After working for five years, I finally get to purchase my favorite penthouse in Rainville.

Tessa Boston, my younger cousin who has just graduated from high school, tells me she wants to stay with me during her summer break.

I want to reject her at first, but my mom claims that we're all relatives here, and that I shouldn't act all high and mighty just because I'm richer now.

So, everyone drops Tessa off on my doorstep without even consulting me.

But after Tessa starts living with me, she frequently sings loudly and makes a lot of noise in the middle of the night. I can't get a good night's sleep because of her.

After that, she even invites her old high school classmates over to the penthouse and throws a party there.

Tessa tells her classmates that this is the smallest residence she owns. Apparently, this is a gift she has received to celebrate her 18th birthday.

Everyone is envious of her and calls her an actual heiress of a wealthy family.

But these punks completely mess up my penthouse. My neighbors begin lodging noise complaints against me.

Unable to take it anymore, I warn the youngsters to keep their voices down. But Tessa thinks I've humiliated her, so she begins harboring a grudge against me.

When I'm watering my flowers on the balcony, she uses that opportunity to lock me outside.

It's an insanely hot day. I'm stuck on the balcony from morning till night. By then, I've already died from the heat.

When I wake up again, I've returned to the day Tessa tells me she wants to stay with me.

"Kim, I heard you bought a penthouse at Rainville Prime. You have really made something of yourself."

When I heard Aunt Darcy Sterling's familiar voice again, I nearly dropped my phone.

I glanced at the date on the screen and realized that I had been reborn, back to the day my cousin Tessa Boston was supposed to come stay at my place.

Aunt Darcy didn't notice anything off about me and kept talking. "You know Tessa's always adored you. She just started her summer break, so why not let her stay with you for a few days? You're living alone anyway. That place is huge. Isn't it too lonely by yourself? Having Tessa there would liven things up."

She said it as if Tessa coming over was some great favor to me.

Just as I was about to refuse, Tessa's voice came through. "Kim, where do you live? Send me the address. I'll head over today."

The moment I heard her voice, the air around me seemed to turn scorching hot. The sensation of being swallowed by a heat wave, just like before I died in my last life, surged back into my chest.

In my previous life, I had worked for five years, finally paying in full for the most luxurious penthouse in Rainville. Not long after graduating high school, Tessa had said she wanted to stay at my place.

I wanted to turn her down. I had never been fond of Tessa, and her entire family was opportunistic.

Back when we had nothing, holiday visits passed with them scarcely sparing my parents a glance. When Aunt Darcy passed out Christmas gifts, she would intentionally leave me out, insisting that kids from poor families had to mature faster. She said denying me gifts was meant to teach me hardship, so I would be more driven in the future.

After graduating, I joined a publicly traded company and quickly rose through the ranks thanks to my hard work. I also dabbled in investments on the side and earned a good sum.

Suddenly, her family resurfaced, implying that my success was entirely due to their strict upbringing and the pressure they had put on me as a child, and that I owed them something in return.

I acted as if I hadn't heard a single word. That was my plan again this time, but Mom reminded me that they were relatives and it was best not to make things too awkward, lest they think we had grown arrogant with our success.

Without asking me, they sent Tessa straight to my place.

At first, Tessa kept up appearances and seemed well-behaved. However, it didn't take long for her true nature to surface. She played cheesy DJ tracks at full volume through the surround sound system while filming herself singing. I couldn't get a moment of rest.

I warned her several times, but she ignored me. Eventually, she started bringing her high school friends over to throw parties. Neighbors complained about the noise, and I was reported more than once.

My patience ran out, and I told them to keep the noise down. She took it as a personal attack, claiming I was trying to humiliate her in front of her friends. Later, while I was watering plants on the balcony, she locked me out.

My phone was inside, so I couldn't call for help. In the scorching 109.4°F heat, sweat ran down me, leaving my clothes constantly soaked and drying in cycles.

Salt stains spread across the fabric. My throat was so dry that it felt like I had swallowed sand. By noon, my vision blurred, and I slumped against the glass door, begging her to let me back inside.

Instead of helping, she filmed me and sent the video to her group chat, mocking me. "Look at her, playing the victim. Wasn't she so tough on us just a few days ago?"

