When my wife, Melanie Sanders, and I were on our way to undergo IVF treatment, we ended up losing our lives in a car crash. Then, we both get reborn at the same time.

She complains to me, "I want nothing more than to become a mother! It's a shame that you can't impregnate me at all!"

Hence, she gets married to a wealthy scion.

Having lost my hope in Melanie, I decide to let her go. After that, I marry another woman and build a family with her. Soon, we lead a happy and comfortable life together.

That is, until I end up meeting Melanie again in the future.

As she lays her gaze on my daughter, she comments disdainfully, "Oh? So, you're a stepfather now! I suppose only an impoverished loser like you deserves to raise children who aren't of your own blood!"

I gaze back at Melanie's daughter as well, a cold smirk curling on my lips.

"I suppose the rich really know how to enjoy themselves. After all, your daughter isn't of your own blood, either."

After that, I lead my daughter away while laughing joyously.

The next time I met Melanie Sanders again, it was at my daughter's ballet recital.

I sped down the roads on my motorcycle as I brought my daughter, Caroline Solt, to school. Just as I stopped at the gates, I heard a wave of exclamations come from the crowd.

"Look! That Lamborghini is truly the epitome of luxury!"

"I know, right? To be able to drive such a car to send your kid to school—I'm so envious!"

"I have to say, though, it's quite admirable that someone that rich would still feel a sense of responsibility in personally taking their kid to school."

A voice cut through the crowd's chattering, crying out, "Hey, isn't that Melanie Sanders? Long time no see!"

"Oh, my, you mean that famous dancer, Melanie Sanders?"

"Surely, her daughter must have inherited her talent for dancing."

The next moment, I heard a voice that I couldn't be more familiar with saying casually, "I just went abroad to further my studies. Naturally, I had to come back to the country to grow my career."

I never would've expected that the next time I would hear Melanie's voice again, it would be ten years after we reincarnated.

A mutual friend of ours, Shawn Zink, approached Melanie. "I'm a teacher here at this school. What a coincidence this is that your daughter would be learning ballet here! You remember our classmate, Robert Solt?"

Melanie answered a little impatiently, "Vaguely."

"His daughter is learning ballet here too. Who knows, maybe your children might become dance partners!"

Then, the sharp-eyed Shawn spotted me standing in the crowd. "Speak of the devil! Look, Robert is here, too!

My gaze locked with Melanie's.

A scornful look flickered in Melanie's eyes as she scoffed and muttered, "Daughter? Has he become a stepfather?"

I had been in a hurry to leave the house earlier, not even having the time to put on a tie, so my attire was incredibly plain and simple. As a result, I looked like a weary common man.

Graciously nodding at Melanie in greeting, I said, "Long time no see."

Her response was an indifferent dip of her head.

However, when she noticed the small figure by my side, her eyes abruptly widened as they remained fixed on my daughter's face. After all, Caroline had very similar facial features to mine.

Nonetheless, she didn't get to say anything, as it was time for the ballet recital.

…

Perhaps it was fate, but Melanie's daughter and Caroline were in the same ballet class.

After the recital, Melanie came to me, her eyes shining with the same look of disdain she used to shoot me in our previous life. Besides that, she was also radiating a smug air.

"Robert, this is your daughter's first recital, so the least you could've done was dress in some new clothes. Children nowadays are incredibly sensitive. If you dress like a janitor all the time, they start to feel inferior, you know?"

"As for your daughter…" She scoffed. "She really can't compare to even a hair on my daughter's head, huh?"

She stalked closer to me before lowering her voice to whisper in my ear, "Regardless, I truly am quite surprised, Robert. I can't believe you actually have a child! You're nothing but a man destined to ride a motorcycle and be at the mercy of the weather when sending your child to school, yet your wife was still willing to undergo IVF for you?"

I simply glanced at her before turning to take in the daughter she was so proud of.

In our past life, Melanie used to always mock me for being infertile. Yet, I was the only one who knew the truth—I wasn't the reason we were unable to have a child.

Surely, she knew how this child of hers came to be? Or had her husband somehow tricked her into thinking the girl was truly her biological daughter?

When I didn't speak, Melanie continued mockingly, "You know, leaving you was the best decision I had ever made in this life. Without you dragging me down this time, I'm living the life! You, on the other hand, are living no differently from a beggar."

She grew increasingly smug as she spoke, the mockery on her face deepening. Fishing out the key to the Lamborghini, she deliberately shoved it in my face.

"I bet you've never even seen a luxury car key like this before, have you? Well, take a good, hard look! This is the kind of life I should be living!

"Robert Solt, back when you blocked my number without any hesitation, I'm sure you never would've thought this day would come, huh? Do you regret it now?"

After Melanie and I got married in our previous life, she became restless and insisted on starting her own business. She tried multiple times, but every single time, she failed. As a result, forget about buying a luxury car—we didn't even have the money to buy a regular car.

Hence, the flaunting note to her tone right now was strikingly genuine.

