I sneered. “Are you done? If you are, then it’s my turn.”

Jesmira looked slightly taken aback. Most people would’ve exploded at hearing such venomous words, but I had managed to keep my cool.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Jesmira cut in. “I haven’t even finished my third line yet! I’ve still got more.”

My eyes narrowed. That definitely hadn’t happened in my previous life.

Right then, my boyfriend, Tobias Zhilan, walked over and casually joined us.

He sat down beside me, wrapped an arm around my shoulders and asked with a smile, “What are you guys playing? You both look so serious.”

Jesmira glanced at Tobias and said immediately, “Jenna, your boyfriend will cheat on you in seven days… with your best friend.”

Tobias’s eyes widened in shock, clearly ready to fire back, but I beat him to it. “Of course,” I replied flatly.

Tobias turned to me, visibly upset. “Jenna, what’s that supposed to mean? Don’t you trust me? We’ve been together for years and now you—”

I took his hand and gave it a reassuring pat. “Relax. It’s just a game. No matter what Jesmira says, I can only answer with ‘Of course.’”

Tobias let out a breath of relief. “Oh, I see. For a second, I thought she just couldn’t stand seeing us happy.”

The three of us shared a fake laugh and on the surface, everything seemed light and pleasant.

But deep down, I knew the truth; Jesmira really couldn’t stand me.

I had gone viral on the school forums on my very first day of college, all because of a random photo someone else took.

They hailed me as the innocent campus beauty, even made me the face of the school.

It didn’t take long before the media came calling and when they did, they discovered I wasn’t just beautiful. I was also the daughter of a powerful man.

My father was a respected entrepreneur who ran a major company and donated generously all year round. People looked up to him and by extension, to me.

Jealousy naturally followed. Most girls at school envied me, except Jesmira.

On the surface, she was all smiles, but beneath that, she was ruthless. Wanting the campus beauty title for herself, she flooded the freshman group chat with heavily edited photos.

She praised me while secretly fishing for compliments.

When that didn’t get the attention she wanted, she staged a fake mishap; accidentally posting a photo of her legs.

She was supposed to be the center of attention when she arrived. But I stole that spotlight.

And she never forgave me for it. This little game was just another one of her traps.

“Okay, you've said your piece. My turn now.” I said, my voice light, but my hands were already warming up with anticipation. Jesmira’s expression darkened.

Before she could object, I cut in. “Jesmira, if your curse really works, may everything you just said rebound right back onto you.”

Her face drained of color. She didn’t say another word.

And in that silence, my suspicion hardened. Everything that happened before… it all started with her.

I raised my voice just enough for everyone to hear. “You cursed my family with death and bankruptcy and now that I hit back, you're backing down? Jesmira, isn’t that a little weak? Come on, everyone, tell me, is this fair?”

People quickly rallied behind me.

“Yeah, Jesmira, it’s just a game. Why so sensitive?”

“You came at Jenna first. Don’t act like you can dish it out but can’t take it.”

Jesmira forced a stiff smile. “Of course.”

I didn’t miss a beat. “Great. Then how about you repeat exactly what I just said?”

"Of course," she said.

I smiled. "Great. Go ahead and repeat it, then."

Jesmira clearly hadn’t expected to be cornered. Her expression faltered before she finally echoed my words, "If my curse on you works, everything will come back to bite me."

Hearing her repeat it word for word, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

In my previous life, I hadn’t understood it, but after death, I realized the power of words might truly hold weight.

So I had to make Jesmira speak words that would turn against her. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but at least I had to try.

When I got home, I rushed straight into my dad’s study, holding up a photo of a man. “Dad, cancel all cooperation with Mr. Zellner right now. No matter the cost.”

He glanced at the photo and looked stunned. “Jenna, how did you know I was working with Mr. Zellner? I haven’t told a soul about this.”

“Forget how I know,” I said firmly. “Just listen to me. This is important.”

That man had been the beginning of our downfall in my past life.

He ran a shell company that lured my father into a fake partnership. Once exposed, he vanished, leaving my family with over ten million dollars in penalties.

Seeing the hesitation in my father’s eyes, I pulled out the evidence I had collected. “Dad, I got all this from the Department of Commerce and the Tax Office. You don’t have to trust me, but at least trust the government, right?”

After reading it, my dad frowned, his expression growing serious. "What a con man. Alright, Jenna, I trust you."

He immediately picked up the phone and called his secretary. "Run a full background check on Mr. Zellner’s company. I think we’ve been set up. Put the contract on hold for now."

Watching my dad take swift action lifted a huge weight off my chest. I threw my arms around him and said earnestly, “Dad, please trust me. This could decide our entire family’s future.”

The following night, my dad called with an update. His team had confirmed that the man was indeed a fraud.

He had canceled all negotiations with anyone connected to Zellner.

