The moment my best friend swooped in and bought the foreclosed property I’d been eyeing, right under my nose at the real estate office, I knew for certain: she was back, too. In my last life, my best friend, Tiffany, and I both had a little bit of savings. She threw all of hers into the stock market. I decided to buy a place to live. My funds were limited, so I settled on a house with a dark past—a place where a murder had occurred. It was cheap. But inside, hidden in the space above the ceiling, I found a safe. It was filled with ten million in cash and over a dozen gold bars. Meanwhile, Tiffany’s money got trapped in a market downturn. She lost everything and ended up deep in debt. Watching me move into a mansion, drive luxury cars, and spend money like it was water, she snapped. She lured me onto the highway and watched as a speeding truck mowed me down. After I died, my soul lingered. I watched as she and my boyfriend, Kyle, lied to the police, telling them I’d been drinking, that I’d ignored traffic rules and stumbled into the road. A tragic suicide. When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back on the day I was supposed to buy the murder house. 1 “I’ll take this one!” Tiffany’s voice detonated next to my ear. I stood frozen, staring at the scene unfolding before me. The real estate agent shot me an apologetic look before turning to Tiffany. “I’m sorry, miss, but this lady was looking at it first.” “So what? She hasn’t paid. I’m paying now. That makes it mine.” The look of absolute certainty on her face told me everything I needed to know. She had been reborn, too. “Jessica,” she said, her tone suddenly wheedling, a hint of probing in her eyes. “I really want this house. Why don’t you look at some of the others? There are plenty like it in this development.” She was testing me, trying to see if the Jessica from the last life was looking back at her. I snapped out of my daze and frowned, playing my part. “Alright, fine. If you like it that much, it’s yours. I’ll see what else is available.” A wave of relief washed over Tiffany’s face. She turned back to the agent, ready to seal the deal. “Miss Hayes,” the agent said, a note of caution in his voice, “I must remind you, a homicide took place in this house. That’s why the price is so low. Are you sure you want to buy it?” “Positive. They caught the killer, so what’s there to be afraid of? Besides, it’s not like I’m going to be living there…” She cut herself off, but it was too late. I smiled. I knew exactly what she meant. In my past life, I’d been tired of renting. With a small nest egg, I’d decided to put down roots. But my options were slim. The agent finally showed me the murder house. A couple had lived there; a domestic dispute ended with the husband killing the wife. He was serving a life sentence now, and the house, tainted by the crime, was a hard sell. I’d bought it without a second thought. After all, what ghost is scarier than the ghost of being broke? But then I found the fortune, just as Tiffany’s life hit rock bottom. This time, she was determined to steal the fate that was meant for me. She shot me a mocking smile. “You should just put your money in stocks. You might get lucky, and then you could afford a real mansion.” I pretended not to understand her dig. “But this place has a mortgage of several thousand a month. Are you sure you can handle that? You don’t have much saved up. It might be a struggle. If you need help, I could always lend you some.” Tiffany only had enough for the down payment. My words, combined with the vision of the treasure she was about to claim, pushed her over the edge. “Who says I can’t?” she snapped. “I’m paying in full. All cash. Don’t even think about competing with me. This is mine!” The agent, stunned by her fanaticism but delighted by the prospect of a cash sale, immediately forgot I existed and turned all his attention to her. “Excellent, Miss Hayes! How will you be paying?” Having made her boast, she couldn't back down now. She pulled out a card. “I’ll put down a deposit now, and I’ll have the rest for you in three days. That should be fine, right?” The agent took the card, beaming. “Of course! No problem at all. Let’s go sign the contracts.” My work here was done. I turned and walked out, heading back to my rented apartment. 