Chapter 1
Chapter 1 “I fell for Mike Spencer the second I saw him! I wanna be with him! Demi’s way smarter—she’ll totally crush it running the company!” Our parents looked ready to hand me over to the Spencers, but Cecilia freaked. Her face turned bright red, like she was about to combust. Girl was desperate to snag Mike and seal her spot as the wife of some rich heir. Funny thing? Just a few days ago, she was out here flexing about being a boss babe. Now she’d flipped the script completely. Mom and Dad were too stunned to say anything, totally thrown off by how fast she switched up. Me? I stayed quiet on the couch, flipping through the company’s financials with a smirk. Even with a second shot at life, Cecilia couldn’t help crashing headfirst into the same mess. Mom kept quiet, but Dad had thoughts—as usual. “Cecilia, it’s better to count on yourself. Sure, he might like you now, but people change. I’ve heard things about Mike… not exactly glowing. Just think about it. I don’t want you getting hurt.” He wasn’t wrong. Banking your whole life on some guy? Dumbest move ever. Dad had seen it too many times—men ditching their day-one wives the second they got rich. The women who stuck around got left in the dust. No surprise he didn’t want that fate for us. But Cecilia wasn’t having it. Maybe she remembered how good I had it in my last life—chauffeured in luxury cars, stacked bank account, and two picture-perfect sons everyone envied. She clung to the idea that marrying Mike beat running the company and watching it crash. Dad’s warning went in one ear, out the other. She even poked her ear, annoyed. “Oh, Dad! That’s just ‘cause those women were useless! I’m gorgeous and charming—he’d be lucky to have me! Why would he leave? You’ve met him. He’s a total gentleman. Those rumors are trash!” She looked like she already had the trophy in hand, eyes glowing with pure delusion. To her, this was a dream path. Why hustle through endless meetings and travel when you could sip wine and hit parties as a pampered housewife? I dropped my head, biting back a laugh. Mike might play the polished prince in public, but behind closed doors? Full-on monster. He clawed his way up as an illegitimate son in the Spencer fam, and trust me—whatever it took to get there wasn’t pretty. He made me schmooze nonstop, forced drinks down my throat till I puked blood, and couldn’t care less. If something didn’t go his way? He’d hit me. I was rocking long sleeves in the middle of July just to hide the bruises. And the Spencers? Total snake pit—power games, fake smiles, nonstop backstabbing. That house didn’t just ruin you. It swallowed you whole. How could that even compare to peacefully running the family business? But she was set. Our parents just sighed and retreated to their room, done arguing. On her way out, Cecilia tossed me a smug little smirk. “Demi, when the company crashes and you’re broke, hit me up. Maybe I’ll let you carry my purse.” I grinned. “We’ll see who ends up begging.” Poor thing—so lucky she gets to be smacked around by her doting husband and trashed by her lovely in-laws. Meanwhile, I’m stuck crying in my billion-dollar office. Oh, and occasionally hiring a few hot guys for fun.
Chapter 2 Cecilia and Mike’s wedding was straight out of a magazine—held at the iconic Centennial Hotel, packed with industry elites. Dressed in a custom gown, Cecilia was glowing with pride, arrogance practically dripping off her as she made her rounds. She dragged Mike over to toast me, clearly just to flex. “Demi, first time meeting your brother-in-law, huh? When your business tanks, maybe he’ll toss you a lifeline. Women shouldn’t have to work so hard anyway. You should’ve found a man—too bad luck skipped you.” She really thought she’d finally won. That look on her face? Pure victory. Mike gave me a polite nod, playing the part. But the second her tone turned smug, I caught the flicker in his eyes—his brow twitching. I knew that look. I’d lived it. He was already sick of her. Cecilia was a walking disaster. Once Mike’s interest fizzled, she was toast. When I didn’t react, she figured I was just bitter. Threw a few more jabs, then strutted off clinging to Mike like she’d bagged a prize. I didn’t have time for her drama anyway. I’d just taken over the company—networking was the real win tonight. With half the city’s power players here, I grabbed a drink and got to work. In my past life, Cecilia thought she was some business queen who didn’t need to respect anyone. She blew off potential partners and acted like the rules didn’t apply to her. That arrogance got