Albert Roosevelt was the crush I was never meant to have.

Like an idiot, I believed loving someone meant giving them everything, even if they didn't care about you. So, I trailed after him like a desperate puppy, bending over backward to meet his every whim.

When he couldn't afford tuition, I begged Dad to fund him, sending him to the best schools.

When his worn-out clothes made him a laughingstock, I pitied him and showered him with designer labels.

And what did he do? He used what I gave him to chase after a gold-digging campus belle. To keep up appearances, he blew through money like it grew on trees. He even spread rumors that he was the real heir to the Roosevelts.

To him, I was just an ATM.

"Your family's loaded. It's not like you'll miss a few hundred grand. If you're gonna be stingy, maybe you should stop following me around," he said when his wallet ran dry.

And like a fool, I believed that if I kept paying, someday, he'd love me back.

After graduation, I funded his startup. The second it took off, he married the campus belle. He had the nerve to claim he earned everything through nothing but hard work.

So, I crashed his wedding, and he buried a knife in my chest.

"Only when you're dead, Eve Roosevelt. Only then will my pathetic past stay buried."

When I opened my eyes again, I was face-to-face with a scowling Albert. "You can't scrape together a few hundred thousand dollars? It's Bianca's birthday. Are you trying to humiliate me?"

I looked around the room and rolled my eyes. "Sure, I'll pay. But first? Kneel. You look pretty enough. Consider it charity, peasant."

"Eve, I told you to pay up. What are you standing there for?"

My mind spun as I heard Albert Roosevelt's voice. Only when I saw his heartless face did I realize I had been reborn.

I turned and looked at the most extravagant private dining room of the hotel's restaurant, now packed with classmates from our department.

I curled my lip and exclaimed, "How generous of you, Mr. Roosevelt. Booking this many tables at La Pearle must've cost over a hundred grand. You're really planning to blow your whole fortune tonight for Bianca's birthday."

Albert's face darkened. He grabbed my arm and dragged me into a secluded corner.

Looking troubled, he frowned. "A few hundred grand is nothing to you. It's Bianca's birthday. You're not going to let me embarrass myself, are you?"

I used to be weak to that look on his face. He was handsome, with a touch of melancholy in his eyes. Even when he wasn't frowning, it was enough to tug at my heartstrings. And when he did frown, it felt like the whole world owed him something.

I would do anything for him. So whenever he frowned, I answered his every need.

However, he was never grateful. He'd spent my money without shame, acting like he was truly from the Roosevelt family. And in the end, he killed me with his own hands.

Staring at the face I once was obsessed over, the very one I dreamed of waking up next to, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

I raised my hand and covered my chest. In my last life, that was where he stabbed me. It hurt.

This time, it was his turn to pay.

I let out a scornful laugh. "Worried about embarrassing yourself? Then why did you choose this place? You know how expensive it is. If you can't afford it, don't pretend you can."

"Why you—" Albert glared at me furiously. "Are you saying you're not paying for this meal?"

He lived off me, and now he wanted to act like he was entitled to it.

I turned and started walking toward the elevator. He rushed after me.

"Eve, you—"

"Albert, where are you? What's taking you so long to take a bottle of wine?" Bianca Reed's voice came from the door of the private room.

I caught the panic on Albert's face and smiled. "If Bianca finds out you're flat broke, do you think she'll still want to be your girlfriend?"

He frowned, clenching his jaw as he glared at me. "What do you want?"

Seeing Bianca walking in our direction, I gave him a mocking smile. "Get on your knees. You've got a decent face. I'll count this dinner as your tip."

Albert's fist tightened. "You're going too far."

Too far? I was just getting started, and he already thought it was too much?

How weak of him.

"Forget it, then. It's just a few hundred grand. That's pocket change for someone like you, right, Mr. Roosevelt?"

I turned and walked straight toward Bianca without hesitation.

"Wait," he called out.

I saw Bianca getting closer. I smirked and tapped the floor lightly with the tip of my shoe. I raised my voice and demanded, "Here's fine. On your knees, then."

Albert shot daggers at me. Just as he bent his knees to kneel, I heard Bianca's voice from behind me.

"Albert, there you are. I've been looking everywhere for you."

Albert invited me back to Bianca's birthday party with a sour look on his face, clearly against the idea.

The moment I stepped into the room, all eyes turned toward me with obvious disgust. As if they were afraid I would miss it, they even raised their voices to make sure I heard every word.

"Here comes Eve, stuck to Albert like glue. He never even looked at her all these years. It's Bianca's birthday today. She's not here to cause trouble, is she?"

"Albert's the heir to the Roosevelt family. Who would dare mess with him? She just has no shame. Everyone knows he's with Bianca, yet she still won't give up. Has she even looked in the mirror?"

Me?

I glanced down at my outfit. It was simple, but every piece cost a fortune. People like them had no eye for quality. Explaining would just be a waste of breath.

"Guys, it's Bianca's birthday today. She said she'd invite everyone in our department, so no one's getting left out," someone said. "We're just about to give her the birthday gifts."

