Just as I was lost in thought, the sound of wheels rattling across the floor was cut short as the door flew open.

A teenager on a skateboard barreled in, nearly crashing into me with a clatter.

"Hey, you, the new girl. Who said you could come into my house?"

An arrogant, magnetic voice sounded from above my head.

I slowly turned around. A boy about my age, though taller and more solidly built, stood before me.

He tilted his head, the picture of a typical "bad boy" from an elite prep school.

If I remembered correctly, he must be the Estes family's only son, Corbin Estes.

He was obsessed with extreme sports like backcountry snowboarding—a typical rebellious heir with zero interest in the family business.

In my past life, he had an accident during a backcountry snowboarding trip that left him permanently disabled.

The accident shattered his personality, leaving him dangerously volatile.

"Hey, are you deaf or just stupid? Didn't you hear me?"

His impatient voice pulled me back to reality.

I picked up the skateboard and offered it to him. "Here, Corbin," I said softly, remembering the driver's instructions.

He froze for a second, then scoffed. "Quite the little suck-up, aren't you? You don't actually think this will get you a piece of the Estes family fortune, do you?"

With a disdainful smirk, he left.

For the next few days, I rarely saw my adoptive mother, Eleanor, and Corbin was practically a ghost.

The butler showed me around the entire estate.

The villa was astonishingly large. After familiarizing me with it, he handed me a class schedule.

It was packed with AP courses and portfolio tutoring.

"This is your schedule. Starting tomorrow, you will begin one-on-one elite tutoring. Mrs. Estes has arranged all the necessary resources. All you need to do is study hard. Your efforts will be rewarded."

This was material I hadn't properly learned until I started my own business in my past life.

To get this kind of education at fifteen? I was ecstatic. I nodded. "Perfect."

A flash of surprise crossed his face. He said no more and continued to brief me on other matters.

To ensure I didn't fall behind, Eleanor hired the best private tutors for me.

But since I'd already mastered this material in my past life, I sailed through the lessons.

Within a year, I hadn't just absorbed the content; I could apply it effortlessly.

"She's a remarkably fast learner. She's not just handling standard high school coursework; she's breezing through the advanced college-prep curriculum."

The tutor Eleanor hired couldn't stop praising me in front of her.

I sat quietly to the side, listening.

His face was flushed with excitement. "At this rate, she won't even need to finish high school. She could apply to college directly."

But that wasn't Eleanor's plan. She wanted me to finish high school with Corbin and then go to Stanford together.

Ostensibly, it was so we could look out for each other.

In reality, she wanted me to rein in her wild son, Corbin.

Eleanor gave the tutor a generous payment and looked at me with a newfound approval in her eyes.

"Come here."

She took my hand, had me sit down, and handed me an acceptance letter from Northgate Prep.

"You've done well. Corbin's GPA is struggling. Help him out a bit. The bar isn't high, just don't let him fail any classes."

"Once you graduate high school, I'll send you both to Stanford together. How about it?"

With almost no preamble, Eleanor laid her cards on the table.

I didn't hesitate. "Thank you, Mom," I replied.

Her eyebrows shot up, and she was clearly pleased. Her grip on my hand tightened.

"Good girl."

As a reward, Eleanor gave me a black card and a day off to go out and have fun.

This was my most relaxing day since arriving at the Estes home.

The driver took me to Beverly Hills, and I got out of the car alone.

I had barely taken a few steps when a familiar figure came into view.

It was Abigail, dressed in a Starbucks uniform, busy behind the counter.

The Millers were a typical middle-class family who poured nearly all their resources into their athletically gifted son, Caleb. It was no surprise she had to get a job to help with expenses.

After all, that was how I had lived my past life. During summer breaks, I had to juggle three part-time jobs while keeping up with my studies.

On top of that, I had to help my adoptive parents with endless chores.

They claimed to treat us equally, but in reality, they couldn't bear to let their own son do any work.

I even found out later that my adoptive parents didn't adopt me because they wanted a caring, sensible daughter.

They just wanted a free housekeeper.

"Hello, what can I get for you—"

She handed me a flyer with a discount coupon.

When Abigail looked up and saw me, her practiced greeting died on her lips.

"Claire?"

Her eyes flickered over the designer labels on my clothes and my glowing skin, and a flash of jealousy—gone as quickly as it appeared—crossed her face.

"You seem to be doing well for yourself," she said, forcing a smile. "But don't say I didn't warn you. The Estes' world... it's not for everyone. Eleanor is far more dangerous than you can imagine. You'll see."

"Oh."

My flat "Oh" seemed to irritate her.

She started boasting about her new life. "The Millers are so good to me. My life is so fulfilling, and Caleb even helps me with my homework. Oh, right, we both got into Northgate Prep this year."

Northgate Prep...

Wasn't that the acceptance letter Eleanor had just given me?

The students who got in either had prominent family backgrounds or, like a select few, exceptionally good grades.

They got in on scholarships.

In my past life, Caleb and I were the ones who got in on scholarships.

"Our lives are just going to keep getting better. But you? You'll be eaten alive by that family. It's going to end in tragedy."

She said it with such certainty.

My lips moved, just about to say something.

"Abigail!"

"Caleb, what are you doing here?"

Abigail's face lit up with surprise as she rushed into Caleb's arms.

Caleb was holding a lunch box, which he handed to her. "Mom asked me to bring you lunch. It's the middle of the day, you must be so tired. Why don't I take over for you for a while?"

"No, it's okay, Caleb. I can do it."

The Millers would rather spend a fortune on Caleb's expensive football camps than let Abigail take a break.

It was the same exploitation I'd endured in my past life.

"You're working so hard."

As he spoke, Caleb noticed me.

"Caleb, this is Claire. You saw her at the welfare center before," Abigail introduced.

Caleb’s indifferent gaze swept over me, morphing into disgust. He ignored me completely, turning to Abigail. "Stay away from gold diggers like her. Let's go."

Without giving me a chance to speak, Caleb pulled Abigail away.

"Caleb, why were you so harsh? What if you scared her?"

"Silly girl, she's bad news. You need to stay away from her. Who knows what someone like that is plotting?"

The harsh words drifted back to me. A ripple went through my heart, but it was a faint one.

Using the black card Eleanor had given me, I bought a huge pile of the latest designer brands.