Right before graduation, my roommate waved around a job offer from some overseas company. It had a three-day workweek, with a starting salary of $50,000 a month.

It sounded too good to be true, so I warned her it might be a scam.

When she struck out on other job leads, I asked my dad to get her a position at his company. She scoffed at the eight-hour days and $6,000 monthly salary, calling it slave labor.

Then she went live online, falsely accusing my dad of inappropriate advances and pressuring her to bear him a son. When skeptics questioned her, she swore no woman would lie about her honor.

The internet erupted, branding my dad a predator. Our company collapsed under the backlash, leaving us drowning in debt.

To spare me, my dad jumped from a rooftop to his death. Devastated, I wandered into traffic and was struck by a truck.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Amber got that shady offer.

The dorm buzzed with excitement as Amber Gardner flaunted a glossy job offer from some foreign company, her voice brimming with pride. "Check this out! Three days on, four days off, and a cool $50,000 to start!"

Jessica Snow swooned. "Are you kidding? That's better than college life."

"No kidding," Amber said, tossing her hair. "It's a top-tier international firm. The offer said that the company values human care and organizes two outings each month. You can go wherever you want."

Her pitch was so vivid that Jessica and Ruby Richards were eating it up.

Amber spun toward me, lounging on her bed with a smirk. "Sabine, what do you think? Pretty sweet deal, right?"

In my past life, I'd pored over that offer letter like a detective.

The company was based in a lawless corner of Stormisfen, crawling with crime. Even millionaires with armed escorts weren't safe.

I'd pulled up gruesome stories of kidnappings and worse to dissuade her, but she was a mess academically.

She'd lucked into our university with a fluke admission but floundered from day one. She cozied up to me early, playing the friendly roommate card. I fell for it, helping her scrape through four years of assignments to graduate.

But when the job season hit, her shaky skills left her empty-handed, except for that sketchy offer.

After I talked her out of it, she was jobless and desperate. So, I asked my dad to get her a job at his company.

He offered her a cushy internship: $6,000 a month and eight-hour days, better than most fresh graduates could hope for.

I thought I'd gone above and beyond, but she turned up her nose, griping that it was grueling work for peanuts.

Then she spun a vicious lie, livestreaming to the world that my dad tried to coerce her into an inappropriate relationship. When she bore with it, he went further and demanded she bear him a son.

The lie spread like wildfire.

My dad, Logan Forbes, was a respected entrepreneur. He and my mom had a picture-perfect marriage, and I was their only child.

After my mom passed away, people would occasionally bring her up in public, and internet influencers jumped on the chance to portray him as the devoted husband and father.

Amber's claims flipped the narrative. Trolls, rival companies, and tabloids tore him apart, calling him a two-faced creep who preyed on young women.

Boycotts tanked our sales, partners ditched us, and our stock plummeted. The debt crushed Logan, and to spare me the burden, he climbed to the top of the office building and jumped.

Amber, meanwhile, milked her "whistleblower" act to become an influencer. She raked in millions, buying a mansion and a luxury car within months.

God gave me a second chance. I'd been kind, and she'd ruined us. This time, I'd let her chase her "dream job" and face the consequences.

Swallowing my fury, I forced a neutral tone. "Sounds like a lot to process. I'm off to the library to hit the books."

I grabbed my backpack and bolted.

Behind me, Amber's voice turned venomous. "Well, look at Miss Grad School, acting like she's above us. She'll just be another wage slave."

Ruby piled on. "Total nerd. Aces tests but flops in life. If she's too cool for us, we don't need her."

The library's quiet hum grounded me, its familiar stacks confirming my rebirth.

Amber, Jessica, and Ruby's snarky jabs rolled off me like water off a duck's back. Talk was cheap; results were what counted.

I dove into my studies, losing track of time until my stomach growled. My watch read 7:00 p.m., so I packed up, had dinner, and trudged back to the dorm, where the trio was still yammering about Amber's offer.

Ignoring them, I slid into my bunk, closed the curtain, and focused on my notes.

Amber yanked it open, grinning like she was doing me a favor. "Hey, the HR guy said I could bring a friend. Hand over your resume, and I'll hook you up."

Her smugness was met with my flat refusal. "No, thanks. You can go solo."

Her grin twisted into a scowl. "I'm trying to help you, Sabine, and this is your attitude? You think graduate school makes you hot stuff? Even with a PhD, you'll be scraping by in this economy."

I held out my hand, cool as ice. "If you're so high and mighty, pay me back the $10,000 you owe me."

Her bravado evaporated. Her mouth opened, then shut, like a fish out of water.

Jessica and Ruby came up, and Amber, playing the victim, recounted a twisted version of our exchange.

Ruby jumped in, all righteous. "Sabine, that's too much. Amber is offering you a shot at big money, and you're not just ungrateful. You're bullying her?"

Jessica piled on. "Yeah, you're like the snake in that farmer story."

I gave them a frosty stare. "If you're so ride-or-die for her, why don't you cover her debt?"

These two had gotten hooked on playing the part of the good guys. They immediately pounded their chests and said, "It's just a few hundred bucks. We'll pay it back."