Right then, Albert stepped toward Bianca bashfully and pulled out the box he had been hiding behind his back. "This is the bracelet you liked when we were shopping the other day. I didn't get it then because I wanted it to be a surprise today."

He carefully opened the box, revealing a bracelet worth 120 thousand dollars.

The whole room gasped, then burst into cheers.

"Albert really went all out."

"He's heir to the Roosevelt family, after all. Do I even need to explain what that means to the whole of Jalconia? 120 thousand is probably like 20 bucks to him."

Albert's lips curled into a smug smile, while Bianca happily wrapped herself in his arms.

My parents raised me to keep a low profile, even as the eldest daughter of the Roosevelt family. It was to avoid unnecessary trouble. So even though my family gave me plenty of support over the years, it all happened behind the scenes.

To the rest of the world, I was just another ordinary university student. That was why, when Albert went around pretending to be the Roosevelt family's heir in my last life, I never bothered to expose him.

I figured that a title was just a title.

But now, I realized how useful that title was. It allowed someone like Albert to be some big shot, all while using my name.

I looked at that smug face of his and scoffed. "It's always the ones with nothing who show off the most."

Bianca glanced at me and said, "Eve, what's that supposed to mean? We've been nothing but polite." Her voice was soft, but her eyes were full of disgust.

I tilted my head and gave her a bright smile. Then, I knocked on the table and called out, "Waiter, bring me a bottle of Rémy Martin!"

Albert glared at me immediately and questioned, "Can you even handle something that strong?"

"I'll take it home for my dad to try if I can't finish it." I grinned widely.

His hands clenched into a fist, but with so many people watching, he could only force a fake smile. "As long as it doesn't go to waste."

Once the bottle arrived and was opened, I made up an excuse to slip outside to take a breather.

By the time I returned to the room, most of them were already tipsy. They staggered to their feet, planning to head back to campus.

Since the party was winding down, I followed the crowd toward the exit.

I had just reached the door when a high-pitched scream from Bianca nearly made me trip. Her eyes were red as she stared at me.

"My bracelet is gone!"

They found the bracelet in my bag.

"I never thought you were the kind of person who'd steal," Bianca sobbed as she clung to Albert, eyes red with tears.

She continued, "I get it. Your family's not well off, and you've never seen anything this expensive before. But that doesn't mean you can steal what's mine. That bracelet was Albert's birthday gift to me."

I frowned and looked at Albert. As much of a bastard he was, I was still the one footing his bill. The least he could do now was to speak up for me, right?

But he didn't. He only glanced at me, then comforted Bianca gently in his arms. "It's okay. We found it, didn't we? If you want, I'll get you another one in a few days."

Found it?

Was he seriously siding with her?

As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone else instantly jumped in.

"Oh my god, I never thought Eve would be a thief."

"I'm keeping my distance from now on."

"Disgusting. Who steals someone's birthday present at their birthday party? She must be insane."

Their voices buzzed around me like a swarm of flies. I clenched my fists and let out a cold laugh. "Check the security footage. Call the police. I've got nothing to hide. Don't even try to accuse me."

At that, Bianca's lips pressed into a thin line, a flicker of panic flashing through her eyes. "Albert already said he won't pursue the matter further. We're classmates. There's no need to blow this out of proportion."

She must be scared that the police would come and prove she was the one who set this whole thing up.

I looked up and stared her straight in the eye. "Apologize and admit you put that bracelet in my bag. Or I'm calling the police."

Albert stepped in front of her and glared at me in disdain. "Don't go too far. We're already letting this go. Stop making a scene."

I was the one making a scene?

I drew in a deep breath. A fight now would barely scratch him.

If I were to take him down, it had to be big. I would make sure his reputation was completely destroyed.

Furious, I grabbed my bag and walked out of the hotel, whispers trailing behind me. I even covered the bill for the entire dinner for Albert.

When I got home, I ran straight into Dad's arms and broke down sobbing.

He doted on me like I was his whole world. The moment he saw me crying, he teared up without even knowing why. Seeing his face, my throat tightened, and I cried even harder.

How devastated he must have been the day I died in my last life.

"Dad, someone pretended to be your son," I said. "He even blackmailed and bullied me."

The second I finished, Dad's face darkened with fury. He picked up his phone to call my university's president, but I grabbed his hand.

"Dad, I want to handle this myself. I was the one who begged you to support him financially, so that we could attend the same university. Now that I've seen him for who he really is, I want to end this myself."

Dad let out a frustrated sigh. "I told you back then. That pretty face of his means no good, but you wouldn't listen. Look what happened now."

I frowned. "Are you helping or not?"

"I'll do anything you tell me to," Dad answered.

Albert cared more about his reputation than anything else. Over the years, thanks to Dad's name, the university had polished his image quite well. As I had never exposed him, even the president thought he was the true heir to the Roosevelt family.

He had gotten too comfortable that he forgot he was nothing but a broke kid living off Dad's support.

Well, I was going to burst his bubble now.

"I'll start by exposing him for the fraud he is," I said. "Then, we'll cut off every last cent of support."