Do-Over Crossroad

"Sir, give me a lottery ticket!"

Patrick York darted past me into the convenience store like an arrow.

When I heard him breathlessly rattle off that exact string of numbers I knew by heart, I instantly understood: he had been reborn, too.

Clutching the ticket, Patrick turned toward me with a smug grin.

"Oliver Hutchinson. Sorry, this one's mine."

I shrugged, completely unfazed. "I wasn't planning on buying it anyway."

He clearly did not believe me. With a sharp scoff, he shoved the ticket into his bag.

"Impossible. That ticket is the reason you..." He cut himself off mid-sentence.

However, I already knew what he wanted to say. In our previous life, I missed the bus because I bought that lottery ticket, which made me late for a big job interview.

That accident cost me an offer at a Fortune 500 company.

Meanwhile, Patrick, who was competing for the same spot, got the job.

However, the joke was on him because I won 50 million dollars with that lottery ticket.

So, while he was working overtime, barely scraping by, and getting pushed around at work, I was lounging at home, living off interest from the bank.

Until one day, in a fit of rage and jealousy, he shoved me off the top floor.

Now reborn, Patrick looked at me with the same arrogance.

"I'm not even going to that interview. Since you like working yourself to death so much, you can have it."

I simply nodded.

If that were the case, then I would gladly let him have the 50 million dollars.

Without hesitation, I turned and hopped onto the bus headed to the interview.

That evening, I returned to the dorm.

The sight that greeted me stopped me cold.

Patrick had his arm wrapped around Emily Hayward's waist. The two of them looked like they had just finished rolling around in bed.

I must have been blind in my previous life. I did not realize until the very end that the two of them had been in on it together all along.

They were not even startled to see me. In fact, their faces brimmed with defiance.

Emily curled her lip in disgust. "Oliver, the truth is, I've always loved Patrick. The only reason I stayed with you was because your family had two old apartments.

"But things are different now. Patrick just won 50 million dollars. We're rich. I'll never again have to degrade myself by being with trash like you."

My fists clenched tight. So that was it.

Both Patrick and Emily had come from poor villages. One was my so-called best friend, the other my girlfriend. I had never once quibbled about money with them.

Yet the whole time, they had just been leeching off me.

Now that fate had given me a second chance, I swore I would make them repay me a thousandfold for everything they sucked out of me last time.

Patrick sneered. "Oliver, the only reason I tolerated you before was because your family's situation was slightly better than mine.

"But now that I've got 50 million dollars, I have achieved financial freedom. How could you ever compare? You're destined to be a lowly workhorse your whole life, while Emily and I will travel the world. A life you can never even dream of."

The two of them packed their bags and strutted out of the dorm.

I watched their backs disappear down the hall and could not help but laugh coldly.

Naive fools. Did they really think blessings that fall from the sky would ever land in their laps?