Chapter 1

It was 10:00 pm. Cassidy Sherman, who had just gotten off her tutoring job, had put on a clown costume. A staff member led her into a private room. Her roommate, Yvette Larson, worked part-time at this club. Tonight, her boyfriend had suddenly come to see her. So, she asked Cassidy to cover her shift. Yvette told Cassidy that a group of rich heirs and heiresses was throwing a party. All she had to do was wear the costume and entertain them. The pay was 100 dollars per ten minutes, plus tips. It was basically free money. The moment Cassidy stepped into the room and looked up, she saw a familiar face. Her footsteps came to an abrupt halt. "Isaac, aren't you tired of pretending to be poor?" a guy asked with a laugh. "So many women are into you. How did you end up choosing some broke nobody?" Isaac Slater smiled and replied, "You don't get it. All those women who say they like me are after my money. Only Cassidy truly loves me. She works three jobs just so I can eat and dress better. Can they do that?" Isaac was Cassidy's boyfriend of more than two years. Just ten minutes earlier, he had told her good night over the phone. Pretending to be poor? Cassidy's mind went blank, and all she heard was a loud ringing in her ears. Isaac had told her that his family only gave him 500 dollars a month for living expenses. He claimed that he couldn't even afford proper meals and could only survive on plain bread and soup. As Isaac had just told his friend, Cassidy had taken on three part-time jobs in order to let him have a better quality of life. For her senior year in university, she had very few classes. During the day, she worked at a cafe. At night, she helped at a food truck. On weekends, she tutored children in their homes. Cassidy barely had time to rest. She couldn't bear to fork out a few hundred dollars to buy herself a nice dress, but she casually bought Isaac a pair of sneakers that were worth over a thousand dollars. Whenever she ate alone, she chose the cheapest meals in the cafeteria. When she went on dates with Isaac, she always took him to restaurants that cost several hundred dollars for a meal. She was always the one who paid. When there were times she was so tired that she felt she couldn't go on, she thought of Isaac. He would look at her with deep affection and say, "Cass, I love you so much. I want to give you a home." With guilt written all over his face, he would say, "Cass, you've suffered so much just to be with me. When I have money in the future, I'll definitely give you a good life." For the past two years, Isaac had been her motivation to keep going. But it turned out that all of it had been nothing more than a game for him. "I heard you're planning to meet Cassidy's parents during winter break and get married right after graduating next year. You're not actually serious about her, are you?" the guy asked again. Isaac leaned back against the couch, gently swirling a glass of red wine with one hand while holding a cigarette in the other. "Of course not," he said casually. "She was raised by a single mother and lacked a father figure in her life. That's why she wants to get married early and have a 'complete' family of her own. I just went along with it to keep her happy. How could I really marry her?" The guy laughed. "I get it now. No wonder she's such a hopeless romantic. You pretended to be poor, and she still stayed with you for two years. Not only did she not spend your money, but she even supported you. Turns out it's because she lacked parental love growing up." Isaac's other friends began to join in on the conversation. "Yeah, you're the heir of the Slater family. How could you possibly marry a poor woman like Cassidy? Your union would be heavily mismatched." "Exactly. If the Slater family's heir really fell for a penniless woman like her, that'd be the joke of the century." "Women who lack a father's love are the easiest to fool. Just a few sweet nothings, and they'll devote their whole life to you!" "Only Quinn is worthy of you." "She'll be here soon. If she finds out you have a girlfriend in college, how are you going to explain that to her?" Isaac smiled, unconcerned. "Didn't Quinn leave me and go abroad for three years too? It's even better if she knows. I can use Cassidy to make her jealous." "If Cassidy found out that you casually bought Quinn a bag worth 300 thousand dollars, she'd probably cry herself to death." "Yeah. You pretended to be poor and fooled her for two years. You lived off her and used her money. She even worked three jobs to support you. If she knew you were throwing money around on other women, she'd probably lose her mind." Isaac's smile faded. After a moment of silence, he said flatly, "Cassidy won't know." Well, he didn't know that Cassidy was standing right in front of him. The clown costume felt heavy and suffocating. Cassidy could barely breathe. She felt as if someone had ripped her heart open, and the bloody hole was causing her unimaginable pain. "So, do you plan to keep hiding everything from Cassidy?" one of them asked. Isaac replied seriously, "I'm not done playing with her yet. If any of you run your mouth and tell her, I'll deal with you myself." "Honestly, even though Cassidy is poor, she's pretty. She's fair but not sickly pale. She has a pretty face and a great figure. Even I'd be tempted. You have good taste, Isaac." "Of course." Isaac smiled as he took a sip of wine. "I'm just killing time, but I still have standards. I won't go for an ugly woman." "You've been dating for two years. You must have slept with her already, right?" Isaac scoffed. "Nope. I'm just playing with her. Why would I touch her? Women from poor families tend to get clingy. If I took her virginity, I wouldn't be able to dump her later. It'd be too much trouble." Everyone in the room laughed uproariously. Cassidy opened her mouth with difficulty, but no sound came out. All she could taste was blood. She had bitten her lip raw without realizing it. Someone said frivolously, "When you're tired of her, let me have some fun. If you won't sleep with her, I will. She's so pretty. It's a waste if you don't get a taste." Isaac's expression darkened. He glared daggers at the guy who said that. Sensing his anger, the guy said sheepishly, "Don't be mad. I was just joking." With a grim face, Isaac said with nuanced emphasis, "I'm warning you. If you dare touch Cassidy, I'll destroy you." "Please spare me, Isaac. I'm sorry. I wouldn't dare." Just then, the door to the private room opened. A woman dressed in expensive designer clothes walked in. She wore a Chanel suit, and her chestnut hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves. She exuded a mature, womanly charm. "What were you talking about?" she asked with a smile as she sat beside Isaac. Isaac adjusted his expression and said with slight resentment, "So you finally came back. I thought you'd already forgotten about me." Quinn Underwood smiled flirtatiously. "How could I? You're the one I can't let go of." "Really?" "Cross my heart." Quinn leaned over and pressed her lips to Isaac's. Isaac didn't push her away. Cassidy stared blankly at the sight before her. Her heart seemed to stop beating at that moment. Isaac's friends started cheering. "Quinn, when are you and Isaac getting back together? He's been waiting for you for three years." Quinn pulled away and casually brushed back her hair. "That depends on his performance." Then, she looked at the clown and asked, "And this is?" "Someone we hired to entertain you," Isaac said, finally looking at the clown who had been standing silently for a long time. Cassidy didn't move. "What are you standing there for? Dance!" Isaac ordered impatiently. Only then did Cassidy return to her senses. Before she came, Yvette had repeatedly reminded her to do this job well. If she messed it up, not only would she not get paid, but Yvette would also be fired from the club. Not wanting to drag Yvette down, Cassidy swallowed her heartbreak and humiliation. She played the part of a clown, entertaining another woman right in front of her boyfriend. As she danced, she saw Isaac hugging Quinn and kissing her again. They kissed passionately and for a long time, like they were a couple deeply in love. Cassidy's tears fell without warning. How ironic, she thought. The person beneath the clown costume was the real clown. She had no idea how she made her way out of the club. It was December, and the weather was very cold in Jervia. A light rain fell from the sky. The damp, icy wind seeped into her collar and sleeves. It was the kind of chill that one would find unbearable, but she felt nothing. Cassidy wandered aimlessly through the rain. Her phone vibrated several times before she finally took it out. It was a call from Erica Watt, her neighbor. Cassidy answered numbly. "Cassidy, come back quickly. Your mom needs you!"