Chapter 2

Sophia was so worked up that she was sobbing uncontrollably, barely able to catch her breath.

She hurled a barrage of baseless accusations at me, even dragging my two roommates into it, leaving me utterly bewildered.

My roommates, mouths full of snacks Sophia had brought, eagerly jumped in to back her up.

"Yeah, Joanna," said one roommate, "take a closer look before blaming Sophia."

"Her boyfriend's loaded. Why would she ever need to steal from you?" another scoffed.

"This is just bullying! You think money makes you better than us?

"We don't owe you a cent, so quit the act!"

With just a few words, Sophia instantly drove a wedge between us, and my roommates were up in arms, taking her side.

I was immediately lumped in with those utterly heartless rich, as if I were the villain here.

With all the roommates rallying behind Sophia, she put on an even more dramatic show of tears.

She snapped, "You say I switched the bag? Show me the proof! I could just as easily say you gave me a fake one to begin with! No proof? Then get on your knees and apologize! We may be poor, but we won't take your insults lying down!"

I lent Sophia my bag out of kindness, and look how she repaid me.

Out of nowhere, she pinned a baseless accusation on me and turned the whole dorm against me.

Just as Sophia intended, I was provoked into a fit of rage and blurted out without thinking.

"If you're poor, blame your damn parents! Blame yourself for being born into the wrong family! What's that got to do with me?

"Either give me back the bag or pay me, or I'm calling the cops!

"If you hate being poor so much, just die and try being born again!"

What I didn't realize at the time was that Sophia had been recording the entire confrontation on her phone.

But she selectively edited and only posted the part where I lost control online.

I was cyber-bullied and doxxed by netizens, and even my parents' business took a hit because of it.

Yet, Sophia still wasn't satisfied. Maliciously, she goaded Eric to kill me.

Finally, I snapped out of the memory of my previous lifetime. "Joey, please, just lend it to me. I'm begging you."

Sophia clung to my arm, pleading in a sweet, coquettish voice.

Looking at her, I answered briskly.

"Sure! But the bag's at home. I'll bring it for you tonight."

Sophia beamed, cooing, "Joey, you're the best!"

I pretended to go home to get a bag for Sophia, but instead, I went to buy a high-quality replica.

The next day, I brought the replica bag to my dorm.

Under Sophia's eager gaze, I gingerly extracted the bag from its dust bag with exaggerated care.

I then gently reminded her, "Sophia, this bag cost nearly ten grand, so please take good care of it, okay?"

The roommates crowded around, gingerly reaching out to touch the designer bag.

"Wow, a true luxury! It's definitely on another level."

Another roommate chimed in, "Yeah, it feels so smooth!"

"Hey Joey, when's it our turn to try this beauty on too?"

With a hint of distaste, Sophia snatched the bag away and slung it over her shoulder.

I smiled and complimented, "You're such a beauty, Sophia. You look stunning with this bag."

Sophia stood in front of the mirror, twirling with evident satisfaction.

Then, like a prized possession, Sophia slung the bag over her shoulder and headed out for her date.

After Sophia left, I handed the gift bags to my two roommates.

"I've been using this toner and moisturizer set, and it's been working pretty well, so I picked up two extra sets for you guys."

My roommate's eyes lit up as she pulled out the gift set.

"Oh my god, La Mer!"

"Isn't this a bit too much?"

I waved it off casually and said, "Don't worry about it; just consider it an early birthday present for you two."

Their faces lit up with delight as they thanked me over and over.

After leaving the dorm, I immediately drove to the auto dealership where Eric worked.

Actually, Sophia and my roommates weren't even worth worrying about.

But Eric, that reckless brute, was a ticking time bomb. I had to defuse him first.

From across the street, I spotted Eric inside the auto dealership.

His figure was just a blur.

Still, I could picture his eyes wide with fury as he swung a knife at me.

I trembled uncontrollably with fear, but I must conquer it.

Fate had given me a second chance at life.

And there was no way I wouldn't squander it.