I picked up a stray teddy dog and from that moment, a streak of good luck began.

Not only did I sign the company's biggest contract, but I was also promoted and given a substantial raise. As if that wasn't enough, a wealthy aristocratic woman chose me to be her daughter-in-law.

She sent a car to pick me up, gifted me a house and promised that once I gave birth, she would transfer all her assets to the child's name.

At first, I wanted to decline. But then she pulled out a photo of her son, who was away on a business trip overseas. As someone who was hopelessly drawn to good looks, I gave in almost instantly.

The wedding was arranged in a flash—but the groom missed his flight and didn't make it in time. My future mother-in-law insisted we go through with the ceremony anyway—with the teddy dog standing in for the groom. Right then and there, she added another million dollars to the dowry.

So I married into the family in style. But just a few days later, I was pushed off a rooftop by my housemate.

"We both saw that dog at the same time. Why do you get to marry rich while I'm left with nothing?"

"If you die, I get another chance to start over!"

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at that moment—and this time, I gave her the opportunity to adopt the teddy.

——

"Aww, poor little guy. Are you lost?"

Susan Moore, my housemate who had always been obsessively clean, picked up the filthy teddy who had wandered over to her feet. Before I could say a word, she blurted out, "Lena Quinn, I'm adopting this dog! You're not allowed to take it from me!"

The greed in her eyes said everything. This wasn't the same sequence of events as last time. I realized then—she had been reborn too.

At that moment, Susan looked at me smugly.

"I just feel like this dog and I have a connection. Like he's a lucky charm. Maybe he'll bring me good fortune."

"I know you want him too, but you already have two dogs. There's no way you can handle a third, right?"

I glanced at the teddy in her arms and replied calmly, "You're right. I probably can't take care of him. Go ahead—adopt him if you want."

In my previous life, I had adopted him because he kept following us home. He was covered in grime, so I bathed him and gave him some dog food. After that, he stopped leaving. I never imagined that such a small act would change my life so drastically.

Susan's excitement was impossible to miss when she heard my words.

"Then it's settled! No take-backs!"

"Even if he helps me marry into... well, you're not allowed to get jealous!"

She stopped mid-sentence, probably worried I'd fight her over it. After I swore I wouldn't go back on my word, she happily hugged the dog and walked home.

Just then, a voice echoed in my mind.

"Congratulations. You have been given a chance to be reborn. As long as the key person at this point in time dies, you can return to the present and rewrite your ending."

I quickly pulled out the key information. The moment of rebirth wasn't random—it always started from the time the opportunity appeared. And it only activated once the "key person" died.

No wonder Susan had shouted, "As long as you die, things can start over again!" when she pushed me from the rooftop. She must have been given this exact chance.

But based on her behavior just now, she had no idea that I had been reborn as well.

As I stepped into the house, Susan stopped me.

"Lena, did you hear any strange noises just now?"

She looked pale and anxious.

I knew exactly what she meant, but I furrowed my brow and asked.

"What kind of noise? Did someone break in?"

"No, it was mechanical... something about rebirth and death."

I gave her a deadpan stare.

"Have you been reading too many fantasy novels? Rebirth? Seriously? That's not how the real world works. You should stop daydreaming."

Susan studied my expression carefully. Seeing nothing suspicious, she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Susan walked toward her room in a happy mood while I watched her back and curled my lips. She probably didn't know that Teddy had a name—Teddy. Hopefully, she could handle adopting him.

That night, just as I was about to go to bed, a sharp knock sounded on the door.

"Lena, come help me wash this beast and make sure he's extra clean!"

For some reason, I instinctively resisted getting close to this dog.

"I have to work late writing a report. I don't have time!"

I was about to close the door when she blocked it with her hand.

"What kind of attitude is that?"

"Talk to me properly. Don't be ungrateful. When I get rich, I might even let you be this dog's nanny!"

Right after she said that, Teddy ran out from the bathroom and hugged her smooth legs, rubbing against her. Annoying Susan, she immediately kicked him away. Teddy hit the corner of the wall and let out a whimper of pain.

I frowned slightly but finally said coldly, "If you can't handle him, just take him to a pet store. They're more professional than I am."

After the door closed, Susan was furious and cursed at me a few times. After that, she not only copied my style of dressing but also brought her dog to work.

At first, her co-workers praised her for being caring, but in less than a day, complaints poured in. Susan didn't bring a dog crate or a leash, so Teddy, who was in heat, pooped and peed everywhere and kept jumping on people's feet.

"Susan, can you control your dog? Look at him wetting my pant leg!"

"Oh no, he even rummaged through my trash can!"

