Chapter 2

I pulled back the curtain and glanced down.

Sophie was standing by the flower bed.

White sundress, sneakers, hair in a low ponytail.

The exact same outfit as last time.

She was gazing up at the house, her expression calm, the corners of her lips slightly curled.

She looked up, and her eyes locked onto me at the window with pinpoint precision.

The next second, a pitiful little smile bloomed across her face, and she waved at me.

Then came the knock at the door.

"Hello? Are you home? It's Sophie."

Sweet and soft, with just the right amount of timidity.

I went downstairs and opened the door.

Sophie stood on the doorstep, her eyes deliberately rubbed red.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much for renting me such a nice place."

She spoke while her gaze wandered past me into the house.

Her eyes swept over the brand-new fridge and the AC unit before settling back on my face.

"I just graduated this year. My salary is really low. I only take home thirteen hundred a month after taxes."

"Eight hundred for rent... I can barely survive."

"You seem like such a kind person. Could you maybe knock the price down a little?"

She pressed her palms together, batting her eyelashes, tears springing up on command.

In my last life, that act was exactly what fooled me.

I'd remembered my own graduation, how my parents showered my younger brother with a generous allowance but didn't give me a dime.

At my worst, I didn't even have ten dollars to my name.

It was a kind landlady who took me in, gave me a place to stay, fed me.

She even let me pay in installments, giving me warmth when I was at my most desperate.

I'd told myself that if I ever met someone struggling, I'd help too.

So my heart softened, and I dropped the rent from eight hundred to four hundred on the spot.

I only charged half the deposit and let her pay monthly.

And what happened?

She turned around and told people the place was only worth four hundred, and I was the greedy one trying to charge eight hundred.

She was the one who deserved pity?

Then who pitied me when she caused me to hemorrhage, miscarry, and nearly die?

This time, all I felt was disgust.

"Knock the price down?"

I cut off her performance and called it out directly.

"Sophie, your salary is thirteen hundred and you want an eight-hundred-dollar place. Shouldn't you be looking at a five-hundred-dollar studio instead?"

"Coming here to beg me for a discount. Where's the logic in that?"

The tear tracks on her face hadn't even dried, but her expression froze.

"I... I just wanted to save some money to send to my parents..."

"Raising me wasn't easy for them..."

I pulled out my phone, opened the calculator, and held it up in front of her.

"Let's do the math."

"Eight hundred for rent, plus utilities and maintenance fees. That's at least a thousand a month."

"Your salary is thirteen hundred. That leaves three hundred for food, transportation, clothes, going out. Is that enough?"

"How much were you planning to send your parents again?"

Her face flushed instantly, trapped with nowhere to go.

"That's not what I meant... I just want to save a little..."

"I understand."

I walked to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down, relaxed.

"Wanting to save money is perfectly normal."

"Wanting to take care of your parents is perfectly normal."

"But you don't get to save money out of my pocket and call it your generosity."

I scoffed, my eyes sweeping over her purse and phone.

"That bag you're carrying. That's the new collection from a luxury brand, isn't it? Retails for about nine thousand."

"And your phone. Latest model, top specs. Starts at fifteen hundred."

"Are you here to mooch off me?"

Her pupils contracted sharply.

Then a flash of panic crossed her eyes. Her lips trembled, mouth opening, but no sound came out.

"You... how dare you say that about me!"

She finally squeezed out a response, her voice shaking.

"I can buy whatever bag I want! That's my business!"

I put my phone away and looked down at her coldly.

"Your freedom doesn't get to come at my expense."

"Eight hundred a month. One month's deposit, three months upfront. Not a dollar less."

"If you want to rent, sign the lease."

"If you don't, there's the door. I won't see you out."

With that, I turned and walked toward the living room.

Behind me, dead silence for a full thirty seconds.

Then, a teeth-grinding hiss dripping with hatred.

"Fine! I'll sign!"

She stormed after me, her shoes pounding against the floor in heavy, muffled thuds.

I took out the printed lease and slid it across the coffee table.

She bit her lip, grabbed the pen, and scrawled her name.

The pen tip tore through the paper, leaving a jagged trail of ink.

I knew what she was thinking.

She was thinking, Just wait until I move in. I'll make you pay.

Ha.

This time, we'd see who made who pay.