Let Her Ruin Herself

"Thanks."After saying that, I took the candy and held it in my hand.Seeing that I hadn't eaten it, the class belle, Elisa Winters, continued, "Anna, hurry and try it. It's strawberry-flavored."I smiled at her. "I get carsick. I'll eat it after I feel better."Then, I slipped the candy into my pocket.A flicker of anxiety crossed her eyes, but she didn't press me.I leaned back against my seat, clutching the bag of candy, and closed my eyes.…In my previous life, I forced myself to consume the candy despite being under the weather when it came to Elisa. She had always treated me well.However, when we arrived at the guesthouse, I was about to pay Grandpa's surgery bill, which was due in three days, when I discovered that my bank account was empty.Inside was what I'd saved to save Grandpa's life—all the scholarship money I'd accumulated throughout my childhood and teenage years.After my parents died young, he became my only family. He had raised me ever since then. Tha

The police officer's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble dropped into a still pond.Everyone's eyes immediately turned toward Elisa on the steps. She stood there in her white athletic outfit, which looked almost glaring in the morning sunlight. However, her pretty face had gone as pale as a sheet of paper, and her lips trembled slightly.The phone in her hand slipped from her fingers and hit the ground with a sharp clack."I... I'm..." Her voice was barely a whisper, as though something were stuck in her throat.The middle-aged officer walked over and stopped in front of her. He pulled out his badge and flashed it briefly. "Elisa Winters, you need to come with us to the station and cooperate with our investigation.""I didn't do it!" She stumbled back, her back slamming into the pillar behind her with a dull thud. "I didn't launder any money! That money... it was..."She couldn't finish.What was she supposed to say?That she'd used a system to siphon money from the ban

Elisa had spent the money without giving it much thought. Some went toward luxury goods, some was blown on gifts for livestreamers, and the rest disappeared on food, drinks, and other indulgences. She had never kept track of her spending and had never once considered paying any of it back."I..." She lowered her head, tears spilling down her cheeks again. "Can I make a phone call?""To whom?""To… Marianne Robe." She thought for a long time before finally saying my name. "My classmate."…I received the call shortly before noon.I was sitting in the courtyard, soaking up the sun, when my phone rang.Most of my classmates were resting in their rooms, leaving only a few people scattered around the courtyard.I glanced at the caller ID. It was a local number I didn't recognize.When I answered, I heard a police officer on the other end. "Hello, is this Marianna Robe? Elisa Winters would like to speak with you for a moment. Is that okay?"I was silent for two seconds before I

In the third week after we returned to school, Elisa asked to meet with me.We met at a gazebo behind the classroom building. When I arrived, she was already sitting there. A thick stack of A4 papers was spread across the table in front of her, every page covered in dense writing.She was wearing a faded T-shirt that had clearly been washed many times. Her hair was pulled into a simple low ponytail, and she wasn't wearing any makeup. She looked nothing like the glamorous class beauty she'd once been. Her fingertips pressed against the papers, her knuckles turning slightly white from the pressure.I sat down across from her.Without looking up, she pushed the stack toward me and spoke softly. "I finished it."I took the papers and started flipping through them.At the top of the first page, written in slightly crooked handwriting, were the words, "Complete Transfer Records and Repayment Plan".The handwriting wasn't particularly neat, and there were corrections scattered acro

"I'm not worried." Grandpa placed the neatly folded clothes beside his pillow and patted the edge of the bed, motioning for me to sit closer. "Come, Anna. I want to tell you a few things."I moved a little closer.He looked at me, and there was a light in his cloudy eyes that I hadn't seen in a long time.He reached out and took my hand. His palm was dry and rough, like a piece of tree bark left out in the sun for years. "Your parents left us when you were little. I raised you all these years, hoping I could stay by your side for as long as I could."His voice was slow, each word carefully measured."When I said that I didn't want treatment anymore, it wasn't because I was afraid of the cost. I was afraid you'd wear yourself out. You've always been stubborn, even as a little girl. You swallow every hardship and keep it all to yourself, just like your mother."My nose stung, and I started to say something, but he waved a hand, stopping me. "Now that we have enough money and you ca