Five years ago, when Vanessa eagerly linked arms with me, I knew I was being lined up as one of her backup luck-swap candidates. After all, I'd overheard her conversations with her system three times over the past fifteen years.

The first time was when we were ten, both still living in the foster home. On her birthday, she wished to swap luck with Amber, the most popular girl at the home. Shortly after, a pair of teachers adopted Vanessa.

The second time was at fifteen, during the critical high school entrance exams. She swapped luck with the school's top student. Normally an average performer, Vanessa suddenly aced the exams and scored first, securing her place at a top high school. She later got into a prestigious university.

The third time was at twenty, with an upper-class socialite she met in college. Soon after, Vanessa was "recognized" by a wealthy family in New York as their long-lost daughter—all thanks to a pendant she randomly picked up.

After these coincidences, I'd figured out her pattern. Every five years, she swapped luck with someone, and during that time, she had to become close friends with the target.

Vanessa and I originally had a lukewarm relationship. In fact, because I came from the same foster home that once housed her, she harbored some resentment toward me. She even privately threatened me several times, warning me not to reveal anything about her past.

But five years ago, I won first place in a national college coding competition. While others marveled at my "good luck," Vanessa sidled up to me, linking arms, claiming she wanted to be my best friend. Coincidentally, it was the day after her 20th birthday, right after her third luck swap, when she'd be on the lookout for a new target. At that time, I wasn't a strong contender. Vanessa had plenty of well-connected friends with standout achievements, excellent grades, or lucrative side ventures—people she'd tagged as "close friends."

So, she didn't invest much in me at first. But after I graduated and secured the highest-paying job offer at a leading tech company, people praised my "career luck." That was when Vanessa bumped me up to a top-tier candidate, inviting me to hang out more.

A year ago, I left that company to start my own business, secured angel funding, and even began dating a wealthy, caring older guy. Vanessa now proudly introduced me as her "best friend" to everyone.

I'd always known what she was planning. To swap out my cursed fate for her "lucky charm" destiny, I worked hard to pretend we shared similar values. Last week, when she finally took off the bracelet she'd worn for years and gave it to me, I nearly jumped with joy.

Because that meant she had officially chosen me as her new luck-swap target.

"Congratulations, host. The luck swap is complete." The robotic voice echoed through the spacious villa.

Vanessa jumped to her feet, unable to suppress the triumphant smile spreading across her face.

"Sienna, I heard West Group is planning to invest in your algorithm project. For an orphan to make it this far, your luck's really something, isn't it? But what if your luck runs out? The director at the foster home is counting on your yearly donations. It'd be a shame if you went broke."

Her eyes gleamed with smug satisfaction.

I pretended not to catch the underlying jab, raising my hand to show off the bracelet. "Well, I still have you, my dear friend. Even if I go bankrupt, you'd definitely take me in and keep supporting the foster home, wouldn't you?"

Clink.

The crisp sound of champagne glasses meeting filled the room. Ignoring the distaste flickering in her eyes, I clinked my glass with hers and downed the champagne in one go.

The moment she succeeded in the luck swap was also when I officially deactivated my leeching system. From now on, I no longer needed to stay within 300 feet of her just to ride on her luck.

Wasn't that something worth popping champagne for?

If Vanessa had entered the foster home earlier or taken the time to get to know people, she would've figured out that I was the infamous "unlucky one" in the group. Maybe then she wouldn't have envied my "good luck" and chosen to swap with me.

I was five when I was sent to the foster home. From the day I was born, everyone in the village called me a "jinx" and wouldn't even let me step into their homes. They claimed that while my mom was pregnant, a passing fortune teller warned her that the child she was carrying had a cursed fate, doomed to bring bad luck to everyone, including herself. My mom didn't believe it and insisted on giving birth to me.

When I was just three months old, my dad developed a gambling addiction. Within a month, he'd lost everything we had. After that, he started drinking heavily, and whenever he lost at gambling, he'd take out his frustrations on my mom. When I was three, he beat her to death in a drunken rage. He went into hiding for a week but was eventually caught by the police. Everyone said that both my mom and dad were ruined because of me, the "jinx."

My grandmother didn't believe it, so she took me in. But within two years, she had a sudden heart attack and collapsed in the garden, never waking up again. My uncles thought I was bad luck and wouldn't even let me attend her funeral. They dumped me at the foster home and warned me not to tell anyone I was related to them.

I guess losing all my luck sharpened my memory because I can still recall everything that happened before I turned five. But I told everyone at the foster home that I didn't remember who I was or where I came from.

Even after I got to the foster home, my streak of bad luck continued. While everyone sat under a tree enjoying the breeze, a stray dog would randomly charge at me; freshly laundered clothes would get blown away, but it only happened to mine; when gifts were handed out, mine would either be broken or nonexistent. And let's not even talk about the countless falls and shattered dishes. The kids at the foster home often called me the "unlucky one." But after teasing me, they'd always share their clothes and toys with me and help me solve any problems. At Mercy Foster Home, we were like one big family.

Vanessa, however, saw things differently. She arrived at nine, and people said she'd come from a well-off family. From the moment she stepped foot into the foster home, she carried herself like she was above everyone else. She didn't play with us and even kept her distance at school. The only time she got close to us was on her tenth birthday, when she gave Amber a hairpin and took her luck in return.

That day, I also got something—a "leeching system." It told me I could siphon off the luck from the host of the "luck swap system." But, just like Vanessa's system had its conditions, mine came with strings attached, too. I had to stay within 300 feet of the host—Vanessa—the closer, the better.

Thanks to the luck I leeched, I finally started to turn my fortunes around. To stay within Vanessa's range, I studied hard, getting into the same high school and later the same college as her. After graduation, I stayed in New York to maintain the "best friend" façade.

It's thanks to her that I escaped my cursed fate. If she hadn't set her sights on me, I probably would've continued trailing behind her, quietly leeching enough luck to stay balanced.

But, unfortunately… there were no "ifs" in life.