Chapter 1: Villainess Rewrites the Script

A car accident, a blown tire, a ridiculously hot guy in a crisp white shirt—yep, this could be the opening of a trashy 2 a.m. Lifetime movie. Except, surprise, it’s my life now. I blink awake and boom: I’m Autumn Caldwell, the villainess, about to get dragged through the mud.

Nathan Pierce? His backstory’s straight out of a soap opera. At ten, his parents died in a house fire after their family business tanked. He barely made it out—swore revenge on Caldwell Holdings. Yikes. He schemed his way into my world, married into the Caldwell family, sucked it up and played the long game. Little by little, he took over all the Caldwell shares, drove my parents to ruin. Then he scarred my face and literally made me give up my heart—to his first love, the queen bee, Sierra Monroe.

Yeah. That’s just… savage.

“Be more careful next time.” Nathan’s voice is soft—like a spring breeze, the kind that could make you drop your guard. Which, honestly, makes my skin crawl. I get a chill, every instinct screaming danger. I know that nail on the road wasn’t just bad luck—classic Nathan move. Nice try, buddy.

If this were the original story, I’d be grabbing the male lead and saying something cringe like, “Damn, you’re totally my type.”

But all I want is to stomp on the gas and peel out of here. My hands are itching to grip the wheel. My heart’s pounding like a jackhammer. Deep breath—wait, sports car!

Blood pumps through me. The original Autumn’s secret weapon? Her family’s loaded. Like, old-money, Hamptons-in-July, jet-to-Europe-for-brunch loaded. The kind of rich that’s almost a punchline.

“Should we go to the hospital?” Nathan’s eyes are warm as honey, swirling and deep. The kind of look you could drown in, if you’re not careful.

In the story, the villainess falls for the male lead at first sight, heart doing Olympic-level gymnastics. Me? I’m just trying to keep my heart from launching itself out of my chest—for all the wrong reasons.

“Nathan Pierce—” I spit out, nerves fraying. I’m putting space between us, fast.

“Stay away from me from now on.”

If I can kill the tragedy before it starts, maybe I won’t get stuck in this mess. I can practically feel every cliché trope pressing down on me, but not today—I’m rewriting the script.

Nathan freezes, something weird flickering in those stormy eyes. I can’t tell if it’s shock, suspicion, or just him calculating my net worth.

He asks, “How do you know my name?”

His voice drops, all suspicion and velvet threat. I can see the wheels turning: Is she psychic? Stalker? Another bored heiress with too much time? Ha. If only he knew.

Our first meeting ended with me bolting out of there—total trainwreck.

Now I’m on the top-floor balcony of the city’s swankiest mansion, staring out at the neon-lit skyline. I can’t help but sigh. Honestly? Being rich is awesome. No shame.

But… this face? Major downgrade.

The original Autumn craved attention, so she went full chaos: wild purple hair, decked out in enough gold to blind a bystander, and a hunger that turned her into a walking food meme. She was terrifyingly overweight, and her style was straight-up disaster.

Tacky. Loud. Fat. Ugly. It’s like someone mashed every Real Housewives cliché together—then cranked it up to eleven. Actually, scratch that. Make it twelve.

“Miss, your custom designer gown just arrived. Want to try it on now?” the butler asks, sounding way too formal for my taste. I just blink at him. Seriously?

Oh, right. The engagement party’s next month—a huge deal for the original Autumn.

Nathan, desperate for tuition money, works as a waiter at the party and gets cornered by Autumn—she pins him and steals his first kiss. Cue the drama: her fiancé, Carter Bennett, and the guests walk in, the engagement blows up, and Nathan gets sucked into the Caldwell family’s orbit. Dad loses it, grounds her for a month, and snatches her black card.

Black card… No, no, no. That can’t happen again. I shudder. Not on my watch.

I’m changing my fate. Treasure money, avoid broke pretty boys like the plague.

Sierra Monroe was there too, working as a server, and just so happened to fall right into Carter Bennett’s arms. Sure.

Compared to Autumn, Sierra looked like an actual goddess—so pretty it hurt. It’s always about looks, isn’t it? Welcome to America, where high school popularity is basically The Hunger Games.

My phone buzzes. It’s Mom.

“Sweetie, did you get the dress? If you don’t like it, I’ll buy you another one.”

Say what you will about Autumn’s parents—they might be a little tacky, but their love is off the charts. They dote, they spoil, they never judge. If she wanted something, she got it. No questions asked.

The original was a rebel, always whining that her parents only had money—so she went wild: purple hair, nose ring, clubbing every weekend. Probably blasting punk rock and posting cryptic Instagram stories about how nobody gets her.

Even so, her parents just shrugged and kept loving her.

Thinking about it now, my nose stings. Fairy-tale parents, for real.

“Mom, I miss you.”

She bursts into tears on the other end. “I’ll fly home right away!”

“That fast?”

“Silly girl, did you forget we have a private jet? Next month’s your birthday—Mom will get you one with your name on it.”

I…

I’m actually tearing up. Being rich is the best.

I collapse into a genuine leather massage chair, scrolling through a designer’s latest New York Fashion Week looks. Another sigh.

But clothes only work if you have the body for them. Step one: lose the weight.

In the original, Autumn slimmed down because she had to, for her heart—so she could give it to Sierra. Not this time. This life, you want to steal my heart? Dream on. Want my money? Not happening. Mess with my parents? Over my dead body.

I glance at the city lights, steel settling in my spine. This time, I’m writing my own story.

The best part about being a rebellious rich girl? You can do whatever the hell you want, no explanation needed.