The driver caught my meaning instantly. He met my eyes, gave a small nod, and drove off to pick up more people.

Jasmine's family acted like they owned the place. They wandered through the villa, upstairs and downstairs, taking laps like tourists. After a while, they sprawled across the couches in the living room without a shred of manners.

"Where are your parents? This is such a big deal, and it's just you here?

"How is this supposed to show any respect for Jas or our family?"

My parents?

They were busy gathering supplies and building a safe house.

However, there was no way I was telling them that.

I took a slow breath and spoke in a humble tone.

"Well, Mrs. Baker, my parents started from nothing, so they take money pretty seriously.

"I want to give Jas the best life possible, like keeping her in a golden house. If they get involved, things may be harder to negotiate. Don't you think so?"

Jasmine shot me an icy glance.

"At least you've got some sense."

With Jasmine's approval, her father, Rhett Baker, and Kelly dropped the topic for now. Instead, they started ordering me around, telling me to make coffee and wash fruits for them.

That reminded me of something.

The previous day, I had been so tense that I ordered all the food in the villa to be cleared out.

Then, aside from its luxurious rooms, the entire place was completely empty.

That definitely would not keep Jasmine's whole family satisfied. I quickly agreed and told the housekeeper to go and get some food.

William Foster, our housekeeper with graying hair, looked at my anxious expression and chuckled.

"Mr. Lewis, you must be so happy you've gone a little crazy. First, you have the food taken away. Now, you want to buy it all back."

I looked at him, at his white hair and teasing smile, and felt a sudden sting in my chest.

In my previous life, he was our family's longtime housekeeper. He had come with my parents to discuss the wedding terms. When the extreme cold hit, he was trapped in the mountain villa with us.

To protect us, he went three days without eating anything. He gave all of his share of food to us.

After we were thrown out of the house, he carried my injured body through the heavy snow, trying to get me down the mountain.

I had lost too much blood. I could not fight against fate. Before I lost consciousness, all I could hear was his voice.

"Mr. Lewis, you have to hold on. Even if it costs me my life today, I'll get you out safely."

However, in the end, we were both buried in that endless blizzard.

Seeing my eyes suddenly turn red, William clicked his tongue. "Oh, come on, you're a grown man. Why are you tearing up? You…"

I cut him off.

"Mr. Foster, you don't need to do that. Go and find my parents right now. They'll explain everything.

"Have Shane come here instead. And whatever you do, don't come back here."

William looked at my sudden seriousness, confused, but he nodded anyway and left.

By the time Shane arrived carrying bags of supplies, all of the Baker family's relatives had shown up, too.

The moment they got out of the cars, they started touring the villa on their own, like they already owned it.

Rhett stood at the entrance, grinning as he greeted everyone, telling them to sit wherever they liked, as if that place were already his.

Watching the greedy looks in their eyes, I actually felt relieved.

'I'm not afraid that you want it. I'm only afraid that you won't stay,' I thought.

One by one, the relatives took their seats. Only then did Jasmine remember me.

"Carson, get over here and say hello to everyone."

Me, the heir to the Lewis Group, greeting a bunch of nobodies? That was clearly meant to humiliate me.

Or maybe it was a test of obedience.

In my previous life, my parents had stopped me and told Jasmine to show some respect.

However, this time, I walked over without hesitation. I bent forward in a deep bow.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Jas's fiancé, Carson."

Rhett burst out laughing and bragged to the room.

"See that? All that talk about the great Lewis family and Mr. Lewis. In front of my daughter, he's still completely obedient."

I lifted my head and gave Rhett a sincere smile.

"Mr. Baker, you're absolutely right."

To humiliate me on purpose, Jasmine did not even start the negotiation right away. Instead, she ordered me to serve a drink for every elder in the room, treating me like a servant.

By the time I finished, she seemed to run out of ideas. Only then did she wave her hand dismissively and let me sit.

Her whole family sprawled across the biggest sofa, while I dragged over a small stool and sat on the other side of the table.

The divide between us could not have been clearer.

In three days, we would be separated by life and death. The thought made the corner of my mouth lift into an involuntary smile.

Jasmine's paternal aunt, Ruby, snapped me out of it with her sharp voice. "Look at him. Just imagining he gets to marry Jas, and he's already grinning like that."

Jasmine's maternal uncle, Nevin, let out a mocking laugh. "The so-called only heir of the Lewis Group? Doesn't look like much to me.

"For you to be worthy of our Jas, that's already reaching way above your level."

'Right, right. Me, the sole heir of the Lewis Group, marrying your scheming little princess is, somehow, my good fortune.' I kept the thought to myself.

In my previous life, I had been completely devoted to Jasmine. I treated her like someone untouchable, always respectful, always careful.

