1 The first morning of my second chance, I woke in my old room. The calendar confirmed the fateful date. Then I saw Dylan, my best friend, rushing into the lottery shop. He shouted the exact string of numbers that once won me everything. A chill shot through me—he’d returned with his memories, too. In my past life, we both landed an interview with a dream Fortune 500 company. But on interview day, I detoured to buy a lottery ticket, arrived late, and lost the job. Dylan got hired. The ticket I’d bought, though, won the $50 million jackpot. I spent my life in lazy comfort, but Dylan’s career turned toxic. He grew bitter, resentful, and finally pushed me off a rooftop during an argument. What broke me wasn’t the fall, but what came after. My girlfriend Jessica helped Dylan cover it up, telling everyone I’d gone mad and jumped. They used my death for content, played grieving friends online, and built influencer careers off my tragedy. Now, back at that moment, my wallet clenched tight in my hand. This time, everything would be different. … "One lottery ticket, please!" Dylan bolted past me, dashing into the store. When he, panting for breath, recited the sequence of numbers I knew by heart, I was certain. He was back, too. Ticket in hand, Dylan turned to me, a smug, challenging look on his face. "Sorry, Alex. This one's mine." I shrugged, completely unfazed. "I wasn't planning on buying one anyway." He clearly didn't believe me. He snorted, stuffing the ticket into his bag. "No way. You're only here for this ticket because…" He stopped himself abruptly. I knew what he was going to say. In our last life, that ticket made me miss the bus and the interview. Dylan landed the corporate job. But I won fifty million bucks. He was grinding away while I was living off the interest. But his corporate life was a nightmare. The pay was low, he was bullied, and eventually, his resentment boiled over, and he pushed me off a roof. Dylan looked at me, his eyes gleaming with triumph. "I'm not even going to the interview. Since you love grinding away in the rat race so much, the spot's all yours." I just nodded. Fine by me, I thought. You can have the $50 million jackpot, too. Without a second of hesitation, I turned, boarded the bus, and headed for my interview. That evening, I walked back into our dorm room to find Dylan with his arm wrapped tight around my girlfriend Jessica's waist. They looked like they’d just finished a heated make-out session. I was so blind in my last life. I never knew they’d been hooking up behind my back until the very end. Seeing me, they didn't even flinch. Their faces were masks of pure provocation. Jessica stared at me with disgust. "Alex, the one I really love is Dylan. I was only with you for those two crappy old apartments your family owns." "But things are different now," she continued, her voice dripping with venom. "My Dylan won fifty million dollars. We're going to be rich." "I don't have to compromise for money anymore, and I certainly don't have to stay with a disgusting piece of trash like you." My fists clenched so hard my knuckles turned white. So that’s how it was. Both Dylan and Jessica came from small, rural towns. One was my best friend, the other my girlfriend. I’d never been cheap with them, always picking up the tab. It finally clicked. They were just parasites, sucking me dry. If fate gave me a second chance, I was going to make them pay back every drop of blood they took from me in my last life, a thousand times over. Dylan let out a derisive laugh. "Alex, I used to let you have her because your family was a little better off than mine. But now? I've got fifty million. I'm financially free. How can you even compete?" He sneered. "You're destined to be a miserable wage slave for the rest of your life. But Jessica and I, we're different. We're about to travel the world. A life you couldn't even dream of." They packed their bags and moved out of the dorm right then and there. As I watched them walk away, a cold smile spread across my face. So naive. Did you really think a windfall like that would ever fall into your lap? 2 My interview went perfectly. I landed the offer from the Fortune 500 company. For someone with my degree, this was the absolute peak. The office was far from my parents' place, so after talking it over with them, I decided to buy a condo nearby. I was at the sales gallery for a new development, looking at a few units with an agent, when a familiar voice boomed from the entrance. "Someone get over here! Show us the best places you've got!" I turned to see a swaggering Dylan with his arm around Jessica. When they spotted me, they walked right over, their faces dripping with scorn. "Alex, what are you doing here, playing pretend? You can't afford a place like this," Dylan scoffed. "I already checked. Even if you sold both of your family's rundown apartments, you wouldn't have enough for a down payment in the city center." Hearing this, the sales agent, who had been gushing with enthusiasm just moments before, turned noticeably colder. I shot back at him, "I can't afford it? And you can?" He puffed out his chest. "Of course. I won fifty million. I could buy a few of these in cash." The agent’s eyes lit up, and she immediately scurried over to their side. "Sir, how may I help you?" Dylan pointed with his chin. "That unit over there looks pretty good." "Excellent choice, sir!" the agent beamed. "That's our premier unit, best location and view in the entire building. For you, the price is nothing. Only twenty million." "Twenty million?!" Jessica and Dylan froze, their jaws dropping. They never imagined a 1,000-square-foot apartment in the city center could be so absurdly expensive. "If that feels a bit steep," the agent added, "you could always finance it." Dylan, his pride wounded, straightened his neck. "Finance? I won fifty million. I'm paying in full." His bravado worked. The agent's enthusiasm returned in full force. "If you love the unit, you can put down a one-million-dollar deposit now. If the lottery money hasn't cleared yet, we can help you arrange a bridge loan with the bank." Jessica and Dylan exchanged a hesitant glance. That was my cue. I sighed, feigning impatience. "I'm starting to