Chapter 1

"So, you're the distant relative Brandon mentioned?"

Janice Swanson looked me up and down, her eyes brimming with undisguised disgust.

I glanced down at my clothes. To avoid burdening my son with the high-pressure stereotype of a billionaire heir, I had deliberately chosen my least conspicuous beige linen set.

Woven entirely by hand without a logo, this ensemble cost twice as much as the current-season haute couture Janice was sporting.

In my hands, I carried a thermos of chicken soup that my husband had woken up at dawn to simmer for three hours.

"I'm here to see Brandon," I said casually, waving a hand.

Janice sneered, then turned toward the camera setup that was already recording, instantly flashing a sweet, adorable smile.

"Hey, guys! Let me introduce you. This is a distant 'relative' of Brandon's family. He told me she's been living out in the countryside, but money's been a little tight lately, so she came to town to stay with us."

The stream's live chat went wild with comments.

[My goodness, the classic poor relative? Her vibe is awful.]

[Janice is so sweet and kind to even let someone like her on camera.]

[Look at that thermos. The paint is peeling off. What kind of slop is inside? How does she have the nerve to give that to Brandon?]

[That wrinkled outfit looks like it came from a clearance rack. How does Brandon have a relative like this? Talk about embarrassing.]

...

I frowned.

Was this really how my son, Brandon Castillo, introduced me to his girlfriend? A distant relative? Living in the countryside?

Fabulous!

"Ms. Swanson, I think you've misunderstood," I said calmly, trying to avoid a public scene on camera since she was Brandon's girlfriend after all. "I'm not here looking for a handout. I came to drop off some soup for Brandon."

"Drop off soup?" Janice dramatically pinched her nose and took a half-step back. "Lady, I know you want to suck up to Brandon so he'll give you a bigger allowance.

"But he has very refined tastes. He can't drink stuff from who-knows-where. What if it gives him food poisoning and ruins his afternoon shoot? Can you even afford the damage?"

My polite smile faded. "Brandon knows best whether this soup is clean or not. Have him come out to meet me."

"He is busy." Janice waved her hand impatiently.

"Lady, have some self-awareness. Brandon is the successor to the Castillo Group, worth billions. And you are just a penniless relative who can't even afford decent clothes. If it weren't for his sake, security would have kicked you out long ago."

She leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Listen, old hag. Don't throw my generosity back in my face. We're broadcasting live.

"If you dare say anything stupid to ruin my persona, I'll make sure you can't survive in Oatharmere. If you know what's good for you, leave the soup and beat it with this $500."

She pulled a few bills from her purse and slapped them down on top of my thermos. They slid off almost immediately, fluttering onto the dusty floor.

I stared at the money and laughed in disbelief. "500 dollars?"

I was worth billions and held sixty percent of the voting shares in the Castillo Group. Yet here I was, being insulted with money.

"Not enough for you?" Disgust flashed in Janice's eyes, though she put on a helpless act for the camera. "Guys, did you see it?

"I kindly tried to give her some travel money, but she turned her nose up at it. This is exactly why I hate dealing with needy relatives. They're just hopelessly greedy."

The chat blew up even more fiercely.

[What the hell? $500 isn't enough? This old lady is so greedy.]

[Ignore her, Janice. People like her are just bloodsucking parasites.]

[Where is security? Why haven't they thrown her out yet? She makes me sick.]

[Poverty breeds greed while wealth breeds grace—the old saying never fails.]

...

I took a deep breath, suppressing the fury in my chest.

"You will regret what you did today," I said.

Janice looked at me as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Regret? Lady, did living in the middle of nowhere rot your brain? In this industry, capital is power.

"I am a top-tier star, and Brandon Castillo is my boyfriend. You? Just a penniless beggar. What could you do to make me regret anything?"

Her eyes shifted as if an even bigger gossip topic struck her, and she spoke mysteriously into the camera. "Speaking of which, there's even juicier gossip.

"I wonder if everyone remembers that blurry paparazzi video from a while back. The one about Mr. Castillo keeping a mistress on the side?"

My eyelids twitched. "Mr. Castillo? Richard Castillo?"

When we went on vacation to a private island a while ago, we were indeed snapped by paparazzi, though I had my team suppress the story.

How did I become a mistress in her mouth?

"That's right!" Janice pointed at me, her tone absolute. "Take a close look, everyone. Even though she's dressed like trash, doesn't her build look identical to that of the woman in that video?

"Word has it she tried to seduce Mr. Castillo back in the day, relying on her looks. But once Mr. Castillo got tired of her, he dumped her and sent her back to the boondocks. Now that she sees Brandon doing so well, she's crawled back to leech off him."