Just as I was about to lose consciousness, everything finally clicked.

It turned out that after Jessica had jumped off the building and ended up in a vegetative state, her soul had attached itself to the little pig.

Everything Logan and Scott had done was part of a sick plan to swap my life with Jessica’s.

One was my real brother and the other was my childhood friend.

I had been blind to it all.

Thinking back on it, my body trembled with rage. I had been played, and the anger was boiling inside me.

I could feel it rising, and in the coldest tone, I said, "If you two like it so much, then you can keep it. I’m not doing this."

Seeing I was firm in my decision, Logan stopped pressing the issue.

But he did mention that the little pig would have to stay for a few more days until they found a new owner.

Then, they’d send it away.

With my birthday coming up, it was clear they were planning to use me as some pawn in Jessica’s scheme.

But this time? Their plan was doomed to fail.

Even though I had been reborn, I still hadn’t figured out what exactly triggered the body swap in my past life.

Was it the timing of my birthday?

The necklace?

Or maybe the fact that we ate and lived together?

I couldn’t act too hastily. Or else, I risked falling into their trap again.

But one thing was sure. Jessica, even trapped in the body of the little pig, was still just as restless as she’d been before.

Even though I locked my bedroom door whenever I came and went, she somehow managed to sneak in.

And just like last time, she made a total mess of the room.

But this time?

She went way further—she dug out my beloved calligraphy and paintings and pissed all over them.

One of those paintings had been a rare gift from my mentor, and I could feel my blood boil. I was beyond furious. If I could’ve, I would’ve torn Jessica apart right then and there.

She was doing this purposefully, trying to get back at me to take her stuff. But here’s the thing—everything in that room had originally been mine.

I sneered, no longer afraid to scream like I had in my past life.

Instead, when Jessica wasn’t looking, I grabbed her little leg and lifted her by it. She immediately let out a high-pitched squeal, panic in her piglet voice.

Just as I was about to kick her, Logan barged in, rushing over and snatching her up, holding the pig protectively in his arms.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?" he yelled. "I told you, I’ll send her away in a few days. You can’t treat her like this!"

Scott came in right behind him. Seeing Jessica trembling in Logan’s arms, whining and scared, he didn’t even ask what had happened.

Instead, he looked at me and yelled, "Alexa, you're all grown up now. Why are you picking on a little animal? What has it ever done to you?"

He turned to comfort Jessica, looking at her with sympathy, as if I was the one in the wrong. "Look at her—she’s terrified!"

In my past life, Logan and Scott had been the same. They’d protected Jessica without a second thought, even when she had become a pig. In this life, Jessica, as smug as ever, hid in Logan’s arms and shot me a provoking glare.

I was beyond pissed, and I didn’t care who saw it. I grabbed the ruined calligraphy and paintings from the floor and threw them before Logan and Scott.

Then, pointing at the disaster in the room, I shouted, "Which one of you saw me bullying her? She’s the one who destroyed my room and all my collections for no reason! Peeing everywhere! She must be in heat! I don’t think you need to find her a new owner. Just send her to mate. Maybe she’ll calm down a bit!"

I couldn’t care less if Logan and Scott believed me. They’d never send Jessica away to mate, anyway. But at least I could gross them out and finally vent my frustration!

As expected, the moment those words left my mouth, Jessica shuddered, fear evident in her piglet eyes.

Logan froze for a second, his face full of disbelief. "Alexa, where did you learn all this nonsense? You’ve really let me down."

Scott was just as furious. "Alexa, what’s wrong with you? Lulu's only a few months old, and you want to make her mate? Are you even human?"

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "And it’s your fault for not caring for your things properly, and now you’re blaming Lulu. You’re acting like a total shrew!"

"Still, Jessica looks more like a Montgomery heiress..."

As soon as those words left Scott’s mouth, Logan shot him a deadly glare. Scott quickly realized his mistake, his face turning pale.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean that," he stammered, then hurried out of the room.

