Once Ignored, Now Every Rich Girl Wants Me

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 Alist 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 fairytale 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 softhearted. 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 crosslegged 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, “tthat’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.

Bloodred 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?”