her blacklisted by the powerful Felton family before dessert was even served. Not me. I played it smart—cards out, smile on. Left the right kind of impression on all the right people. Just as I was finally catching my breath, chaos popped off in the middle of the hall. “You bumped into me on purpose! What, you think I’m blind? Trying to ruin my wedding day? Do you even know who my husband is?!” Cecilia, all sweet and glowy five seconds ago, now had fire in her eyes, snapping at some poor girl. The girl looked like she was about to cry, clearly not built for this kind of public meltdown. “I didn’t mean to! I was looking for my brother and accidentally bumped into you… I already apologized…” She stood frozen, cheeks flushed, eyes wide, everyone staring like she was some villain. It was barely a thing—definitely not worth a meltdown. But Cecilia saw her chance to flex and wasn’t about to let it slide. “This dress was flown in from France! You stepped on it! You couldn’t afford a single thread! Who even are you—some servant who snuck in?” Everyone in that elite circle knew each other. So when she didn’t recognize the girl, she pounced. Clearly figured she’d found a nobody to humiliate. The girl looked seconds from crying. I couldn’t just watch. “Cecilia, come on—it’s your wedding. She didn’t mean it. Let it go.” That wiped the smug off her face fast. She sneered. “How do you know she didn’t do it on purpose? Maybe she’s jealous of my marriage! I’ve seen her type before—desperate and bitter. You defending her? What, did you plant her to wreck my day?” Didn’t expect her to go full psycho. My smile dropped cold. But before I could fire back, a voice sliced through the tension. “The Spencer family really picked a gem.”
Chapter 3 I turned toward the shadows. Some guy had slipped in—tall, sharp, and absolutely radiating ‘don’t mess with me’ energy. His face? Ridiculously perfect. But right now, he looked like a storm ready to wreck everything. Silence hit the room like a slap. Then someone whispered, “M-Mr. Felton!” Boom. Chaos. Terrance Felton. The Felton family’s top dog. Straight-up Norwick royalty. One raised eyebrow from him could crash a company. Most of us wouldn’t even breathe the same air as him. People started whispering fast. Why the hell was he here? Only one person looked relieved—like she just spotted her personal hero. The girl ran straight into his arms, tears spilling. “Terrance! You know I didn’t mean to!” Mike’s dad, old and sly, jumped in first. “Mr. Felton! Big misunderstanding, that’s all!” He went in for a handshake. Terrance? Dodged it like nothing and locked eyes with Cecilia. “So many witnesses. Wouldn’t be fair to let this slide, right? Let’s just roll the security footage.” Cecilia froze like someone hit pause. She whipped toward Mike, panicked. “Babe, come on… no need for that. I swear it was an accident! I’m sorry!” Too late. Terrance didn’t even blink at her drama. One wave, and boom—security footage lit up the big screen. There she was, glaring daggers after spotting Mike all over some other girl. Too chicken to call him out, she zeroed in on the quietest target—Miss Felton. She stormed over and slammed into her, totally on purpose. The rest? Everyone already saw it live. Cecilia’s face went tomato red as the receipts played out. She looked at Mike, eyes screaming ‘do something.’ But Mike, barely clinging to his spot in the Spencer family, was already fuming. Getting dragged into this mess? That just lit the fuse. No shot he was bailing her out now. Terrance stayed cool. “If the Spencers have a problem with my sister, let’s just cancel all pending orders.” One line. That’s all it took to torch everything the Spencers had hustled for with the Feltons. Mike’s grandpa straight-up fainted. The room exploded. Everyone knew—you don’t cross Terrance Felton and walk away clean. They swarmed him with apologies, but Terrance didn’t even glance their way. Just took his sister and walked. Then, right as he passed me—he stopped. “You’re Demi Dawson?” I blinked. “You… know me?” First smile I’d seen from him all night. “You’re graceful. Composed. Thanks for standing up for Freya.” So that was her name—Freya. She lit up and begged to add me on socials. Like I was saying no to that—major win. As they walked off, she kept turning back. “Thank you! Let’s meet sometime!” Terrance gently pulled her along before she could keep rambling. Back inside, Mike had already hauled Cecilia out. The rest of the crowd? Still reeling. By tomorrow, this drama would be everywhere. Cecilia was toast—and honestly, she brought it on herself.