I was still some distance from the hospital when my feet became increasingly light, and I collapsed by the roadside due to exhaustion.

At that moment, an SUV pulled over.

I was barely conscious, only remembering a woman helping me into the car.

When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV drip.

"Opal Thornton?" I was somewhat surprised.

She looked just as I remembered her: refined, capable, and in great shape.

We had been college roommates and, after graduation, had both joined Sunray Pharmaceutical as sales representatives.

Every month, the top sales performer was either her or me.

We competed fiercely as rivals and friends.

Back then, when she got drunk and was groped while trying to close a deal, no one helped her. I cursed out the client with her.

After that, I took her home.

As a result, we both lost our year-end bonuses.

I never expected to see her again.

Opal poured me a glass of water and handed it to me.

She said, "Saundra, how have you been? It's been 13 years since we last met. This is the first time I've seen you in such a dire state."

I knew she meant no harm, and I smiled bitterly as I recounted my past to her.

She said, "Saundra, you had such a bright future back then. Well, never mind about that now. What are your plans now?"

I smiled and said, "Do you think anyone would hire me as an insurance sales agent?"

She asked, "Why are you thinking about selling insurance?"

I replied, "A few days ago, my husband said he wanted to buy insurance for me. He said buying it could also give a friend a commission. Is the commission high?"

She said, "These days, insurance companies have strict hiring requirements. It's not easy to get in."

Just then, my phone rang. It was Rupert.

Opal looked at me, understanding my plea for help.

She took the phone and put it on speaker. Rupert's curses came through.

"Saundra. Where the hell are you? You're not doing housework, not heating food, and you dare yell at my mother and hit our son? Just wait until you get back. I'll teach you a lesson."

Opal cleared her throat and pretended to be a doctor talking to Rupert. She told him that I had been diagnosed with depression and needed to be hospitalized for treatment.

Rupert let out a cold laugh. "I'm supporting her, and she doesn't even have to go out to work. What does she have to be depressed about? I think she's just being dramatic. Saying it's depression is just an excuse for her dramatics."

Opal said, "Please make the payment as soon as possible."

Rupert replied, "She has her medical insurance. Making me pay to treat this woman's dramatics, how ridiculous!"

He hung up the phone.

Opal was furious.

She comforted me. "Saundra, it's better not to go back to that home. If you stay there any longer, you'll really become depressed. Come stay at my place."

I was very grateful to Opal.

At this moment, besides her, I didn't know who else I could turn to for help.

Opal's house was a large riverside apartment. She wasn't married.

After settling me in, she told me that the head office now had very high requirements for new sales staff, so she could only arrange for me to work as a sales representative at a branch office for now.

She said, "Saundra, the branch office offers a base salary of 5,000 dollars, with commissions based on performance. But I believe with your abilities, you'll achieve great results at the branch office. When that happens, I'll apply to have you transferred back to the head office."

I was overjoyed. I had been out of society for 12 years, and with my current qualifications, I might not even be hired for menial jobs.

Opal held my hand and encouraged me.

She said, "Oh, and in a year, the head office will be selecting a new sales manager. I'm currently in that position, but Saundra, you need to pull yourself together. You're my rival, just like when we used to compete for top sales back in the day."

I nodded, feeling a long-lost sense of excitement stirring within me, as if we had made a pact.

I said, "Opal, just you wait for me."

In sales, one crucial aspect was image.

Opal exercised every day to maintain her figure, and I couldn't fall behind.

I looked at myself in the makeup mirror.

My body was bloated, my complexion sallow.

It was time to change myself.

Over the next month, I got a gym membership and sweated profusely every day on the treadmill and various equipment.

I didn't neglect yoga either, as it greatly impacted posture and body shaping.

Regular beauty treatments helped my slack skin become tighter.

I didn't find any of this tiring. These efforts were all about making myself better.

It was so much better than losing myself in the drudgery of household chores.

In the evenings, I began to catch up on the company's sales categories, unit prices, and customer flow from recent years.

The medical industry had changed greatly after healthcare reforms, and I had been out of it for 12 years. I had to understand it thoroughly.

Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to retain clients or close deals.

Although there were many new drugs and new rules, I found myself particularly energized to learn about them.

My career was truly the only thing that belonged to me.

To achieve results when I entered the branch office next month, I was extremely excited every day, foregoing sleep and food.

A month passed, and Rupert and Janice hadn't called very often.

Eliseo's call came through.

He called out, "Hello, Mom."

I paused, a bit surprised.

He continued, "You didn't think I was calling you, did you? You didn't come to pick me up, so Cara did. I might have a new mom soon."

He sounded very smug.

I replied, "Yes, I didn't pick you up. For over ten years, who had been the one taking you to school."

Janice grabbed the phone.

She snapped, "Saundra, you've been living it up in the hospital this month, doing nothing. Recently, it's been Cara helping with the housework. Don't you have any shame? Don't you know what you should be doing?"

I shot back, "You all can be so shameless gathering together. How could I compare?"

Rupert's voice came through.

He barked, "Saundra, I need you to get back here quickly. My mom is working hard alone. Don't keep being pretentious and causing trouble."

They wanted me to go back and serve them.

I sneered, "Isn't there already a free nanny? Why are you still dissatisfied?"

"Saundra, if you're busy, that's fine. I don't mind taking care of Rupert and Janice for a while longer," Cara Ware chimed in.

Rupert and Janice praised her for being understanding.

I felt a surge of nausea and didn't have a chance to speak before the call ended.

I was quite annoyed.

Suddenly, the school principal called, saying that Eliseo had gotten into a fight at school and that the parents of the other child were asking for compensation.

In my previous life, Eliseo was always bullying classmates at school.

It was always me rushing to clean up the mess, apologizing, and being scolded by Rupert for asking for money all day long.

Hadn't Eliseo mentioned a new mom?

I replied, "Madam, I'm not his mother anymore. This is his new mother's phone number."

This time, I decided not to interfere, giving the class principal the mistress' number and home address.

After doing all that, I grabbed a pack of sunflower seeds and lay down on the sofa.

I opened my phone, having installed a security camera at home before leaving, and now I was just waiting to watch the show.

Sure enough, not long after, the parents of the child Eliseo had hit, along with a few big men, showed up at the door.

At first, Rupert protected our son, saying that if they couldn't win, they should leave.

Those men beat him up.

Rupert, like a deflated balloon, covered his face and hung his head low. Janice also looked embarrassed.

Cara was so frightened by the scene that she ran away, claiming that she had nothing to do with this family.

Eliseo was dragged over, stuttering as he apologized.

I felt very relieved after watching the scene.

The next day, I prepared to go to the branch office. When Opal found out, she took me to the business district.

She said, "Saundra, you've lost a lot of weight and look much better. Look at your face, you're glowing."

Hearing Opal's praise, I was very happy. As long as I worked hard to change, there would be results.

Opal took me to buy suitable formal wear and brought me new client information.

I felt a warmth in my heart.

Although we were competitors, she was genuinely kind to me.

She added, "By the way, a resource expert from the headquarters is coming to the branch office. Try to hang in there and don't let them push you out before they even arrive."

I smiled and nodded, thanking Opal for her kindness.

The next day, I went to the branch office's HR department to complete the handover.

There was a girl in her early twenties, tall and stylish, also going through a handover process.

She glanced at my resume.

She muttered, "40 years old, hasn't worked in 12 years, and still coming to the Sunray?"

The HR staff member nodded and bowed.

She replied, "She was recommended by Opal. She might be gone after a few months."

The girl's disdain grew. "Aged resource from connections? Sunray should address this trend. Not just anyone should be able to come in."

I gritted my teeth, thinking she must be the resource expert Opal mentioned.

Before I achieved any results, I indeed had no room to argue.

During this time, all the staff treated me coldly.

When I asked for some information, they were indifferent. Fortunately, Opal had prepared some materials for me in advance.

And that resource expert frequently came to find fault. I made sure she felt like punching a pillow, with no issues to pick apart.

I put all my energy into running the business and acquiring clients, working non-stop.

The effort from the past month paid off. I signed several large contracts with various companies.