The resentment that had been building in my chest since my previous life finally seemed to ease somewhat as I watched Sonia's disheveled figure chasing after the two airport police.

The boarding announcement soon came on, and I grabbed my bag and headed toward the gate without looking back.

I felt incredibly refreshed after shaking Sonia off my tail.

Thankfully, I didn't live with her, so I should be able to avoid her as much as possible. However, that was only theoretical. The reason was that we both worked in the same company.

Things only turned out this way because I made a stupid decision that I regretted immensely in my past life.

Due to some personal reasons, I didn't start looking for a job as soon as I graduated from college. Instead, I decided to take a gap year.

By the time I settled down at my current company after working there for two years, Sonia had graduated from college as well.

Back then, our relationship still wasn't as strained. After all, she was the only female cousin I had, and we would always band together and hang out during family gatherings at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

When Sonia heard about my company, she asked if I knew of any departments that were hiring. She then submitted her resume and applied for a job there.

There was nothing I could do now to reverse the decision I'd made in the past.

The next day after getting back home, Sonia didn't send me any more text messages as she used to in the past, as I expected. I was very satisfied with the momentary peace of mind and wished that she would just continue ignoring me and leaving me alone like this.

On the first day back at work, our manager, Perry Miller, called everyone in my project team into the conference room for a meeting.

"Our client for the Southland Amusement Park project, Mr. Vincent Lafelle, doesn't seem very keen on collaborating with us," he said gravely.

"I asked around and learned that he is a huge mountain-hiking enthusiast. So, I've already contacted him and arranged for our team to go on a mountain-hiking expedition with him this weekend. We'll be hiking Emerald Peaks."

Perry then looked around the office and said seriously, "We must prepare meticulously for this upcoming activity. Failure is not an option!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sonia stood up from her chair like an overzealous student and said, "Mr. Miller! You can leave all the preparation work to me! I guarantee that everything will be executed flawlessly!"

She stood with her chest puffed out, her voice loud and bright, attracting everyone's attention to her.

Lexi Jackson, who was sitting next to me, nudged my arm and asked quietly, "Amanda, I remember you posting about hiking up Emerald Peaks in the past, didn't you?"

Then, she raised her hand and said, "Mr. Miller! I think that Amanda should be put in charge of this expedition instead. It would be safer, because she's more familiar with the route there!"

I felt my heart drop in my stomach. This was bad.

As expected, Sonia's face darkened at once as she looked at me with a resentful glare. She then began berating me in public.

"You want to put her in charge? Mr. Miller, don't let her fool you! Did you know that she couldn't even properly plan a trip I went with her two days ago? It was all because of me and my OmniGo that we didn't end up getting hopelessly lost!

"She even got annoyed with me in the end! She left me alone at the bus station, bought her own ticket herself, and came back first!

"How could you let an irresponsible person like her take charge of such an important project? What if she loses the client in the middle of the mountains?"

She expertly twisted the tale and pointed all fingers at me, painting my actions as reckless and irresponsible.

My colleagues began looking at me in a negative light.

Even Perry frowned at that.

I figured that trying to explain myself to a room full of people who didn't know any context would only make me sound like a joke.

Seeing that I was keeping quiet, Perry believed Sonia's explanation and waved his hand dismissively at us.

"Alright. That's settled, then. Sonia will be put in charge of things.

"And you, Amanda. You should learn from Sonia and be more responsible in the future."

Sonia immediately looked smugly at me, her lips curling into a wide, gloating smile.

It was pretty obvious that her so-called "preparations" consisted of nothing more than relying on OmniGo for the "most deadly hiking trail" on Emerald Peaks.

However, it was too late to confront her now. It would only make me look petty if I did, and there was no point in doing that anymore, anyway.

I just had to wait for the moment when everyone finally saw her true colors.

…

The weekend soon rolled around.

The rest of our project team had gathered at the foot of the mountain long before our agreed-upon time. However, Sonia and Vincent were nowhere to be found, even after we waited for ages.

Perry's face only got darker and darker the longer he waited. He wouldn't stop checking his phone impatiently.

"What's going on with Sonia? Why is she so unreliable? She's just picking someone up!"

About 20 minutes later, an Uber finally arrived, stopping at the road intersection at least 200 yards away from us.

The door opened, and a man in a windbreaker got down first, his expression thunderous. It was Vincent.

Sonia was completely oblivious to the fact and continued pointing at OmniGo on her phone while excitedly chatting with him.

When they finally met up with us at the base, Perry hurriedly went up to greet Vincent and said, "Hello, Mr. Lafelle. We're so sorry to have kept you waiting."

Vincent just dismissed him with a wave of his hand, trying to suppress his anger. "Honestly, Mr. Miller, your staff member, Sonia, is really something! A true genius, in fact.

"There was a massive sign at the entrance saying 'Emerald Peaks Scenic Trail,' but she refused to let the Uber driver drop us off there.

