Chapter 4

"Stella, how can you be so cheap? Do you cling to any guy you see?" Brandon snapped.

Before I could say anything, a beautiful woman at his side spoke up for me, "Brandon, don't be upset. Ms. Simmons is still young. It's only natural if she doesn't always know where to draw the line."

Natalie snickered, her tone full of mockery. "Stella, are you seriously using these dirty tricks to get Brandon to notice you?"

They all saw me as someone with no self-respect, and Brandon was acting like he could do whatever he wanted since Stella was crazy about him.

But it was Stella's choice, so I had no right to judge.

After Natalie said that, it suddenly clicked for everyone, and they all started teasing me.

"Damn, Brandon's got some serious charm. I bet if he told Stella to go die, she'd do it without a second thought. What did he put in her head to make her so obsessed?"

Brandon looked rather pleased, turning to Kayla with a gentle expression. "Don't listen to them. I only see Stella as my sister."

Kayla's eyes clouded with sadness. "You two have been close since childhood. How could I ever compete with her?"

Brandon hurried to explain, afraid she'd misunderstand, "Kayla, don't get the wrong idea. There's nothing between Stella and me. Even if she jumped off right here in front of me, it wouldn't change a thing for me."

I gazed at the tranquil sea, my heart as numb and still. Yet I found myself asking the question Stella couldn't bring herself to voice. "Brandon, you've never liked me, have you?

"Even if I jumped right in front of you, you'd still never love me, would you?"

Brandon looked annoyed, his eyes full of disdain as he snapped, "Stella, what the hell is wrong with you? Are you nuts or something?"

I touched my chest and gave a calm, almost indifferent smile. Stella, you heard him, didn't you? Now it was time to finally let go.

"I" took one last look at Brandon. "Goodbye, the brightest part of my youth."

With that, I jumped off the cruise ship in front of everyone. As I fell, it felt like my soul was finally set free.

All I could hear was the rush of wind and Brandon's panicked scream. "No!"

*****

Three years later, it was a beautiful, sunny day. As I walked out of the airport, seeing all these familiar places, I couldn't help but think of that day.

The moment my body plunged into the sea, whatever lingering trace of Stella's soul vanished completely.

Everything went as I'd planned. Only I never expected Brandon to jump in after me.

He clearly hated Stella.

That day, all I wanted was to fulfill Stella's final wish, to find eternal rest in the ocean for her soul, and maybe leave everyone a little shaken up.

But in the end, I somehow ended up fishing a soaking wet fool out of the water. Honestly, it was kind of ridiculous.

The car arrived with a gust of wind, scattering my wandering thoughts as it stopped in front of me.

"Ms. Simmons, we're from Radiant Media. We're here to take you to the hotel," the driver said.

Once I fully settled into this body, I started living life on my own terms. Somehow, I ended up as one of the chief jewelry designers at Regal Treasures Inc.

This time, they tapped me to serve as a judge for the New Star Jewelry Design Competition.

The competition was put together by Radiant Media and several big-name jewelry companies. I gladly went along with their plans and headed to the hotel they'd arranged for me.

As soon as I arrived, I ran into an old acquaintance.

Natalie was still the same, like a queen bee. Everyone flocked around her. But even as I walked right past her, she didn't recognize me at all.

I wasn't really looking to run into her so soon, so as I was about to step inside my room, she suddenly barked at me, making me pause, "Stop right there. Are you one of the designers for the competition?

"Is that piece you're wearing your own creation? Maybe we should sit down and talk."

I had no intention of responding to her and kept reaching for the door.

She finally lost her patience and stepped right in front of me, blocking the doorway. "Hey, I'm talking to you. Cat got your tongue? You're here for the competition, right? If you annoy me, you'll be finished here."

I stayed silent and checked her out from behind my sunglasses.

Seeing I wasn't going to talk back, Natalie kept going. "I like your design. I want you on my team, working for me. I'll pay you three hundred thousand a year.

"With your skills, you'd probably have to hustle for decades to see that kind of cash. Shouldn't you be thanking me for giving you this chance?"

Hearing Natalie shamelessly try to claim my design as her own, all while trying to be generous, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Natalie, after all these years, you really haven't changed a bit. But hey, gotta admit. You've got good taste," I said.

As soon as I took off my sunglasses, she was completely stunned. "Oh my god, it's you."