Chapter 2

The awkwardness in that living room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Kevin's face went from ghostly pale to a dark, almost purple-red. He pointed at me, sputtering, "You... You..." for ages, but never managed to finish. He probably never had a kid embarrass him like this in his whole life.

Arthur, ever the seasoned pro, snapped out of it and started pouring tea to send them off. "Mr. Carter, Lottie might be blunt, but she's got a point. We're struggling too, and we can't help you, sorry."

That was the final verdict.

The light in Kevin's eyes went out completely, his shoulders slumped. In that instant, he looked ten years older.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, let out a defeated sigh and grabbed Ryan by the arm, who still hadn't stopped staring at me. "Let's go."

Ryan finally snapped out of it when Kevin pulled him away.

He gave me one last glare. It was a look that could cut glass. His eyes were full of humiliation and resentment, as if I'd turned him down to make him look bad in front of everyone.

It was like he thought I was turning him down to embarrass him, not because I had to.

He kept his face stiff, stayed silent, and followed Kevin out. His back was straight as a board, but you could still see that broke-but-proud vibe in him.

I watched them disappear out the door, and only then did I loosen my grip on Arthur's arm. A cold sweat broke out on my back.

Honestly, it was pure rage from my previous life that kept me going just now.

"Lottie," Arthur said, pulling me down to sit beside him, his brow furrowed. "Have you lost your mind? Weren't you praising that guy for being talented last time?"

I leaned back into the soft couch cushions, breathing in the familiar comfort that always made me feel safe.

Everything I wanted to say was boiling inside, but I kept it all in.

Was I supposed to say to Arthur, “Dad, I died in my previous life. Thirty years of catering to him, and all I got were his dying words: ‘Let us have no more encounters in our next life.'”

Who'd believe it anyway?

I hugged his arm, pouting playfully. "Dad, I figured things out. Look at that gloomy face. Does he look like someone who'd ever be grateful? Help him, and he might turn around and hate us for it."

Arthur chuckled, tapping my forehead. "That's some twisted logic. But alright, if you say we shouldn't help, then we won't."

He paused, giving me a thoughtful look. "Never thought my little princess could size people up so well. That kid's got that deep, brooding stare. He is definitely not simple."

I gave a wry smile to myself.

It was not like I was some genius at judging people. I wasted a whole lifetime before I finally figured him out.

From that day on, I started keeping tabs on the Carter family.

Sure enough, without the Evans family as their last lifeline, the Carters' bankruptcy went through in no time.

Their villa, cars, company, everything got auctioned off to pay their debts.

I heard Kevin couldn't handle the blow and ended up bedridden, leaving Ryan to shoulder the whole mess.

He dropped out of school and started scrambling for any job or side gig he could find, trying to keep his crumbling family afloat.

In my last life, I'd already begged Arthur to pull some strings and get him a cushy, high-paying job, so he could support his family and still keep going to school.

With his talent and my money backing him up, he never really had to face the harsh reality of life, even when things got tough.

But now, with me out of the picture, he was hitting the cold, hard wall of reality head-on.

A young man with nothing but talent and pride, no connections, no family backing. He was basically stuck in quicksand, barely able to move forward.

Sometimes I'd hear from my staff. He got scammed out of his pay tutoring, got rejected for piano gigs because they said he didn't have the right look. Even when moving boxes, he wasn't strong enough to earn much.

Hearing those scattered updates from my staff, not a single ripple stirred in my heart.

Look. This was the life you always wished for, with no interference from me.

Ryan, how long did you think your so-called love with Emily could last when life keeped grinding you down like this?

It wasn't long before word started swirling about Emily.

Sure enough, she finally made her entrance.

Not long after I had someone casually mention a low-paying job at a used bookstore to Ryan, Emily breezed into his life, bringing a hint of warmth to his bleak, bitter days.

I heard she'd happen to swing by the bookstore whenever it rained, dropping off an umbrella for him.

I heard she'd share half of her homemade lunchbox, nothing fancy, acting like she couldn't finish it and handing him the rest.

I heard she'd look up at him with those big, doe-eyed, admiring glances and say, "Ryan, you know so much. You're definitely going to make it someday."

To the Ryan of my last life, pampered and spoiled by my wealth, these tiny gestures were almost like charity. They would've meant nothing to him.

But for the Ryan in this life, a kid dragged through the mud, shunned by everyone, and nearly crushed by reality, even a drop of sweetness was enough to save him, lighting up his whole gray world.

He got hooked right away.

He saw Emily as the only light in his endless night, the hope when everything felt hopeless.

All the coldness and neglect he gave me for thirty years in my last life, he now channeled into burning passion and dependence for Emily, twice as intense, twice as desperate.

I looked at the photo my staff handed me. Ryan stood at the mouth of a cramped, shabby alley, clutching his lunchbox like it was something precious.

He was staring down at the girl in the white dress next to him, eyes locked on her with a tenderness and focus I'd never seen from him in my previous life.

The sunset stretched their shadows out across the pavement, making them look like a couple straight out of a tragic romance. Honestly, there was something heartbreakingly beautiful about it.

I set the photo down and took a sip of the coffee on the table. It was already cold, and the bitterness hit me hard.

Ryan, you finally got what you wanted.

Your Emily, your redemption, she was all yours now.

Enjoying this so-called pure love, free from money and interests.

But I wondered, when love had to face the daily grind, when romance crashed into the harsh reality of being broke, would your precious Emily still be able to brighten up your muddy reality?

I curled my lips into a smile, but it never reached my eyes.