Chapter 2

I buried my head in my studies, and the morning slowly slipped away.

"Emily, lunch's ready." Sophie tapped me on the shoulder.

I turned around and looked at her coldly. "Who said you could just barge in without asking?"

She was stunned, her eyes filling with a wounded look. "What's wrong? It's always been like this, hasn't it?"

I let my expression soften just a touch. "Things are different now. I value my privacy, so you can't just come in like that anymore."

"Fine," she muttered, hanging her head. Her eyes were burning with resentment and confusion.

I ignored it, stood up, and walked out. "Let's go. Time to eat."

"Oh, okay," Sophie said, reaching out to hook her arm through mine.

I smoothly slipped my hand out of her grasp.

Sophie paused, then forced a laugh. "Emily, what's up? Are you not used to me touching you?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I've become a bit of a germaphobe."

"Oh... sorry about that, Emily," Sophie mumbled.

At the table, my mother was all ears for me, though she checked in on Sophie occasionally.

Sophie gave a few short answers and then started digging through the dishes with her fork, picking out the best bits.

My mother frowned slightly. I cursed my past self. How did I never notice back then that my mother didn't actually like her?

I looked at the messy plate with distaste and said gently, "Sophie, you should mind your manners at the table. Try not to eat so messily."

"Oh, okay," Sophie muttered, embarrassed.

I played it off perfectly, acting like a girl who just didn't understand social cues and was simply being "blunt."

My mother gave me a subtle shake of her head, signaling me not to be so harsh.

"So, what brings you here?" I asked.

"Emily, I just wanted to hang out with you for a few days," Sophie replied.

I scoffed inwardly. Yeah, right. She only showed up because it was the busy farming season, and she didn't want to be at the beck and call of her parents doing field work.

In my previous life, she used that same excuse to mooch off us. Once school started, she just moved in permanently, saying she wanted us to go to school together so I wouldn't be lonely.

"Oh. Well, I'm going to be tied up the next few days, and we don't have a spare room. You should head back after lunch," I said.

Sophie started, "But..."

"I'll have Ben drive you to the station in a bit. We can catch up once the semester starts," I said.

Seeing that I wasn't budging, she gave in. "Fine. But Emily, we have to hang out once school starts, okay?"

"Sure," I replied.

After lunch, I had Ben drop Sophie off at the station.

"Emily, do you not like her anymore?" my mother asked softly.

I nodded firmly. "Mom, I don't think she's a good person. I'd rather keep my distance from now on."

"Alright then," my mother replied.

In my previous life, because I liked Sophie, my mother spent a fortune to get her into a top-tier school in the same class as me. In the end, we just nourished a viper in our bosom.

This time, I returned a little too late. She was already in my class. But whether she could actually keep her seat there remained to be seen.

"Mom, I want a tutor. I've decided to drop arts," I said.

Before, I had chosen arts because I was worried Sophie would be bullied in that department. This time, I was going to live for myself.

"Of course. But if you switch, you need to stick with it," my mother said.

"I will. I want to study finance so I can help you run the company later," I said.

"Alright, I'll be waiting for my little queen to take over my business," my mother replied with a smile.

My eyes grew misty. It felt so good that I wouldn't have to let my mother down ever again.