Chapter 3

Imelda handed me a card, granting me a day off. Gildo drove me to the city center.

As soon as I stepped out of the car, I spotted a familiar face—Regina.

She was wearing a red-and-white mascot costume. When I saw her, she was holding the oversized mascot head with one hand while using a flyer to wipe the sweat off her forehead with the other. Her pale face had turned bright red from the heat.

Just as I was about to turn and leave, I noticed a young man rushing toward her. It was Dario.

He, too, was holding a thick stack of flyers. He hurried over to Regina and used the flyers to fan her.

"Regina, are you okay? Can you hold on a bit longer? If you're too tired, we can go home."

Hearing the concern in his voice, Regina weakly smiled. "I'm fine, Dario. I can continue. Isn't it almost time for your tutoring session? Go ahead and get to class. I'll be fine alone."

In my last life, I did the same thing—working multiple jobs every day. I had no time for breakfast in the mornings and would rush off to do odd jobs after school. On weekends, I'd be out handing out flyers in the busiest part of town, braving the heat and cold.

Only by doing all this could I earn the chance to attend school at my adoptive parents' family.

To pay for college tuition, I even worked as a waitress at a bar after graduating from high school. I endured all kinds of harassment, just so I could make a few extra bucks.

I turned to walk toward the building when suddenly, Regina, still in her mascot costume, blocked my path.

"Livia?"

When she saw the Hermès bag in my hand, a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes.

"You sure seem to be living the good life. But don't forget, the mafia devours people whole. You might end up dead in the streets one day."

I looked at her without responding.

Unable to hold back any longer, she started bragging about her adoptive parents.

"My parents treat me so well. Dario even more so. He tutors me after school and brings me all sorts of snacks."

"Oh," I replied, my voice cold and indifferent.

My reaction seemed to finally irritate her. Her face flushed as she was about to say something, but Dario walked over just in time.

"What did you do to my sister?" he asked, his gaze sharp as he stood protectively in front of Regina.

Ignoring him, I bypassed them and walked into the mall.

Behind me, I heard Regina's voice full of schadenfreude. "Dario, why were you so harsh with her? She's my sister…"

I used Imelda's bank card to purchase many luxury goods—too many to carry by myself —so I called Gildo to pick me up.

Just as I was about to get in the car, Regina's mocking voice reached my ears. "Hmph! What's the point of buying all this stuff? You're going to die anyway."

I raised an eyebrow and smiled.