Chapter 28
Summer vacations surged in popularity, resulting in my family’s hotel being completely booked. To prevent my roommates from going to Europe, I begged my mom to reserve two private hot spring suites for them.
Usually, these suites cost a thousand bucks a night, but since my mom knew they were my roommates, she not only offered them free lodging and meals but also had my dad prepare a set of high–end skincare products for each of them.
In exchange for the cosmetics, the three of them agreed to come to my house.
At first, everything went smoothly. We all got along fine, and the atmosphere was comfortable.
But a few days later, Sophie saw a post from her online boyfriend on Instagram. He was hosting a yacht party and handing out $10,000 in cash to each girl there.
The next thing I knew, Sophie exploded.
“It’s your fault! You had to drag me to this crappy hotel!”
Her eyes were red, and in a fit of fury, she threw her phone at me, hitting me in the face.
“If it weren’t for you, I could’ve gotten a share of that money!”
Rachel and Whitney, who had been on their phones, checking the exchange rate online, turned pale.
“That’s over $10,000! Enough to buy a small apartment!” Whitney gasped.”
Sophie glared at me, her teeth clenched, and spat out, “You’re just jealous that I found a rich boyfriend, and now you’re trying to ruin my chance to marry into a wealthy family!”
It was painfully clear: her dream was falling apart, and it was an unpleasant sight. The three of them created a major disruption in the hotel, shouting and arguing loudly, disturbing all the other guests.
To avoid making it worse, my mom tried to calm things down quietly at first.
But Sophie wasn’t having it. She went straight for the money.
$10,000 each. You’ll pay for what we’ve lost, and then we’ll leave,” Sophie demanded.>
My dad, who had already been on edge, had had enough.
He called the police, and they were kicked out of the hotel.
After Sophie left, she uploaded a video online, alleging she had developed a skin disease at my family’s hotel and cautioning others to avoid it.
The video quickly gained traction, and soon Sophie was defaming me on the school’s forum, accusing me of exploiting female college students to draw customers to our hotel.
Her lies incited the online community, and before I knew it, a surge of outraged internet users started filing complaints against our hotel with the authorities.[
My family’s hotel, which had just opened a week prior, struggled to cope with the relentless inspections from each department.
What was once a thriving business quickly spiraled into turmoil.
Things only worsened when people online dug up and shared my parents‘ private information, leading to harassment aimed at nearly everyone associated with us.
I pleaded with Sophie to stop, to let us move on and leave us in peace, but instead, she forced me to kneel and apologize in front of her.
She recorded the entire incident and shared it in our class.
Everyone assumed I was at fault, and Sophie, true to form, exploited the situation, profiting from the attention this scandal attracted.}
The pressure of mounting loans and the relentless online harassment became too much for my parents. They fell into deep depression and were soon hospitalized.
Not long after, they both passed away.
A once–happy family was torn apart–all because I made the mistake of inviting my roommates home out of kindness.
The constant pain and overwhelming stress pushed me into a complete mental breakdown.
In my dazed state, I wandered into traffic and was struck by a truck, killing me instantly.
Thinking about everything that happened before I was reborn, I decided to pack my bags and go home tonight.
I couldn’t bear to face that situation again. This is my opportunity to correct my mistakes, and I won’t let them slip away.
But as soon as I walked into the dorm, I found Sophie, Rachel, and Whitney discussing changing their travel plans to Slovakia.
Just when I walked into the dorm, I found Sophie, Rachel, and Whitney discussing changing their travel plans to Slovakia.
I quickly lowered my head, trying to avoid getting dragged into their mess.
I just wanted to escape it all.
But then, Sophie walked over to me, flashing that same smug smile she always wore.
“We’re best friends, and I won’t hold it against you,” she said, her voice sweet and fake. “The tickets are already booked. The train leaves at 10 AM tomorrow, and there’s a direct flight to Slovakia from here. My boyfriend bought the plane tickets, but you’ll need to cover the high–speed train ticket. It’s €100. Just Venmo me the payment.“}]
I completely lost control as I spoke in anger. “What right do you have to use my personal information to buy tickets?!“}]
Sophie’s face turned bright red with anger. “Are you out of your mind? I’m being nice, inviting you on this trip, and now you’re making it