I could tell their patience and restraint were part of some bigger plan to get Jessica back into the family. They were playing their parts perfectly, but this time, I wasn’t as clueless as I had been before. In my past life, I’d been too blind to see it, but not anymore.

This time? I was going to put on a show they wouldn’t forget.

Over the next few days, Jessica grew quieter. She stayed obediently in the room Logan had set up for her, not causing trouble. I figured she was probably terrified of being sent off to mate.

But that wasn’t enough for me. I wasn’t going to let her off that easily.

So, I took matters into my own hands.

I snuck over to the pig farm and bought a few packets of sow hormones. I mixed them into the food Logan had prepared for her.

The farm owner assured me the hormones would take effect quickly. Even though the little pig was small, just a few dozen pounds, it would soon bulk up and go into heat.

When you raise pigs, the goal is to make them fat and cute. I mean, if you want them to get attention, that’s pretty much a must.

I had a special birthday surprise planned for Jessica. She’d better be in top shape for it.

Within a few days, Jessica started visibly gaining weight, turning into a little ball of fat. Meanwhile, Logan kept a close eye on her, almost paranoid that I was up to something.

The night before my birthday, I woke up hungry in the middle of the night and decided to grab a snack from the kitchen.

But the moment I bit into the sandwich I’d made earlier, I knew something was wrong. The sandwich tasted strange, and the juice smelled foul, almost rancid.

I quickly rinsed my mouth out, my anger rising like a tidal wave.

It was Jessica.

She’d tampered with my food!

And I couldn’t let her get away with it.

I stormed down the hall toward her room, ready to confront her.

But I stopped when I heard Logan’s voice from inside.

"Jessica, just hang in there a little longer. I’ll help you take back everything that’s yours. I was worried you’d suffer with Mom at the time, so I secretly swapped you with Alexa. Who knew she’d be brought back? I know you’ve been frustrated these past few days, but once tomorrow is over, you can swap bodies and go back to normal! That bitch, Alexa, will disappear, and the position of the Montgomery's heiress will be yours!"

I froze.

So that’s what this was all about. Logan was my father’s illegitimate son, and Jessica was his half-sister.

They shared the same mother but different fathers.

My blood was boiling.

I almost barged in and ripped these vile siblings apart right then and there. But I held myself back. I couldn’t let my emotions get the best of me. I had a bigger plan in mind for tomorrow.

The next morning, I woke up to find the house had been rearranged.

Logan was standing in front of me, holding flowers and a cake. His expression was warmer than usual, almost like he was trying to act like a caring brother.

"Alexa, today’s your eighteenth birthday. It’s your first birthday back with the Montgomerys. Mom and Dad can’t be here since they’re abroad, so I set up a little birthday party for you. I really hope you like it."

Scott stood nearby, practically vibrating with excitement. "I’ve got a gift for you, too, Alexa. I hope it makes your eighteenth birthday even more special."

I couldn’t help but notice the exact same words they’d said in my past life.

I would’ve been touched in my past life, feeling like I finally had a real family.

But now, all I felt was a cold, sinking feeling.

What they were really celebrating wasn’t my birthday. It was Jessica’s "rebirth." The thought made my stomach turn.

Seeing the eager looks on their faces, I forced a smile.

At this point, it was all just part of the game.

"Alright, but if we’re celebrating my birthday, how could you not get me my favorite black swan cake? Come on, Logan, don’t leave me hanging. Why don’t you go pick one up for me?"

Logan hesitated and was about to grab his phone to order a delivery.

Before he could, I quickly cut him off, pretending to pout and act disappointed.

"Are you still mad at me for what happened a couple of days ago, Logan? You won’t even do something this small yourself?" I asked.

Logan was caught off guard. He stood there, momentarily speechless, before sighing and reluctantly agreeing. He looked like he didn’t have much of a choice.

