They called me the “Destiny Thief” in the comment sections that haunted my vision, all because I’d accepted an opportunity the golden girl had thrown away. Now, in this second life, she was back to reclaim everything. And her anonymous audience was cheering her on. “This time, our baby girl won’t let anyone steal what’s hers.” The irony was, she’d been given a second chance at life and hadn’t learned a single thing. 1 The moment consciousness returned, I knew. I was twenty-two again. A fresh college graduate, standing in a hallway of the Rhodes Corporation, waiting for a job interview. I stared at my reflection in the polished marble wall—the face was mine, but a decade younger, free of the lines of stress and grief I’d earned. A dizzying wave of shock and elation washed over me. That’s when the words appeared, materializing in the empty air before me. “Ugh, the last timeline was so gross. It made me sick.” “I know, right? How did that side character manage to steal all the heroine’s good luck?” “Thank GOD for the do-over! This time our baby girl gets to keep everything she deserves!” I blinked, bewildered, staring at the ghostly captions floating in my vision. What the hell was this? Heroine? Side character? Was this some kind of sick joke? It took me a moment to decipher their meaning. The so-called “Destiny Thief,” the “side character,” was me. And “our baby girl,” the heroine… was Claire Covington. My gaze snapped to the other side of the waiting area. There she was. Claire, sitting perfectly poised, though a flicker of confusion in her eyes suggested she, too, was taking in her surroundings with a sense of dislocation. And in that instant, I understood. She was back, too. She’d also been reborn. “Why is that thief staring at the heroine?” “She probably noticed Claire’s acting weird after respawning.” “Oh god, don’t tell me she’s going to start scheming already. I can’t watch that again!” Just for looking at her, a torrent of vitriol flooded my vision. The words were vile, accusations laced with a bizarre, personal hatred. A hot surge of anger burned in my chest. What the hell? When did I ever steal anything from her? As if summoned by my fury, Claire rose and walked toward me. I watched her approach, my posture tensing with alarm. In our last life, we’d crossed paths a few times, but we were hardly acquaintances. Now, however, her eyes held a chilling, predatory glint that made the hair on my arms stand up. “Audrey,” she said, her voice dripping with a condescending sweetness. “We meet again. This time, I won’t let you take what belongs to me. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now and stop wasting everyone’s time.” She paused, then sighed with theatrical pity. “Oh, but I suppose there’s no point in telling you that now. You wouldn’t understand.” With that, she turned on her heel and swept into the interview room, leaving me alone in the hallway, reeling. I was completely lost. What had I supposedly stolen from her in our past life? A few fragmented memories surfaced, sharp and clear. But if I remembered correctly… weren’t all those so-called “opportunities” things she herself had thrown away? In our past life, we had both been here, interviewing for this same position at the Rhodes Corporation. I had failed the interview and was on my way out, dejected. But then the Director of HR had rushed after me, calling my name. My heart had soared as I followed her back, but my excitement was tempered by her non-stop muttering under her breath. It turned out that Claire and I had been neck-and-neck in our interview scores. But because Claire’s family was local and well-connected, the company had given her the edge. The offer was hers. To their shock, upon hearing the news, Claire had demanded a ridiculously inflated salary. She insisted she was a “generational talent” and knew her worth. The HR Director had tried everything—reason, flattery, laying out the company’s generous bonus structure and industry salary standards—patiently explaining that no company on earth would offer that kind of money to a fresh graduate with zero experience. 2 Claire hadn’t budged. She’d given them an ultimatum: meet her price, or she’d take her “generational talent” elsewhere. The HR Director was practically vibrating with rage. She’d finally agreed on the surface, just to get Claire out of her office, before promptly rescinding the offer. And just like that, the job at the Rhodes Corporation had fallen into my lap. So, that was me stealing her destiny? It was the direct result of her own spectacular arrogance! For the first time, I understood the sheer, teeth-grinding frustration that poor HR Director must have felt. It was infuriating. The comments in the air continued their relentless scroll. “Look at the thief’s face. She looks so pissed. I’m living for this.” “Serves the talentless hack right! The more miserable she is, the better I feel!” “Get lost, you leech! I hate characters that steal opportunities from others!” Hah. The fans were just as delusional as their idol. I almost laughed, a bitter, humorless sound. The anger was so intense it cycled back around to sheer absurdity. Just as the nausea from the floating comments reached its peak, the interview room door opened and Claire emerged. The look of smug satisfaction on her face soured my mood even further. To be fair, she wasn’t incompetent. Even the HR Director in our last life had admitted our interview performances were comparable. If she hadn’t acted like a spoiled princess, the job would have been hers, fair and square. Now, with a decade of high-level experience under my belt, I was no longer the naive rookie I once was. My desire for this specific entry-level job wasn’t what it used to be. But seeing her smugness, and the fawning praise of her invisible cheerleaders, lit a fire in me. The comment section was, of course, having a field day at my expense. “YES! Our girl nailed it!” “She’s so amazing. Her answers were almost identical to the last timeline! Flawless!” “The thief doesn’t stand a chance this time! LOL.” That last one gave me pause. Flawless execution? Identical to the last timeline? Wait a minute. You get a do-over, a second chance at life… and you