"She insisted that he drop us off at the junction far ahead, because OmniGo recommended it as the best drop-off point for hiking. We ended up going around in circles three times!"

Everyone's eyes were on Sonia at once.

Sonia looked aggrieved as she said, "But I only wanted Mr. Lafelle to have the best hiking experience! OmniGo can never go wrong!"

I nearly scoffed out loud.

Vincent obviously didn't want to continue arguing with her anymore. He inhaled deeply and said to Perry, "Forget about it. Let's just begin the hike now."

Sonia perked up at once. She reached into her backpack and retrieved a printed-out map, spreading it out in front of everyone.

"So, everyone, I've already planned the hiking route for today!"

She then pointed to an exceptionally steep path and said, "We're challenging the most difficult trail today, called the Challenger. It leads straight to the peak of the mountain and promises the best scenery up there!"

I frowned and objected to her idea at once.

"No way. We can't take this path. It rained a few days ago, and this path is full of gravel and sharp rocks. It's also very muddy and slippery, making it extremely dangerous."

Sonia's expression fell at once.

"Amanda! Just shut up if you don't know anything about it!"

She brought out a laminated document and waved it in front of us. "See this? It's a tour guide license! I'm a professional!

"Also, OmniGo already said that this trail may be a difficult one, but the scenery makes everything totally worth it. It's perfect for experienced hikers!"

As she spoke, she purposely glanced at Vincent from time to time. She was trying to get Vincent to agree with her to take this trail today.

Jade Turner, who was also in our group, chimed in, "Sonia is right. Since we're already here, we should definitely do something exciting to make the experience worth it! The hiking trails with stairs are boring and for old people, anyway!"

Perry hesitated. He looked at Vincent instead.

Vincent was indeed intrigued by what Sonia said, especially after she said that the trail was "perfect for experienced hikers".

"Let's take the Challenger, then. I like challenges."

Sonia smugly raised her chin at me once again.

When I tried to examine the trail once more, she immediately put away the OmniGo map like she was protecting it from me.

Lexi was the only one who came close to me and whispered, "I think you're right, Amanda. We should be more cautious now."

I nodded at her, but I was tense, and my guard remained up.

It was sunny when we hiked up the mountain.

Sonia was exceptionally good at small talk, and she managed to get Vincent beaming and praising her with just a few words.

When we finally reached the peak, panting and catching our breath, Sonia eagerly pulled out her phone and told everyone to pose for the camera.

"Alright, everyone! Mr. Lafelle can take the center. Let's take a group photo at the top of the mountain together!"

Perry also smiled in satisfaction in the photo.

However, when we decided to go back down the trail after a short break, a colleague began sneezing repeatedly.

A thin mist had surrounded the peak of the mountains, and the wind had also turned cold and chilly.

I stood up and pointed at another path leading down the mountain that was paved with steps and said in an unusually firm tone, "Let's take this route down the mountain. The scenery might not be as pretty, but we will definitely be able to make it down before dark."

Sonia exploded at once.

"Why should we listen to you? OmniGo says that the way we came up is the safest way to go back down!

"Are you trying to be irresponsible again? What are you going to do if anything happens to our client?"

She was trying to throw me under the bus again.

I glared coldly at her and said, "Take a closer look at the weather before you start talking."

While we were arguing, the mist had already thickened into a fog, and the visibility around us had dropped considerably.

The temperature had also dropped by a few degrees.

Jade, who kept clamoring for excitement earlier, was only wearing a thin jersey, and her lips had turned purple. She shivered in the cold.

"It's so cold…"

Before the words were out of her mouth, her eyes suddenly rolled to the back of her head, and she fell backward stiffly.

"Jade! Jade, are you alright?"

I immediately rushed up to her and caught her before she hit the ground.

I then held a hand to her forehead and arms. I was shocked to find them as cold as ice.

This was bad. She was suffering from hypothermia!

"Quick! Lay her flat in a sheltered spot and take out all the dry clothes you have in your bags to cover her body. And if you have any hot water with you, bring it out now!"

I barked out orders as I hurriedly took off my windbreaker and covered Jade's body with it.

Everyone was shocked and stunned by the sudden situation and scrambled to do as I said.

However, Sonia grabbed me by my arm and began screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Are you crazy, Amanda Rockwell? We can't stop here!"

She then shoved her phone under my nose and showed me a red, blinking dot on OmniGo.

"OmniGo says that there's a hut about 300 yards from here. That's the best place for first-aid rescue! We must bring her there before calling the ambulance!"

All of the pent-up anger in me finally exploded.

"Are you out of your mind? Moving a hypothermic person is the worst thing you could ever do! You're going to kill her if you insist on moving her!"

"I'm a professional! I have a tour guide license!" Sonia screamed. She then reached over, trying to tear the clothes off Jade's body.

I couldn't stand it any longer and slapped her hand away. Then, I pulled out a badge from a deep pocket in my backpack and threw it on the rock right in front of her.

"Then take a look at what I have!"