"Not pocket change," I said, smirking. "It's $10,000. Cash or PayPal."

Jessica's and Ruby's jaws dropped. They hadn't realized Amber had mooched that much off me.

Amber shot them puppy-dog eyes, hoping they'd bail her out, but they stayed silent.

Jessica broke the tension with a nervous laugh. "Wow, Sabine, you're loaded, huh?"

I'd kept my family's wealth on the down-low. Only Amber knew my dad was a businessman. For years, she'd leeched off me, swiping my meal card for cafeteria lunches, borrowing my high-end skincare products, and hitting me up for small loans that added up to $10,000.

I'd never cared, thinking we were tight. But my kindness had only fed a viper.

When neither Jessica nor Ruby stepped up, Amber tugged their arms. "Spot me, guys. I'll pay you back once I start this job."

They squirmed, speechless. Jessica pivoted, turning her frustration on me. "Why do you have to hound her for the money now? Once she's working, she'll pay you back in a heartbeat."

I laughed, sharp and cold. "A heartbeat? Who says she's even coming back from that place? She can't pay me now, so what makes you think she'll send me a dime from halfway across the globe?"

Our argument drew a crowd from the hallway. Amber, sensing the spotlight, turned on the waterworks. "Sabine, how can you do this? We've been roommates for four years."

Ruby comforted her. "Don't cry, Amber. Rich girls are like that, throwing cash around when it suits them and clawing it back when they're pissed."

The crowd started whispering, judging me.

But I was ready. Over dinner, I'd printed a detailed list of every loan—dates, amounts, and even what Amber spent it on.

The murmurs shifted. People who'd been side-eyeing me now shook their heads, calling me a doormat for lending her so much.

Amber broke down, slamming the door shut.

Jessica and Ruby spent hours consoling her while I popped in my noise-canceling earbuds and buried myself in my books.

With graduation around the corner and my graduate school acceptance locked in, I swung by the dorm to pack my stuff.

Overhearing Amber, Jessica, and Ruby, I learned they were all in on the foreign job. The $50,000 salary and three-day workweek had them hooked, even if their guts told them that it was too good to be true. Greed trumped caution.

As they plotted, they couldn't resist tossing shade my way. I stepped into their circle, cutting their giggles short. Their faces soured like they'd bitten into lemons.

Jessica crossed her arms. "What do you want, Sabine? You're not welcome here."

I ignored her and zeroed in on Amber. "If you don't pay me that $10,000, I'm dragging you to court. I'll make sure you're blacklisted and can't board a plane."

Ruby shot up, jabbing a finger at me. "You're crossing a line over $10,000? You're heartless!"

"Then you pay it for her," I shot back.

She plopped back down, speechless. I wasn't letting Amber slip away with my money. That $10,000 wasn't much to me, but I'd be damned if she profited from my kindness.

Amber, oddly composed, patted Ruby's shoulder. "Chill. Don't waste your breath on someone like her."

"Pay me!" I held out my hand, unyielding.

Amber fiddled with her phone, transferring the money.

Just last night, she'd texted me begging for plane ticket money, promising to repay me once her paycheck hit. I had ignored her.

I didn't care where she scraped the money from. Once it was in my account, I packed my things and moved out.

With weeks before graduate school, I headed home.

I'd called my dad ahead, and when I walked in, the smell of his famous lasagna hit me. He poked his head out of the kitchen, apron splattered with tomato sauce.

"There's my superstar!" he beamed. "Grab some apples from the table. Dinner's almost ready."

His warm, booming voice cracked something in me. Tears streamed down my face as I remembered how my kindness to Amber had led to his death.

I ran over and threw my arms around him, hugging his stocky frame.

My mom and he had been childhood sweethearts, building the company from nothing. After her accident, he raised me alone, never remarrying. He poured his heart into me and the business.

Amber's lies about him were a sick joke. He'd never cared about having a son.

He set down his spatula, concern creasing his face. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Someone mess with you? I'll handle it."

I shook my head, forcing a smile. "Just missed you, Dad."

After a cozy dinner, I sprawled on my bed, scrolling through Instagram, until Amber's post caught my eye.

She was having a lavish trip with Jessica and Ruby, all on her dime. In the caption, she threw shade, calling me a backstabbing leech.

A classmate commented below: [Wow, you guys are loaded! That summer resort is expensive. You guys are enviable. I'm still stuck grinding away at a crappy job.]

Amber didn't respond, but Jessica replied for her: [Amber got an offer from a big international company. She is making bank.]

More comments flooded in, all more envious than the last, with a lot of people asking if the company was still hiring.

In our group chat, they mocked me for passing on such a golden opportunity to others. I smirked, wondering how long Amber's funds would hold.

With nothing else to do, I interned at my dad's company, running its social media.

Our brand was time-honored, and Logan's persona as a devoted husband had already made us a hit online, so I leaned into my degree, posting nostalgic content that went viral and generated tremendous orders.

I was swamped until a call interrupted my work.

Thinking it was a supplier, I answered, "Forbes Foods."

"Sabine, please, you gotta save me!" Amber's voice, raw with sobs, cut through. "Can you lend me $200,000?"