After hanging up, I was flooded with emotion. In this lifetime, I had finally changed the course of that crucial moment.

Noticing my joy, my mom smiled and teased, “Why are you so happy? Did someone send you flowers?”

I blinked, confused. “Flowers? What flowers?”

She chuckled. “I went to order some today and saw your boyfriend Tobias doing the same. Valentine’s Day is next week, so I figured he’s getting something special for you.”

My mom looked so pleased, but my heart sank. Because in my past life… Tobias never gave me flowers on Valentine’s Day.

And I couldn’t stop thinking about Jesmira’s curse. “Your boyfriend will cheat on you in seven days… with your best friend.”

Still shaken, I immediately contacted my best friend, Xylia Skelton.

Finding out that she was still abroad and wouldn’t be back for another month helped me breathe a little easier.

The flowers weren’t for Xylia, she wouldn’t even be around to receive them. Even so, I spent the next six days on edge.

Then, early on the seventh morning, Tobias sent me a Happy Valentine’s Day message. He said my gift would be arriving soon and asked me to go pick it up.

But when the delivery boy handed it to me, a chill ran down my spine. I stared at the package, then looked at Tobias. “Why chocolate?” I asked.

He smiled. “Isn’t Valentine’s Day all about chocolate? What? Don’t you like it?”

I sat in silence for a long time before I finally found the nerve to ask, “Tobias… did you prepare any flowers for me?”

There was a long pause, heavy and telling.

Then he forced a cheerful tone. “Oh? You wanted flowers? I’ll order you a bouquet now.”

My ears started to buzz. I couldn’t hear the rest. With shaky hands, I opened my social media.

Xylia had just posted a picture of the bouquet she received for Valentine’s Day. Her caption read, [Among so many people, you understood my most subtle feelings.]

My heart sank. I let my phone slip from my hand, too numb to pick it up again.

Just then, Jesmira called. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Jenna. Did you like the gift?” she asked sweetly.

I snapped. “What kind of witchcraft did you use on me?!”

The line went dead. A busy tone followed.

I didn’t hesitate. I ended things with Tobias. When he asked why, I threw Xylia’s post at him.

He went quiet for a while, then started apologizing, saying he had just started dating Xylia. And that it was her who seduced him.

“Jenna, please, just give me one more chance!” he begged.

I didn’t want to hear another word, so I blocked him everywhere.

Losing a boyfriend wasn’t the end of the world. What I feared most… was whether my family would repeat the same tragic pattern from my last life.

I couldn’t help but call my dad and after confirming he wasn’t working with Mr. Zellner, I finally slept soundly.

Soon, winter break ended and it was time to return to school.

The moment I walked into the dorm, a few of my roommates rushed over, bombarding me with concern.

“Jenna, I heard you broke up and that your boyfriend cheated on you!”

“He’s disgusting! And with your best friend? How could he do that?”

I froze. I had never told anyone about this.

“Who told you that?” I asked, my voice tight.

“Me.” Jesmira stepped forward, a smug smile playing on her lips.

The girl next to me let out a dramatic sigh. “Jesmira, you’re incredible! I still remember during our last game, you said Jenna’s boyfriend would cheat within a week. Do you seriously have some kind of power to see the future?”

Jesmira laughed. “Power? Of course not. I’m just observant. I noticed long ago that Tobias was unhappy with Jenna. She just didn’t see it herself, so I used the game to give her a little heads-up.”

As soon as she finished, the others clapped and cheered.

“Jesmira, you’re such a loyal friend!”

“Yeah, and smart too! You managed to warn her without ruining your friendship. That’s real skill.”

“Jenna, you should seriously thank Jesmira.”

Amid all the praise and noise, Jesmira kept her eyes on me, still smiling. But to me, her smile felt as cold and venomous as a snake’s.

“You’re welcome, Jenna,” she said sweetly. “It’s what friends are for.”

At that moment, I was furious. She claimed she had no special abilities, but I was certain she was hiding something terrible.

So, I called my dad’s secretary. “Please help me look into my classmate Jesmira. I want to know what she’s been up to these past few years.”

When I finally received the investigation report, I couldn’t stop the cold sweat that broke out across my back.

Soon, the day arrived; the very day my father in my previous life had faced bankruptcy.

Everything unfolded just as it had before. I was in class when my phone suddenly rang.

“Hello, Dad? What’s wrong?” I asked, heart pounding.

His voice trembled. “Jenna, it’s terrible! I’ve been scammed, millions gone! The company’s funding chain is broken and I… I’m ready to end my life to protect you!”

“Dad, don’t be impulsive!” I shot to my feet, shouting, “How could you be scammed? Didn’t we cancel the deal with Mr. Zellner?”

I turned sharply toward Jesmira, who sat next to me. She looked at me and mouthed, “The game has begun.”