I couldn’t help but flash a fake smile, knowing what was coming. Then, using the same trick, I convinced Scott to head out to the outskirts and pick up a little dress I was supposed to wear for my birthday.

The two places were at least a few hours apart, which was more than enough time for me.

They told me it would take a few hours, but to my surprise, they returned in less than two hours. The fact that they both came back together meant they’d likely been plotting something during the drive.

Scott immediately urged me to try on the dress as we walked through the door. His eyes drifted to the necklace around my neck almost unconsciously.

I purposely took my time.

Logan, unable to sit still any longer, finally stepped in. "Alexa, hurry up. Scott has a surprise for you. You know how he is—sharp tongue, soft heart. Come on, stop sulking about what happened before."

"His birthday gift for you... He’s been preparing it for three months," Logan added with a knowing look.

I had to bite back a sneer. Their act was so painfully obvious.

'A birthday gift, huh? '

I knew it wasn’t a birthday surprise. It was part of their plan to swap my life with Jessica’s.

Back in my previous life, I was completely swept away by this "surprise."

I let Scott put the new custom necklace on me while my old one went around the little pig’s neck. Logan even joked that Scott was trying to be the Montgomery's son-in-law.

I had been so happy, so naive, completely unaware of the contempt Scott held in his eyes.

And then, right after the necklace swap, I collapsed.

I felt dizzy and, when I woke up, I was in the little pig’s body.

But in this life, I was onto their game. I knew exactly what they were up to.

Still, I played along, slipping into the dress they’d prepared.

It only took me a few minutes to change, but when I stepped out, Scott was pacing nervously by the door, his eyes darting between the dress and the necklace.

When I emerged, his expression immediately shifted.

"Where’s the necklace around your neck?" he asked, a bit too eagerly.

I pretended to be surprised, saying, "Oh, maybe it fell under the bed when I was changing…"

Before I could finish my sentence, Scott rushed into the bedroom without a second thought, dropping all pretenses.

He crouched down, searching under the bed with the urgency of someone on a mission.

Once he found the necklace, he didn’t bother with birthday pleasantries.

He put the new necklace around my neck in a rush, then excused himself, mumbling something about needing to use the bathroom.

I knew exactly where he was headed. He would take my old necklace to Jessica to finish the final step of the life swap.

But I didn’t stop him.

Standing beside me, Logan watched Scott’s retreating figure, his eyes practically glued to him like he wanted to follow.

But after a while, nothing changed. Then, out of nowhere, Scott returned. He was drenched in sweat, holding the necklace.

The little pig and Jessica were nowhere to be found.

When Logan realized this, his face went pale.

He shot up from his chair and began searching the entire house, especially my bedroom, turning it upside down.

But still, no sign of the little pig.

Seeing me calmly eating my cake, Scott finally snapped.

He stormed over to me, slapped me hard across the face, and yelled, "Alexa, did you lose Lulu? I knew it! You’ve always hated it! This is a life we’re talking about—how could you be so malicious?"

Seeing Scott’s outburst, Logan immediately stepped in, pulling him back with a sharp, "Scott’s just worried, don’t blame him. Lulu’s new owner is coming soon. Where did you put her? We won't blame you as long as we find her in time."

I couldn’t believe it.

They were still making up lies. I was done being patient.

I gathered every ounce of strength, slapped Scott, and sneered, "Are you out of your mind? Which one of your eyes saw me lose that pig?"

It felt damn good.

When I finished speaking, Logan let out a subtle sigh of relief.

I paused for a second, letting the silence build, then flashed a smirk and continued, "Such a fat pig! What a shame to lose it. Guess we'll just have to find someone to butcher it, carefully marinate it, and turn it into a delicious roast suckling pig. Once it’s ready, you two should try it too. It's going to be so good!"

As soon as the words left my mouth, both Scott's and Logan's faces drained of color.

I couldn’t hold back a grin. This would be so much fun.

Just then, the doorbell rang.