doubt you even won fifty million. Are you just here to waste our time?" I waved a dismissive hand. "If you can't afford it, stop holding everyone up and get lost!" My words struck a nerve. Jessica's eyes turned red with anger. "Don't you dare say that! Dylan definitely won fifty million! He just hasn't collected the money yet!" "Whatever," I said, waving them off. "Just get out of the way. I'll take this unit." That sent them into a panic. Dylan, through gritted teeth, blurted out, "I'll take it! I'm getting a loan for the deposit right now!" 3 Over the next few days, Dylan and Jessica's social media feeds were a non-stop parade of their world travels. Photos dripping with luxury brands filled their stories. It was clear they’d taken out more than just a mortgage. Let them fly high before they fall, I thought. They sent me a barrage of photos directly, which I promptly ignored by blocking them both. I, on the other hand, was buried in work. A Fortune 500 company was no joke. I hadn't even officially started, but my team lead had already sent me stacks of materials to get up to speed. On the day of our graduation party, Dylan, our class president, sent a message to the group chat. [Everyone be at the designated restaurant by 11:30 AM sharp for the graduation party.] After sending it, he specifically tagged me. [Alex, you have to be there.] I immediately replied, [Sure.] People in the chat started asking why he’d chosen that particular restaurant. It was pretty far from campus. Only I knew why. It was right next door to the lottery shop. At 11:30, all the students and professors had arrived. Only then did Dylan and Jessica make their grand entrance, hand in hand. They instantly became the center of attention. They looked completely transformed, radiating luxury from head to toe. Dylan handed out a limited-edition designer toy to every single student. "Everyone," he announced, his voice booming, "order whatever you want tonight! It's all on me!" Our classmates stared at them like they were crazy. Some were already whispering that the toys he handed out were fakes. Dylan pulled the lottery ticket from his bag and waved it triumphantly. "I won the fifty-million-dollar grand prize." The room erupted. "Fifty million!" "Did I hear that right? Dylan is that lucky?" "Oh my god, I won't make that much in my entire lifetime." And if that wasn't enough, he’d hung a massive banner across the restaurant wall: [CONGRATULATIONS TO DYLAN ON HIS $50 MILLION LOTTERY WIN!] A professor spoke up. "The ticket is in your hand, but the drawing hasn't officially paid out yet. Where did you get all this money?" Dylan waved a dismissive hand. "The money's on its way. I'm just enjoying it a little early." Someone in the crowd suddenly asked, "Wait, wasn't Jessica dating Alex? How did she end up with Dylan?" Faced with a room full of curious stares, Jessica didn't even blush. She just held Dylan's hand tighter. "People move up in the world. It’s natural, isn't it?" Her voice was laced with condescension. "After graduation, Alex is just going to be another miserable corporate drone. But Dylan… Dylan is different. Besides, my true love was always Dylan." Her speech left many of our classmates speechless. One student stood up for me. "But Alex got an offer from a Fortune 500 company. That's the best offer in our entire class." Dylan laughed so hard he nearly cried. "So what if he got the best offer? Is he ever going to make fifty million in his lifetime? In today's world, a good job doesn't mean anything! It just means you're a beast of burden in a fancier cage, treated worse than a dog!" He turned his smug gaze on me. "Alex, you're not even worthy of polishing my shoes. But hey, if you serve me well, maybe I'll be merciful and toss you a few crumbs." 4 The other students flushed with anger at his words, but they couldn't argue back. The savvier ones had already started sucking up. "Dylan, I always knew you were destined for greatness! I just didn't realize your luck was this incredible!" "Don't forget about us old classmates when you're on top!" "Yeah, man, hook us up!" They knew his words were harsh, but there was a grain of truth to them. No one in that room, even with a great job, would likely ever earn fifty million dollars in their lifetime. Some even started to pile on. "Dylan's right. So what if Alex got into a top company? He's still just a wage slave, grinding himself to death. How can he compare to Dylan?" A small smile played on my lips. The company's benefits were actually fantastic. The only reason Dylan had crashed and burned in our last life was because he immediately tried to suck up to his female boss in a very inappropriate way. The whole office found out, and he was ostracized for it. Finally, the meal wound down, and it was time for the main event. Dylan touched up his makeup, straightened his designer suit, and stepped onto the small stage at the front of the room. At the same moment, a dozen influencers with cameras suddenly streamed in. Dylan gave them a nod. He’d planned this all along. He held up the lottery ticket for all the cameras to see. "To all my viewers out there," he proclaimed, "I've just graduated from college, and I've already won fifty million dollars. From now on, I'm financially free. I can just chill and travel the world. But you poor slobs? You have to grind away at some dead-end job. Low pay, no respect, no dignity. Your entire life, mapped out and miserable." As he said this, he shot a pointed look in my direction. The live stream chat exploded with angry comments, but Dylan didn't care. He suddenly pointed a finger at me, his tone imperious. "Alex! The store where I bought this ticket is right next door. Go get the owner. Tell him to come here and verify my win. In person." I said nothing. Jessica stepped forward, her voice sharp with annoyance. "Alex, are you fucking deaf? What are you waiting for? Dylan is doing you a favor by even asking. Someone like you isn't fit to shine his shoes. If he asks you to do something, you should be grateful. You kiss his ass enough, maybe he'll throw you a scrap or two." A few classmates started muttering behind their hands, unable to stand it.
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