Chapter 4

She was awake already?

Curious, I edged closer to the wall and listened.

"When your sister gets here, I'll keep pretending I've passed out, and you cry your heart out beside me. Remember, make it as pitiful as you can. Once she feels sorry for me, she'll take me home and look after me."

"After she takes me back, the two of us will be set for life!"

Herbert sounded doubtful.

"Mom, did you forget? We already went to see her. She's a million in debt now. How could she possibly take you home and care for you?"

"She was ready to grovel and follow us back and beg us for scraps! Mom, is this plan of yours actually going to work?"

Mom smacked him across the forehead.

Her voice carried that tone of someone despairing at a hopeless case.

"How could she be a million in debt? Her job is rock solid. That boss thinks the world of her, and she's got over a million saved up!"

"Just listen to me. You cry when the time comes, that's all you have to do. She's soft-hearted, can't stand to see me hurt. Once she takes me home to care for me, however much money I get out of her, I'll hand it all to you!"

"That way you won't have to go out and slave at a job. Every month I'll give you money to spend. And when you get married someday, even the dowry and the new house, Zoe will pay for all of it!"

Herbert lit up at the picture she was painting.

"Mom, if it really works out, how much will you give me every month? Will it be more than a job pays?"

"Eight thousand at least!" Mom held up five fingers. "That's just the first few months."

"After that, I can give you sixty thousand a month! That little chit Zoe's got a high position, pulling in eighty thousand plus every month! In a few years it'll even hit two hundred thousand!"

"By the time she's making two hundred thousand, I can pull a hundred and eighty out of it for you to spend! I guarantee you'll live like a king every month!"

How did she know my salary and my job situation?

Everything she was saying, why was it exactly the same as what I'd lived through in my last life?

Could it be that this car accident had made her come back too, just like me?

Herbert clapped and cheered for her.

Mom glanced toward the door and told him to keep it down.

"All right, all right, put your hands down. Don't let that little chit hear you. Just stick to the plan."

"As long as you do as I say, every last thing that girl owns will belong to us. We'll live in the lap of luxury off of her!"

Ha. Live in luxury off of me? Still dreaming pretty dreams, are they?

This life, they could forget about ever leeching off me again.

They wanted to play. Then I'd play along, just a little, and see who came out the winner in the end.

I knocked twice and walked in.