It was not until the world froze over that I found out the truth.

She had already been pregnant with her lover's child.

Accepting my pursuit had just been her way of finding a rich father for that baby.

Seeing that I did not argue back and still wore a smile, the Baker family grew even bolder. One after another, they kept talking over each other.

The topic stayed the same. Jasmine was out of my league, and I had simply gotten lucky to win her over.

They went on like that for about an hour before finally remembering that I, the supposed main character of today's meeting, was still sitting there.

Rhett cleared his throat and spoke first.

"Carson, you've been chasing Jas all these years. We've all seen it."

The mockery in his voice set off another round of laughter.

I kept my head lowered, quietly listening to that assembly line worker lecture me.

"We're not asking for much. Three million dollars. That's our condition.

"This house, well, the decoration is a bit shabby, and the location is kind of remote, but…"

Amid everyone's knowing looks, he continued, saying, "Well, it's still livable. We'll take this house.

"And those cars that picked us up earlier, why don't you arrange one for everyone here?"

In my mind, I gave Rhett the middle finger.

One car would cost 150,000 dollars. There were six of them. That was 900,000 in total.

'Do you really think your daughter is worth that much?' I thought.

Rhett dragged out his tone again, as if that made him sound more dignified.

"And another thing. If our family lives in this villa, what about our relatives?"

As soon as he said that, the room filled with eager agreement.

"Yeah, what about us?"

"We're getting old. It's a shame we don't even have a decent place to retire."

Inside, I sneered. 'You don't need to think that far ahead. In less than a week, you'll all starve to death in this mountain villa.'

With that thought, my smile deepened.

Rhett puffed out his chest and swept his gaze across the room like some kind of authority figure. Then, he raised a hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.

"No need to rush. Carson, why don't you arrange one villa for Jas' aunt and her family and another for Jas' uncle and his family? What do you think?"

Listening to his outrageous demands, I nodded without hesitation.

The moment I agreed without hesitation, Jasmine's face lit up with delight. She walked over and shyly looped her arm through mine.

"You agreed so fast. No backing out later.

"What if your parents ask about it? What are you going to say?"

The spot where her skin touched mine instantly prickled, like something crawling under it.

Fighting down the wave of disgust, I forced myself to gently wrap an arm around her waist.

"My parents only have one son. Whatever I say, goes. Don't worry."

Jasmine beamed, then slapped my hand away with a playful smile.

"Ugh, look at you. We're not even married yet. Keep your hands to yourself."

Rhett's voice turned sharp with disapproval. "Lewis, watch yourself. You're already getting handsy with Jas right in front of us. That's out of line."

I quickly pulled my hand back and apologized over and over, bowing until my back started to ache. Only then did Rhett let out an icy snort and drop the matter.

Jasmine picked up right where things left off and immediately added another demand.

"I want a big apartment in the city center. At least 300 square meters. Otherwise, it wouldn't be convenient if I had friends over."

A faint smile lingered on my lips as my gaze drifted toward her stomach.

'It's not that you can't bring friends home. It's that you can't bring the man you're seeing,' I thought.

Maybe she felt the weight of my stare, because Jasmine suddenly took a step back.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You won't even agree to something this small?"

I swallowed the surge of hatred rising inside me and gave her a wide smile.

"Of course, I agree. Anything you want, I'll make it happen.

"However, tell me something. Why can't your friends come over?"

The moment I asked, Jasmine's expression darkened instantly.

"Carson, what are you implying? Are you saying I'm seeing someone else? We're not even married yet, and you already don't trust me? Then, maybe we shouldn't get married at all."

I watched her furious reaction and understood everything.

When people were overwhelmed with fear, it often turned into anger.

She was afraid I would find out about her affair. She was even more afraid I would discover that she was already pregnant.

It did not matter.

The end of the world was coming anyway. I was not in a hurry.

I quickly switched to a flattering expression and agreed to her demand.

While we were talking, the private chef came over to ask if he should start serving. I glanced at the time and realized it was already noon. After all that talking, that family had not even gotten to the point.

At my nod, the staff began rolling in carts of food.

The Baker family instantly dropped their fake airs. Faced with a table full of delicacies from land and sea, they dug in without any restraint.

After stuffing themselves, Rhett leaned back, burped loudly, and immediately started complaining: the air-flown seafood was not fresh. The black truffles looked weird.

Then, he picked up a bowl of consommé, squinting at the delicate shreds floating inside.

"Why not add some real meat? Who are you trying to fool with this watered-down soup?"

Luis nudged him with his elbow and lowered his voice. "That's not just soup. It's consommé. You're supposed to savor it."

Honestly, if the end had not been so close and if they had not wiped out my entire family in my previous life, I might have kept them around just for entertainment.