Chapter 1

"You want my family to give you 100,000 dollars as a wedding gift? Who do you think you are?"

The gruff male voice rang out across the old-town cafe.

I stood at the entrance, my gaze locking onto the woman sitting in the corner.

It was Natasha Ferris.

After eight years apart, she had become so thin that she was almost unrecognizable. A faded, washed-out old puffer jacket hung loosely on her, looking completely empty and oversized.

She kept her head down, her hands twisting the hem of her clothes tightly.

The man sitting across from her was potbellied, with a balding crown, a thick gold chain hanging around his neck. This was the man who had posted videos mocking Natasha in the matchmaking group chat, and his name was Shaun Buchanan.

Next to Shaun sat a middle-aged woman dressed in flashy reds and greens. She was eyeing Natasha sideways with a condescending glare.

"Natasha, I'm not trying to pick on you." The middle-aged woman spoke up, her tone dripping with condescension. "You're 30 this year, and you've still got your mother who needs constant medication.

"It's only my son, Shaun, who's kind-hearted enough not to mind a burden like you. And yet here you are, making outrageous demands for 100,000 dollars? Are you marrying someone or selling yourself?"

The other customers sipping their coffee all turned to cast judgmental glances and point fingers at Natasha.

Natasha hung her head even lower, but I could see her shoulders trembling.

"Mrs. Buchanan, my mom, Edna Seymour, is about to need a kidney transplant. This money is to save her life. I can write an IOU and pay you back slowly by working two jobs," Natasha pleaded hoarsely.

"Pay us back?" Shaun let out a cold laugh and leaned back in his chair. "With what? That lousy paycheck of yours working the cash register at the supermarket? 3,000 dollars a month? You'll be paying us back into your next life!"

He lit a cigarette and blew a puff of smoke right into Natasha's face.

"Natasha, I'm going to lay it all out for you today. I can give you 100,000 dollars, but I have two conditions."

Natasha looked up, a flicker of hope in her eyes. "What are they?"

Shaun leaned in closer, a nasty grin curling at the corner of his mouth.

"One, after we get married, you have to send your mom back to your hometown in the countryside. And whether she lives or dies is none of our business.

"Two, you quit your job immediately, stay at home, and give me a son. If you can't produce one, I'll treat this money as fraud committed by you."

I stood where I was, clenching my fists so hard my knuckles popped.

From behind me, my assistant, Toby Cobb, asked in a low voice, "Mr. Garrison, do you want me to go over and handle this?"

"No," I replied, my eyes fixed on Shaun's sleazy face.

I wanted to see just how far the girl who had grabbed me at the train station all those years ago and scolded me for trying to ruin my life had now been pushed.

Natasha turned deathly pale in the face.

"No way." She shot to her feet. "If I send my mom back to the countryside with no one to look after her, she'll die."

"Then you can just watch her die in the hospital." Mrs. Buchanan rolled her eyes. "The medical bill for treating kidney failure is a bottomless pit anyway. The sooner she goes, the sooner she's out of her misery."

"You shut your mouth!" Natasha suddenly raised her voice, her eyes rimmed red. Clearly, she had been pushed to the breaking point. "Don't you dare talk about my mother like that!"

Shaun's expression darkened, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"Have I been too nice to you? How dare you yell at my mother!" He stood up and jabbed a finger in Natasha's face. "You think you're still that top university elite student from back in the day?

"You're nothing now but a broke, pathetic loser who can't even afford a proper meal. If it weren't for the fact that you still look somewhat decent, you think I'd be sitting here wasting my breath?"

Natasha gritted her teeth. Tears welled up in her eyes but stubbornly refused to fall.

She drew a deep breath and grabbed the canvas bag from the table.

"The wedding's off. Sorry for wasting your time."

She turned to leave.

"Stop right there!" Shaun seized her by the arm. "You think this is a place where you can just come and go as you please? If you dare walk out that door today, believe me when I say I'll have your mother kicked out of the hospital by tomorrow!"