?”