"Congratulations on getting what you've always wished for," I answered blandly, completely unbothered. I didn't even spare a glance at the luxury car key Melanie was waving in my face.

After all, I had a drawer full of such keys at home.

Apparently, that wasn't the answer she had been expecting, for a visibly annoyed expression crossed her face.

She gritted out, "Don't you feel even the slightest bit of indignation?"

I genuinely didn't.

Melanie was already living her dream life, so why did she care so much about whether I was feeling indignant or not? Could it be that she would only be satisfied if she saw me broken and begging her desperately?

Before I could say anything, a voice rang out from behind me, the tone cold and filled with mockery, "Well, well, if it isn't Robert Solt!"

Kenneth Lipton, dressed in a smart tailored suit, strolled over to me languidly. One hand was tucked in his pants pocket, while the other held a crocodile leather Hermès briefcase.

"It's been a while, Robert. You know, I have to thank you." Wrapping an arm around Melanie's shoulders, Kenneth went on with a smile, "From what Melanie told me, you looked down on her when she was down-and-out, and that really hurt her feelings.

"Only because of that did she realize how great I was, so technically speaking, you're our matchmaker!

"Word of advice, buddy? You really need to know your own worth, too. A man like you…" Kenneth trailed off as he swept an assessing gaze over me.

Then, letting out a judgmental scoff, he added, "Seems you aren't doing too well. Then again, that's not very surprising. As if a normal, healthy woman would be interested in a poor and pathetic man like you."

At first, I didn't bother refuting their words or explaining anything. All I did was stare at them coldly.

In truth, I was rather confused. Melanie and I never even started dating in this life, so what was all this nonsense about me looking down on her when she was down-and-out?

It seemed like Melanie had ruthlessly painted me as such a villain in a bid to make Kenneth love her more. How very shameless.

I started to retort, "What sort of person I am—"

But a sweet voice suddenly called out from behind me, "Daddy!"

I turned to look, only to see Caroline running over to me while clutching the small gift her teacher had given her earlier.

However, Kenneth stepped into her path and crouched in front of her. Putting on a gentle demeanor, he said, "Hello, kid. I'm your daddy's friend. You can call me Mr. Lipton."

Subsequently, he pinched Caroline's cheek with deliberate force, instantly causing the tender skin to flush a bright red.

I swiftly smacked his hand away. "Kenneth Lipton, what are you doing?"

Kenneth wiped his hand with a handkerchief before answering flippantly, "I thought she was quite cute and couldn't help myself. What's wrong with pinching her cheeks? Is she too precious for such things?"

Rage burned in me, but before I could lash out, Kenneth pulled out an intricate-looking box from his bag. He opened it to reveal a beautiful pair of ballet shoes. With a smile, he said, "These are my daughter's shoes, but seeing how poor you are, I'm sure you can't afford a pair like them, so I'm gifting them to your daughter as a small gift."

Immediately, I pulled Coraline behind me defensively. "Thanks, but we don't need it."

I didn't want Caroline to accept a random stranger's gift, especially since I was well aware of Kenneth's true intentions.

"Are you looking down on me? It's just a pair of ballet shoes. Don't tell me you think I have ulterior motives toward her?"

Brushing off my refusal, Kenneth continued coming closer toward Caroline in an attempt to hand her the shoes.

My heart clenched in my chest, and without a second's hesitation, I shoved him away. "Kenneth Lipton, you keep your distance!"

Kenneth stumbled back with a yelp, the shoes in his hands flying out and landing smack dab in the middle of the fountain behind him. Some water also splashed out and landed on his briefcase.

His disheveled state had the other parents throwing sympathetic or confused looks over.

Kenneth's face was twisted in a furious grimace as he pointed a finger at me and shrieked, "Robert Solt, I know you're jealous of me because Melanie loves me. You can't stand the sight of me, and you hate me because I'm rich!

"Still, I never would've thought you would be so disgusting as to throw such an expensive pair of shoes in the water. Don't think that I'll let this slide just because we were once classmates!"

I had two entire shoe cabinets filled to the brim with such shoes at home.

Melanie also came over and shoved me with a glare, hissing, "Robert, do you know those shoes can't get wet? Kenneth was just being kind, wanting your kid to have a good start. As if it isn't bad enough that you don't appreciate his goodwill, you even attacked him!"

Kenneth was just being kind? Who would treat a child in that manner if they were being kind?

Utterly infuriated, I wanted to explain myself, but Melanie's accusation caused me to swallow my words. Not wanting to waste any more time on them, I asked, "How much are the shoes? I'll wire you the money."

Hearing that, Kenneth laughed. "After adding in the compensation for the emotional distress I suffered plus the water stains on my briefcase, the total you'll have to pay is 500 thousand dollars! That's five zeros! Judging from how you're wearing dollar store clothes and riding a secondhand motorcycle, are you sure you can pay us back?"

Without another word, I fished out my Black Card, which was in and of itself a symbol of status.

Upon spotting the card, both Melanie and Kenneth were dumbfounded.