Turning the Tables on Life

After an earthquake, my sister, Lila York, and I joined a search and rescue team.

In my past life, she dug through the debris half-heartedly, looking tired and resigned. This time, she was beyond excited. Her facial muscles twitched and twisted with her agitation.

To prevent me from stopping her, she shoved me to the ground and threw pieces of debris at my legs. Then, she ran to a spot in the debris where a wealthy woman was trapped. As she excitedly dug through the rubble, she muttered, "I'm going to be the heiress this time. I'm going to be rich!"

That was when I knew that she'd also been reborn.

Lila and I were orphans from the same orphanage. We'd grown up together and relied on each other. We'd sworn to change our destinies through education, but an earthquake had thoroughly disrupted our plans.

In my past life, I was the one who'd saved Wanda Lawson, the wealthy woman trapped under the rubble. As soon as she'd regained consciousness, she'd grabbed my hand fanatically, refusing to let me go.

Everyone said it was because she was filled with gratitude for me. Sure enough, she'd adopted me as her daughter on the spot. Shortly after that, she'd held a press conference to announce that I would be the sole heir to her immense fortune.

I moved into her riverside villa and had access to millions of dollars. The media outlets everywhere reported about an orphan becoming an heiress overnight.

As for Lila, she'd only managed to save a regular person who gave her a few thousand dollars as thanks. The stark contrast in our experiences had left her angry and resentful.

"Why is it that you've gotten everything when I've ended up with nothing? We both tried to save people, weren't we? Life is so unfair!"

So, she'd pulled me into a lake with her before holding my head in the water until I drowned.

After being reborn, Lila felt like this was a second chance God had bestowed upon her. She'd excitedly grabbed the chance to save Wanda while dreaming about instantly making it big in life.

She didn't know that this wasn't a story of someone saving the day and turning life around, though. It was a story of someone biting the hand that fed them. It was a nightmare that I'd desperately wanted to wake up from and the start of my pain and horror.

I wasn't in time to stop Lila. She'd already moved the final piece of rubble aside and saved Wanda. She looked at Wanda with concern and desire while crying, "I'm the one who saved you! I'm your life savior!"

She wept while telling Wanda her sob story—that she was an orphan and had no one to rely on. She wanted to make Wanda pity her.

As she wished, Wanda said the same thing she'd told me in my past life, "Are you willing to come with me and be my daughter?"

Lila was overjoyed to hear that. She nodded vigorously as tears filled her eyes. "Of course! I've always dreamed of having a mother. Now, I finally have a place I can call home!"

She threw herself into Wanda's arms. She didn't notice that Wanda's eyes were filled with icy hatred, not warmth and gratitude.

Before leaving, Lila came to me and smiled smugly. "Everything you were fortunate enough to experience in your past life is now mine. From now on, Lila York will cease to exist in this world. There will only be Lila Lawson, the heiress of the Lawson family.

"I will inherit the Lawson family fortune and become a member of the upper crust. Meanwhile, you'll continue to be the poor little orphan. I won't even spare a peasant like you a look when I walk past you. I pity you, really."

Her eyes gleamed with hope for the future and contempt toward me.

Well, I could understand how she felt. The Lawson family fortune was enough for one to spend for several lifetimes. It was too bad Lila wouldn't be the one to enjoy all of that.