"Good grief, I just photocopied important papers, Susan!"

Despite everyone's complaints, Susan ignored them all.

Today, an important client was scheduled to visit. The manager came in, saw the mess and immediately got angry.

"Susan, who allowed you to bring your pet to work?"

"Do you know how important this client is? This affects our second-half performance!"

"Clean this up within ten minutes, or take your dog and get out!"

Susan, however, remained calm and wasn't even afraid of the manager she used to fear.

"I know who's coming. It's because I brought my dog."

"And I'm not afraid to tell you—without me, you wouldn't even have this order today."

"So don't yell at me, or I'll make sure you lose your manager position!"

Hearing this, everyone stared at Susan in disbelief and started mocking her.

"She's crazy, right? Just a trainee and she talks back to the manager like that."

"I think she's not in her right mind. She even said she's going to marry into a rich family soon. Let's not offend her."

"Delusional! Usually, ordering takeout has to be precise and she's talking about marrying rich? She's living in a fantasy."

Only I knew that what Susan said wasn't false. Because the important client arriving was Jessica Grant, the chairwoman of Grant Enterprises—the real owner of Teddy.

Though the manager was angry, he had worked in the mall for years and was experienced enough to consider Susan's words.

"You'd better be telling the truth, or else..."

He ordered the cleaning staff to organize the office.

Jessica Grant arrived with a group of people and Teddy quickly ran to her feet, biting her pant leg and barking. Jessica's expression suddenly changed, frightening everyone present.

The manager hurried out to apologize.

"David, I'm sorry, I'll handle it right away."

"Susan, don't... yet."

Before he could finish, he saw Jessica pick up Teddy and scrutinize him closely before asking Susan.

"Is this your dog?"

Susan stepped forward and answered timidly.

"I'm sorry. Usually, he's very good, but he's also a bit pitiful. If I hadn't found him, he probably would have starved to death. Please don't hurt him, okay?"

Jessica looked her over carefully for a few moments before speaking again.

"How could I hurt him? Actually, I want to thank you for adopting him—he's my lost puppy."

"You're very kind. What do you want in return? I can make it happen."

Watching the scene from a distance, I couldn't help but wonder if it was an illusion. Jessica's eyes didn't look grateful or appreciative. Instead, her words felt like a hunter throwing bait to lure prey.

Susan forced herself to hide her excitement and replied in surprise.

"Really? That's such a coincidence. I adopted him because I liked him and didn't expect to return him."

"If you want to thank me, I hope you'll seriously consider the company's project I worked on. I stayed up several nights to write it."

Everyone around stared at Susan in surprise. Someone was about to speak but was stopped by a look from the manager.

Jessica was momentarily stunned but then nodded.

"Since it's your project, let's just sign it directly. I believe that a kind person like you wouldn't treat her work carelessly."

After saying that, she turned to leave but looked back halfway.

"Susan, right? Let's have dinner tonight. I'll have my driver pick you up."

Susan's face lit up with excitement.

The manager smiled as he saw Jessica off and returned to announce Susan's transfer immediately.

"Lena, give the project materials to Susan. She'll take over from here. You don't need to worry about it."

"But manager, this project is clearly—"

Seeing the manager's sudden change of expression, I stopped my colleague from speaking.

Only after I handed the materials to Susan did the manager relax.

"It's good that Lena understands the situation and can see the big picture. Only if the company thrives can we all thrive."

After the manager left, Susan stood in front of me like a proud peacock.

"Lena, you must be regretting it now, right? But it's useless to regret—after all, you gave up first."

"Are you angry and frustrated? The project you worked on for half a year ended up with me. I'm relieved—that's what you get for not helping me yesterday!"

"Let me tell you, soon I'll marry into the Grant Family and become Mrs. Grant. Meanwhile, you'll be stuck working 9-to-9 forever!"

"And all of you, in the future when you see me, better treat me well. When I marry into the Grant Family, maybe I'll be kind enough to introduce some big clients to you."

After saying this, Susan walked out of the company arrogantly.

Seeing her proud attitude, the coworkers couldn't help but gossip.

"But it's just about picking up a dog. What's there to be proud of? It's still just a favor. Does she really think she's going to soar to the top?"

"What kind of person is this? Stealing Lena's project is bad enough, but she thinks she's a big shot just because she got lucky once?"

"I think she's just dreaming. Rich people are polite—she thinks she can marry into a wealthy family by picking up Jessica's dog? What nonsense!"

"Lena, don't be mad. We're just waiting for her to come back humiliated and get slapped down."

I just smiled silently. Because I knew that Jessica really would propose tonight to make Susan her daughter-in-law.