Chapter 1

"Nerina Larson, have you lost your mind? That's everyone's year-end bonus!" Mr. Wellington, the finance manager, slammed his fist on the table and roared. His voice rang through the entire hall.

Nerina stood in the center of the stage, clutching three burlap sacks of scratch-off tickets. Leaning into the microphone, her voice was so sweet it was almost sickening when she said, "Everyone, quiet down and listen to me. I'm a lucky charm. This 500 thousand is just the seed money.

"Once I scratch out 5 million dollars, won't everyone get a bigger share? You have to have dreams in life; you can't just keep your eyes on your measly salary!"

The employees below the stage looked grim, and a few of them had already gotten to their feet, ready to storm the stage.

My fiance, Alistair Kingsley, sat in the front row. He turned around and glared at Mr. Wellington. "Why are you yelling? What if you scare Nerina? She's doing this for the company's benefit! Do any of you even understand her innovative mindset?"

I sat at the side. My stomach churned as I watched how protective Alistair was of Nerina. It was almost as if she were the woman he loved.

In my previous life, I had rushed up at this exact moment and had slapped Nerina across the face. I had snatched the microphone from her and announced that this was Nerina's personal decision. I'd promised that I would pay out of my own pocket to make up everyone's bonuses.

Consequently, she'd become the victim, sobbing that I had crushed her dreams and had ruined her future in live-streaming. Alistair had also accused me of being narrow-minded, saying I couldn't stand seeing others succeed.

In the end, Nerina had died in the snow, and Alistair had driven his car over my chest, over and over again. Even now, I could still hear the sound of my ribcage shattering.

Noticing that no one had spoken up, Nerina turned to me with a goading look in her eyes. "Ms. Carlisle, you always say you care about your employees. Now that there's a chance for everyone to double their money… You're not going to stop us, are you? If you do, you'll be cutting off everyone's chance to get rich quick!"

Alistair looked at me and warned, "Don't be a buzzkill, Zoe. Nerina has our employees' best intentions in mind."

I smiled, rose to my feet, and clapped my hands vigorously. The crisp sound of my applause felt exceptionally piercing in the silent auditorium.

"Nerina has a point. It really does take guts to pull something like this. Since everyone has a dream of striking it rich, then by all means, go ahead and scratch them! I'd also like to see just how many surprises our lucky charm can bring us."

Nerina froze for a moment. Clearly, she hadn't expected me to agree so easily.

Alistair smiled in satisfaction and nodded at me. "That's more like it, Zoe! For once, you're being generous."

The employees below the stage immediately exploded.

"Ms. Carlisle, that's our hard-earned money!"

"What if we blow all 500 thousand dollars on scratch-offs and lose everything?"

I sat back down on my seat and responded calmly, "All of you should trust Mr. Kingsley's judgement and Nerina's luck."

Nerina jumped up excitedly, waving at the camera beneath the stage. "Everyone in the livestream, look! Ms. Carlisle supports me, too! Get ready. We're about to witness a miracle!"

She grabbed a handful of scratch-off tickets from the sack and spread them across the table. "Alistair, come up here and scratch them with me!"

Alistair rose from his seat and strode onto the stage. Then, he stroked her head dotingly. "Alright, I'll witness this miracle with you."