I'd treated Grace like a sister since our freshman year of college. She moved into my apartment and stayed for two years, always promising she'd pay rent but never actually doing it—not a single cent, not even for utilities. I covered everything, even stocked up on double the bathroom supplies. And how did she thank me?

While I was busting my butt at work, she was hooking up with Liam. They went through boxes of condoms I had stashed, and I only caught them because I came home early from work one day.

What did Liam do when I confronted them? He rushed to defend Grace, pointing at me with a smug grin, and said, "What Grace and I have is real love. You? You're just some dirty girl massaging strangers for cash."

Looking back, I could kick myself for being so stupid.

"Bella, I was just trying to do what's best for you and Liam," Grace whined, her voice laced with fake sweetness.

Back then, whenever she acted hurt, I'd always be the one to comfort her. Maybe losing my parents young made me desperate for friends, so I tried to be kind to everyone. But she never deserved it.

I stared at her, my expression cold. "Grace, Liam—I don't owe you anything. Actually, you both owe me a lot. It's time to settle up."

"Settle up?" Grace's face went pale, and Liam, still awkwardly hanging near the window, looked trapped.

"Grace, you've lived in my place for two years. You said you'd pay rent but never did. Based on the rent around here and the condition of my apartment, you owe me fifteen hundred a month, which adds up to thirty-six grand. I'll let the utilities go since, you know, we're ‘sisters,'" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

I grabbed her hand and smiled sweetly, but there was nothing kind about it. This time around, I was taking back every penny anyone ever took from me.

Grace started to cry. "But Bella, I don't have that kind of money!"

Seeing an opportunity, Liam rushed over, dropping to his knees like a sad puppy. "Bella, Grace, and I have been struggling, too. Please don't pressure her."

"And I'm supposed to work three jobs to support you two?" I shot back, my tone sharp. "You guys are important to me, but you don't actually want me to work myself into an early grave, right?"

"I even saw a doctor," I said, faking a broken voice. "They said if I keep pushing myself like this, I might not make it to thirty. You both care about me, don't you? You wouldn't want me to die young."

"Bella, I would never want that!" Grace whined, her voice shaky but her eyes showing something darker.

Liam started crying, too, playing his role perfectly. "It's all my fault. If my family hadn't gone bankrupt, none of this would've happened. I'm so sorry."

"Liam," I said suddenly, my tone softening just a bit, "didn't you promise to be with me forever? But if I die early, who's gonna be there for you?"

His eyes brightened instantly. He'd been chasing after me for a while now, but I hadn't let him get close. He was desperate, and he fell right into my trap.

"Grace, didn't you say you had some savings for a down payment on a house? Why don't you give that money to Bella?" Liam suggested, his voice oozing with fake concern.

Grace shot him a fierce look but then bit her lip and nodded. "If it's for Bella's health, I guess buying a house can wait."

These two were expert liars—one playing broke and helpless, the other pretending to be sweet and selfless.

Grace quickly transferred the money, and I got up, ready to head back to my room. But Liam grabbed my arm. "Bella, does this mean you'll be my girlfriend?"

To get what I wanted, I'd have to play along. For now, keeping him close was all part of the plan.

But just because I was plotting my revenge didn't mean I had to agree to be Liam's girlfriend. I patted his head and said, "Liam, once I help you clear your debts, we can talk about being together. I don't want our relationship to be tied to money, you get that?"

At that moment, Liam's eyes actually showed real emotion. It wasn't just a performance; he was genuinely touched. But paying off his debts wasn't the end of it. He'd played with my emotions, and he needed to make up for that.

Liam nodded. "I get it."

I turned to Grace. "Grace, I've been really tired lately. I want to sleep alone, so Liam can use the guest room, and you can take his room."

Without waiting for their response, I headed straight to my bedroom. The wrinkles in the bed told a story—clearly, two people had been using it. I could even guess their positions from those creases.

I changed the sheets, took a shower, and then lay down on the bed, turning on the home security camera I'd kept off for a while. It had been installed before Grace moved in, originally to keep an eye out for burglars.

After a good night's sleep, I got up early. Liam had made breakfast as usual. I ate a little and casually asked, "By the way, Liam, didn't you have plans to meet up with your friends today?"

In my previous life, after I gave him my virginity, he took me to a gathering where I got drunk and his friends took advantage of me. He then used footage from that event to manipulate me, making me his puppet.

Liam nodded. "Bella, do you have some time? I really want you to meet my friends."

"I'd love to meet them. When are we heading out?" I asked.

Liam thought for a moment. "We can go now."

After breakfast, we took a cab to a residential area. At one of the villas, I met many of Liam's friends, including the one I was most interested in seeing.

Among Liam's friends, there was one decent guy who, back when I was being mistreated, tried to call the police but was knocked out. Later, Liam set him up, causing him huge losses and almost bankrupting him.

As we chatted in the villa's living room, I noticed that the people who had once tormented me still looked at me with those same greedy eyes from my previous life.

Of course, Grace was met with the same greedy stares.

When someone suggested getting drinks, I stepped up to help the host, Daniel Carter, fetch the alcohol. Daniel had long, disheveled hair, and his white shirt and black pants were a bit rumpled, making him look like he hadn't had a good night's sleep. He kept glancing at me as if he had something to say.

Once we were in the wine cellar, he finally spoke. "Bella, Liam's family didn't actually go bankrupt. He's been chasing you as part of a bet, and they're not here with good intentions!"