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?”