don’t improve at all? You’re just recycling the same old answers from ten years ago? “Audrey Vance? We’re ready for you.” The voice from the HR department pulled me from my thoughts. “Coming,” I replied, standing up and smoothing my skirt. In that moment, all thoughts of Claire Covington vanished. In my previous life, I had poured my soul into the Rhodes Corporation, working my way up to Vice President. I knew every department, every process, every hidden strength and festering weakness of this company. My greatest regret was that I hadn’t been able to push it to its ultimate potential before I died. I had thought, for a moment, that Claire’s return would cost me this chance. But if she was just going to repeat the past… then the responsibility of fixing my life’s biggest regret fell squarely on my shoulders. As I stepped into the conference room, I saw Claire shoot me a triumphant, mocking smile from the hallway. She wouldn’t be smiling for long. My interview was more than smooth. It was, to put it mildly, a revelation. The HR Director’s eyes widened, then lit up. More than once, she told me I was exactly the kind of forward-thinking talent Rhodes Corp desperately needed. I was satisfied with my own performance. Compared to my answers a decade ago, my analysis now was sharper, deeper, and devastatingly accurate. But the moment I stepped out of the room, my good mood evaporated. Claire was waiting, watching me with an expression of pity that was almost comical in its arrogance. She spoke slowly, as if to a child. “You really did your best, Audrey. It’s a shame, really. This position was always meant for me.” 3 I honestly wanted to ask her where she got that kind of bulletproof confidence. But the ghostly comments floating in the air answered for her. “Last time, the thief stole the heroine’s job, and it ruined her life.” “It’s about time the thief gets a taste of her own medicine.” “I can’t wait to see the look on her stupid face when she gets rejected. LMAO.” That did it. The last of my composure snapped. What was wrong with these people? Wasn’t Claire the one who had arrogantly proclaimed that if Rhodes Corp didn’t hire her, other companies would be lining up to beg for her? She torpedoed her own career and somehow, that was my fault? What did I even do? Oh, that’s right. My greatest crime was doing nothing at all, and yet I was branded a thief. If I had actually schemed or plotted against her, these unhinged commenters would have probably called for my public execution. Realizing this, a strange sense of calm washed over me. I ignored Claire completely and walked back to my seat. As furious as I was, this was a professional environment. Making a scene would accomplish nothing. Besides, the most satisfying humiliation for Claire would be the final announcement. I couldn't wait to see the look on her face then. As I sat there, a storm of emotions churning inside me, the interview process continued. A steady stream of bright, ambitious young candidates flowed in and out of the room. The reason for the high turnout was an open secret. The heir to the corporation was about to officially take the reins. A new leader meant a big shake-up. And to make big moves, you needed a loyal, capable team. Rhodes Corp was ripe for a revolution, a cleansing of the old guard. Everyone here was hungry for a piece of that new world. And, as fate would have it, the heir to the Rhodes Corporation was my husband from my past life. The thought had barely crossed my mind when the conference room door opened again, interrupting my reverie. But it wasn’t the HR Director. It was a man, tall and broad-shouldered, in a suit so exquisitely tailored it looked like a second skin. His eyes were sharp, his jawline severe. As his gaze swept across the waiting area, an involuntary hush fell over the room. It was him. The heir to the Rhodes Corporation. Grant Rhodes. “Wait, why is the male lead here???” “OMG! It must be because our baby girl did so well!” “Of course! This time the Destiny Thief won’t get her hands on the male lead either!” More captions flew past my eyes. I frowned. What did they mean? Grant had some kind of history with Claire, too? My gaze shifted to Grant, and my expression instantly soured with contempt. So, he was tainted goods. Off the table. For some reason, my stare caught his. His eyes met mine, and for a split second, they widened in what looked like… confusion? As if he couldn't decipher the disdain in my look. I coolly broke eye contact. Whatever. Let’s just see how this plays out. “Ahem.” Grant cleared his throat, his voice commanding silence. “Good afternoon. I assume you all know who I am, so I’ll skip the introduction. I have two announcements to make. First, we have decided on one finalist from today’s interviews. And that person is…” 4 Grant’s voice was a low baritone, but it made every heart in the room pound against their ribs. I found myself staring at his lips, trying to read the name before he spoke it. But the name that left them was: “…Claire Covington.” The comments exploded. “HAHAHA! OF COURSE IT’S OUR GIRL!” “I’m so happy I could cry! Take that, thief!” “The look on the side character’s face is PRICELESS. Love it, love to see it!” Claire stood up, a model of graceful modesty, before shooting me a sidelong glance. The meaning in that look was unmistakable. Pure, unadulterated gloating. But I didn’t feel the sting of defeat. All I felt was a wave of profound disappointment in Grant. My interview answers had targeted the company’s deepest flaws, many of which were conclusions he and I had come to together, over years of late nights at the office in our past life. And still, he chose her. I stood up immediately and turned to leave. If the Rhodes Corporation didn’t want me, there was no reason to stay. Just as I took a step, Grant’s voice cut through the air behind me. “Ms. Vance, you can’t leave yet. I’d like to discuss your answers from the interview in greater detail. Would you be willing to join me in my office?” I turned back. What I saw was Grant’s earnest, expectant expression, and Claire’s face, which had twisted into a mask of pure shock and venomous rage.
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