Chapter 1

"Norman, give me your most expensive bottle of mineral water!"

Someone bumped into my lower back inside the convenience shop, and I jolted awake.

After grabbing the bottle of water, Maya Fairweather shot me a wary glare. She rushed out of the shop and headed straight to a lounge chair outside.

Sitting there was none other than Noah Reed, the heir to the Bellaris' most powerful family, who was pale and suffering from heatstroke. Maya set the water down beside him, pulled out some tissues, and gently wiped the sweat from his face.

Noticing how anxious she looked, I was certain she had been reborn too.

Just as I suspected, Maya turned around and blocked my view of Noah. "Lumiere, hurry up and go to the classroom to fill out the application form. I'll take care of Mr. Reed. You're just getting in the way."

I looked at her coldly. "Relax. I didn't plan on taking care of him either."

After hearing that, she clearly didn't believe me. So, she scoffed. "Yeah, right! In our previous life, you—"

Maya caught herself and zipped her mouth shut, but I already knew what she meant.

In our previous life, Noah had proposed to me because I had taken care of him when he suffered from heatstroke, and he was deeply moved. I married into money, while Maya successfully enrolled in Kingsley University.

However, after graduation, she joined the rat race, whereas I lived comfortably as the pampered wife of a rich man. At our class reunion, her jealousy drove her to stab me.

Somehow, both of us had been reborn.

Several of our classmates nearby were well aware of how stingy Maya was, and they whispered among themselves.

"Maya is usually unbelievably cheap. Yet, knowing the guy is the heir to the city's most powerful family, she suddenly buys a ten-dollar bottle of water. If he were just some regular guy, she wouldn't even spare him a glance. What a snob!"

As soon as their words fell, Maya stiffened and snapped back, "Shut up! I like to help people. What do you guys know? I don't want the Kingsley University spot anymore, Lumiere. I'll give it to you!"

Everyone gaped at her the moment those words rolled off her tongue.

Maya strutted over to me and said, "So what if you're attending Kingsley University? In today's world, even if you graduate from the most prestigious university, you still end up breaking your back for someone else. As a woman, the smartest thing you can do is marry a good man!"

Then, she shot me a cold look. "But that ship has sailed for you, so stop daydreaming!"

I nodded, too lazy to waste my breath on her, and left with the others to fill out our forms. Since she wanted so badly to marry into wealth, I might as well give her that chance.

…

Ten minutes later, we finished filling out our forms.

When we walked past Maya and Noah again, Noah gradually came to.

Noticing him stir, she threw herself at him and held his hand, her face filled with concern. "Are you feeling better, Mr. Reed? Should I rush you to the hospital?"

Meeting her overly anxious eyes, Noah froze for a moment.

Maya placed her hand on his forehead and fretted, "Are you still feeling unwell?"

"I'm alright now. Thank you. Were you the one who took care of me just now?" he inquired.

She smiled bashfully. "Yeah. I thought I'd stay with you for a while. If anything came up, I'd feel better being right here."

As soon as her words fell, a limousine pulled up at the school gates, and the Reed family's butler hurried over. Noticing his family's butler, Noah said, "Thank you for looking after me today, Maya. Let me treat you to a meal."

Maya's eyes lit up with excitement, and she nodded repeatedly.

Before she left, she shot me a contemptuous look. "Lumiere, you're destined to be a pathetic office lady for the rest of your life. I, on the other hand, am going to marry into wealth!"

I watched her strut off and let out a cold, derisive chuckle. I wondered if Maya seriously thought ordinary people like us could just marry into a wealthy family.