Rebirth Game: I Watch My Bestie March Into the Sweatshop

"Chloe, what do you think about this factory? Their benefits are enticing."Sydney Cox's voice left me in a daze. Didn't she, my very best friend, set me on fire and burn me alive?"Hey, say something," she grumbled, elbowing me sharply.The pain snapping through my arm made me realize that I had been reborn—not just that, but on the day before she started work at the factory.In my previous life, I invited her to join my family's factory because I was afraid she might get scammed into working at a sweatshop. On paper, she was there to work, but in reality, she was only there to have fun.Sydney and I lived and ate together. In a day, she would spend about two hours, at most, on the production line. Mom and Dad also sympathized with her situation, so they turned a blind eye to her inaction.Ultimately, when Sydney found out her salary was slightly lower than that of a veteran employee, she accused my parents of using her for cheap labor. That night, she set our house on fire, bur

"This one, this one, this one, and that one," I said to the waiter, tapping the menu. "Oh, and all of these too.""Can you even finish them?" a green-haired guy asked me.Before I could answer, Sydney silenced him with her stare. "Let her eat. She'll need all her energy later."Those cryptic words sent a ripple of excitement through the table. She was right. She should eat more and conserve her energy for what was coming.The dishes arrived quickly, but I barely had the chance to eat any of them. Instead, they kept asking me to drink, as though eager to get me drunk.Too bad for them, they had found the wrong target. I had been sneaking Dad's booze since I was ten, and though I might not be able to drink anyone under the table, handling these men was more than enough for me.When the timing felt right, I pretended to lose my balance and collapsed onto the table. The men leaned in to check if I was still conscious. I grabbed one of them by the wrist, and they jumped in surprise.

When I returned to the factory, the men who had "bought" me dinner the other night surrounded me, demanding I foot the bill. "Pay up."They handed me a receipt, and it was a high amount. Nobody knew how many people they had to borrow money from just to leave the restaurant that night.Still, who invited someone to dinner and then demanded they pay? I dusted off my clothes and got up to leave.One of them stopped me. "Think carefully. It's not worth ruining your image over this little bit of money."The sight of his twitching mouth made my stomach churn. "And how exactly will this ruin me?"He rubbed his hands together, then showed me a photo on his phone. "You go here, don't you?"Damn Sydney and her peculiar way of setting me up. She had actually told them about our college."And?"Seeing the shift in my expression, they showed me another photo. "Look at yourself."In the photo, my face was flushed. One look at it, and it was hard not to let one's imagination run wild. "What

That night, I stood outside the hotel room. "Go on. He's right in—"Before I could finish my words, Sydney excitedly walked in. No sooner had she entered than Felicia showed up."Are they both inside?" Felicia asked, her gaze burning with fury and resentment.Still, barging in now would only ruin the plan. What if they hadn't done anything yet?Just as I was about to drag Felicia to a nearby cafe and wait it out, Fred and Sydney exited the hotel room. Her left cheek was swollen, her hair completely tousled.Deep inside, I sighed and mused, "They sure don't hold back.""Listen to me, Freddy!" Sydney cried. "I swear the baby is yours!"Fred slapped her with the back of his hand. "Shut up! Bitch, how dare you try to trick me into becoming the fall guy?"He angrily strode off, but Sydney kept begging him. "Please don't do this to me! You're the only one I've ever been with!"Before Fred could get physical again, Felicia, who had stepped forward at some point, stopped him. Immediat

Ten minutes passed."Five, four, three, two, one… Time's up!" Arthur yelled. "There goes your chance. Come on, Syd. Let's go to the cops."I stopped them. "Hold on!"Arthur turned to me angrily. "What tricks are you trying to pull this time?"Oh, nothing much. I just wanted him to get to know the father of his grandchild. The guys with whom we had dinner that night, as well as the ones who shared a room with Sydney, stood in a line.Their pale complexions from consistent all-nighters made them look malnourished."Take a good look," I said. "Pick whichever one you like. He'll be the father of the baby."Sydney completely lost it. She screamed and rushed toward me. "Are you trying to kill me, Chloe?"How about the fact that she actually killed me in my previous life? Not to mention, in this one, she tried to drag Dad down with her. It didn't make sense that she was the only one allowed to ruin others' lives.I shot Sydney a look of unmasked contempt, then turned back to stare at