Chapter 1

After a car accident, my children teamed up and pulled the oxygen pipe from me.

My daughter blamed me for not letting her marry a deadbeat, and my son resented me for stopping him from marrying a woman with a shady past.

Later on, both of them had successful lives with happy, wealthy families, but they never got over the fact that I broke up their relationships. It wasn't until I died that I realized they had hated me to their core.

After traveling back to the past, I found myself back on the day the deadbeat and the woman with a shady past showed up at my door.

This time, I smiled and handed them each a decent gift.

I showed them respect, gave my blessings, and made sure they were stuck together for good.

Since my children were both grateful, I decided to be a truly wicked mother this time around.

*****

I woke up from the agony of suffocation, only to find myself reborn on Christmas Eve, the night the deadbeat and the gold-digger came over.

My children showed up with their partners for dinner without even telling me.

My daughter, Isabelle, nervously explained, "Mom, Eric brought you some home-raised chicken. It's totally organic. You can't buy this anywhere, no matter how much you spend. It weighs five whole pounds. Isn't he considerate?"

My son, Charles, said, "Mom, Jessie brought you the newest skincare set, a big-name international brand. Isn't she sweet?"

Looking at the clearly not-so-fresh chicken and the fake-brand skincare set in front of me, I just had to laugh.

In my last life, I was so pissed off that my children went behind my back and made their own choices, and I flat-out refused to let them in the house.

I'd rather have dinner all by myself, just to make it clear my attitude.

This time around, staring at my two hopelessly love-struck children, I bit back my resentment and didn't even blink.

"Come on in, sweethearts, get inside," I said.

The four of them were totally thrown off by how I acted. They were wide-eyed and frozen in place, not daring to move.

"Why are you just standing there? It's freezing outside. Come on in! The dinner is almost ready," I urged.

My son and daughter were the first to snap out of it. They pulled their partners inside, looking nervous and excited.

I caught bits of their whispered conversation behind me.

"Didn't you say your mom was against this? How come she's being so easygoing and let us in so easily?"

"I don't know. Maybe she's just feeling sentimental because it's Christmas Eve."

I played the perfect host, bustling around with fruit and snacks, but I kept a close eye on Eric and Jessie out of the corner of my eye.

Eric had his nose in the air, while Jessie was trying hard to look unfazed.

But the moment they walked in, their eyes were darting everywhere.

I caught the way they stared at the decor, unable to hide their greedy admiration.

I dropped 1.5 million just on the villa's renovation, so of course it was gorgeous everywhere. No wonder they were so impressed.

At the dinner table, with a spread of luxury food, Eric's and Jessie's eyes lit up, and their jaws practically hit the floor.

My children, on the other hand, were getting more and more anxious.

Just yesterday, I laid down the law for them.

I told them to break up with their partners for good, or they could kiss their inheritance goodbye.

They must be dying to know how I did a complete 180 in just one day.