2 That night, just as I was getting into bed, my boyfriend, Kyle, called. His voice was cold, devoid of any emotion. “Let’s break up, Jessica. I’m sick of you. Don’t bother me again.” I listened, my face a blank mask. As his words faded, I heard the faint, triumphant giggle of a woman in the background. I knew exactly who it was, but I feigned shock. “Are you cheating on me? Who are you with right now? Kyle, you can’t do this to me!” The more furious I sounded, the more pleased they became. “Honestly? I was only with you so you’d get me a job at your company,” he sneered. “Now that I’m in, I don’t have to pretend to be into you anymore. It was making me sick.” So that was it. My resume was strong, and I’d landed a position at a top corporation right out of college. Once I was established, I’d gotten both Kyle and Tiffany internal referrals. “Just let it go, Jessica,” Tiffany’s voice purred as she took the phone. “We’re going to be rich now. We’re not in the same league anymore. Don’t try to force your way into a world where you don’t belong. This is goodbye.” “The two of you?” I gasped, playing the part of the betrayed lover to perfection. “You stabbed me in the back!” They both erupted in cruel laughter. I seized the opportunity. “Hmph. Let’s see how well you do without me. So you bought some crappy old house? What’s so great about that?” “Oh, you’ll see,” Tiffany sang. “You’re just a pathetic little wage slave. How could you ever compare to me?” After they hung up, I let out a cold laugh. Utterly, breathtakingly stupid. In a society governed by laws, did they really think a massive, untraceable fortune could just fall into their laps without the authorities noticing? The next day at work, I watched as Tiffany and Kyle marched into our boss’s office and resigned. The sudden request was strange, and our manager tried to persuade them to stay, but Tiffany shut him down with staggering arrogance. “Sorry, boss, but I’ve had a bit of a windfall. Nothing major, just a few easy million. Working just isn’t really necessary for me anymore.” The manager looked like he’d misheard. Colleagues nearby swarmed her desk. “Tiffany, are you still asleep? A few million? Did you rob a bank?” “Did you win the lottery? How’d you do it? Any tips? You gotta teach me!” “You’re kidding, right? You’re all talk. That’s hilarious.” Basking in the mix of flattery and disbelief, Tiffany decided it was time to show them all. “Tell you what,” she announced, “come to my new house in three days. You’ll see for yourselves.” She then dropped the address into the company group chat. Seeing she was resolute, the manager gave up and approved their resignations. As she was packing her things, Tiffany’s eyes landed on the Chanel bag sitting on my desk. She froze. “How can you afford that?” she shrieked. A second later, she seemed to figure it out. “Oh, I get it. You bought a knockoff to keep up appearances, didn't you? Trying to one-up me.” Her voice dripped with condescending pity. “Give it up, Jessica. There’s no need to pretend. A ten-dollar canvas tote is more your style.” I rolled my eyes and shoved the bag in her face. “Open your damn eyes and look. Does a fake have stitching this perfect? I bought it at the boutique yesterday. You want to see the receipt?” 3 Tiffany stared at the bag, her eyes darting back and forth, trying to find a flaw. After a moment, she regained her composure. “So what? It’s just one bag. I could buy a hundred. As for you,” she sneered, “I bet that took a huge chunk out of your salary. Don’t let me find your nudes on some payday loan website a month from now.” I fired back, “Tch. All talk, aren’t you? Go on, buy one and show me. I think you’re just bluffing.” “Hmph. I’m going right now. You just wait.” Tiffany shot me a hateful glare, stormed out of the office, and went straight to the mall, where she proceeded to buy several luxury handbags. She immediately posted them on all her social media, then sent them to me privately, making sure I wouldn’t miss it. I did some quick mental math. Those bags weren’t cheap. At least twenty thousand dollars, all told. It was obvious where the money had come from. In the days that followed, it became a game. I’d post a picture of a new bag, and she’d immediately post a better, more expensive one to counter me. What she didn’t know was that my posts were all set to “Visible to Tiffany Only.” She took the bait, just as I’d planned. That weekend, I took a trip to the mall. I had a gala coming up and needed some jewelry to complete my look. A sales associate was showing me several sets, explaining each one. Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the entrance. “Show me your most expensive diamond ring!” a voice boomed. Everyone in the store turned to look. It was Tiffany and Kyle. Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world… A sales associate approached them, giving their outfits a quick, dismissive once-over. “Ma’am,” she said diplomatically, “our most expensive pieces are in the seven-figure range. Are you certain that’s what you’re looking for?” Tiffany, new to money and its realities, was stunned. “Seven figures? Why so expensive? Isn’t a diamond just carbon?” A ripple of laughter went through the store. I chuckled, too. Her eyes found me. She and Kyle marched over. “What are you doing here? This isn’t a place for poor people like you. Did you follow us?” Kyle asked, convinced I was still hopelessly in love with him. “Are you insane? I was here first. If anything, you followed me.” The sales associate backed me up. “It’s true, this young lady was here first.” Unable to win the argument, Tiffany changed tactics, her eyes falling on the jewelry I was considering. “Can you even afford that? You’re just wasting their time.” “What’s it to you? It’s not like you can afford it either.” Thinking she had me cornered, Tiffany’s confidence surged. “Of course I can! How much for all these sets? I’ll take them all.” The associate smiled politely. “That would be five hundred thousand per set, ma’am. Two million in total.” They both went silent for a beat, then started picking faults. “Actually, I think these are a bit… average. Besides, what would I do with so many?” I cut her off, my voice sharp with impatience. “Are you buying them or not? If not, I will.” I turned to the associate. “Please wrap all of them up for me.” 4 Her plan to flaunt her wealth had backfired spectacularly. Tiffany looked like she was about to grind her teeth to dust. She slapped her hand down on the counter, stopping the associate. She pointed to a ruby set. “I’ll take that one!” Kyle looked worried. He tugged at her sleeve and whispered, “Five hundred thousand? Isn’t that a little steep?” But Tiffany was too consumed by rage to listen. She demanded the associate wrap it up. They swiped card after card, each one declined for insufficient funds. In the end, they had to pool every cent they had, completely emptying their accounts, to barely cover the cost. Three days passed. Tiffany scraped together the money for the house, met the agent, completed the transfer, and got the keys. The time had come. I made my way to the housing development. My old colleagues were already there, buzzing with anticipation, eager to see how Tiffany was going to strike it rich. Soon, Tiffany and Kyle arrived. She scanned the crowd, and upon confirming I was present, nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Let’s all go up together.” As we walked, one of the colleagues looked around at the run-down environment. “Tiffany, this complex is really old. It can’t be worth much.” “Yeah, there’s no landscaping, and it’s all senior citizens.” “No schools or anything nearby, either. The only good thing is that it’s close to the office, but since you quit, that’s useless.” Tiffany looked at them like they were idiots. “The house itself is cheap, you’re right. It’s worthless. But what’s inside is valuable. And now that the house is mine, everything inside belongs to me, too.” One colleague gasped, remembering a news story he’d seen online about people finding millions in cash in foreclosed properties. The crowd murmured in shock, though some remained skeptical. “You’ve never even been inside the house,” one of the more rational ones asked. “How can you be so sure there’s something good in there?” Even Tiffany wasn’t stupid enough to say she was reincarnated. “The heavens work in mysterious ways,” she said cryptically. Her air of mystery actually worked on some of them. “Tiffany, when you make it big, don’t forget about us!” one gushed. Her ego swelled to its absolute peak, her face beaming. When we reached the apartment door, Tiffany inserted the key. It wouldn’t turn. Her smile froze. She jiggled the key, twisted it back and forth, but the door remained stubbornly locked. The others noticed. “What’s wrong?” Tiffany forced a laugh. “The key’s probably just a little rusty. Hard to open.” She put more force into it, grunting with effort. And at that exact moment, the door swung open from the inside. “Who in the hell is trying to pick my lock! You got a death wish?”
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