My consciousness faded. Even the air I breathed felt scorching. I screamed for help again and again until no sound came out. She watched coldly as I was burned alive by the heat on that balcony.

The memory made hatred churn violently in my chest.

I didn't bother making excuses. I refused outright. "Sorry, I'm not letting her stay at my place."

I hung up immediately and collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. The central AC blew a steady stream of cool air, gradually chasing away the suffocating heat. I clenched my fists.

This time, I wasn't going to end up trapped in that nightmare again.

The calls came one after another. Aunt Darcy was first, then Mom joined in, blowing up my phone.

I answered with a scowl. Mom launched straight into a lecture. "Why did you hang up on Aunt Darcy? What's wrong with Tessa staying at your place for a few days during the summer? Aunt Darcy wasn't even done talking, and you just cut her off. Now that you've got some money, you're acting all high and mighty, aren't you?"

She was still my mom, so I forced myself to hold back the anger simmering inside and tried to explain calmly. "I've been swamped with work lately. I'm barely home myself. It wouldn't be convenient for her to stay there alone."

However, Mom wouldn't budge. "Tessa's already graduated from high school. She can take care of herself. She's your cousin, not some stranger. What's there to worry about? Let me tell you, you can't forget where you came from. Did you forget how good your aunt was to you when you were younger? What do you think people will say about us if you act all arrogant like this? Don't start acting ungrateful just because you've got money. If anyone finds out, they'll say I didn't raise you right."

At the end of the day, she was just mad that I had embarrassed Aunt Darcy by hanging up.

That was the last straw for my patience. "She was good to me? When I was seven and went to her house for the holidays, I ate two pieces of candy off the table, and she dragged me before all the relatives and called me a thief. Is that what you call being good to me? I treat people the way they treat me. She doesn't like me, and I haven't set foot in her house since I was a kid. The same goes for my place. She isn't welcome here. If you want to keep in touch with that side of the family, that's your choice. From now on, I won't be visiting them for the holidays either."

Mom was furious. "Keep that temper of yours, and you will pay for it someday. You have no idea how much you will lose."

I was already used to her scolding. It had always been like this. The moment I did anything that went against her wishes, she would claim it was for my own good, warn me that I would suffer in the future, and then force her way into my decisions.

The truth hit me after I graduated and moved out. Without her constant control, the world outside was nothing like the storm I had spent my whole life fearing.

Since reasoning with them was useless, I gave up arguing. I said I had work to do and hung up.

The fear from my last life still lingered. That weekend, I had an emergency release installed on the balcony door before I could relax even a little.

I assumed that would be the end of it.

Then one day, while I was working late, a WhatsApp message from Mom popped up. "Why did you change the door code? Send it to me now. Tessa and I are at your door."

My head was pounding. I took a calming pill, grabbed my keys, and sped home. When I got there, piles of luggage were stacked in front of my door.

Tessa stood there in an obviously fake designer outfit, with impatience written all over her face.

Mom was coaxing her. "Have you been waiting long, Tessa? Why don't you play another round on your phone? Kim is unbelievable. She didn't even say a single word and just changed the door code. How rude of her. I wish she were as sensible as you. Honestly, life has been cruel. Her dad died too soon, and I am left with an ungrateful brat like her."

Tessa complained, "Aunt Florence, you really need to talk to Kim. She's just someone who got rich overnight and doesn't know how to enjoy life. She lives in a penthouse with private elevator access, yet she can't even put a couch in the hallway for us to sit and rest. She doesn't care about you at all."

I was used to it. She had always been like this, putting me down in front of others. When Dad's sister, Aunt Vera Lane, and the others praised my grades as a child, Mom would say I didn't have talent, that my grades were just from memorizing, that my potential was already used up, and that I would never keep up with the boys in high school.

At first, I thought she favored sons. Later, I realized she only wanted attention. Other people's children always seemed impressive, while I was never good enough. Whenever someone complimented me, she would knock me down just to shine herself.

The two of them kept badmouthing me nonstop, chatting away without caring about anything else. I cleared my throat, and only then did they notice me.

Mom's face fell when she saw me. "You finally decided to come back? It took you long enough to send the door code. Look at Tessa. She's so well-behaved, waiting quietly at the door this whole time."

Tessa looked a little awkward at being caught gossiping and called out hesitantly, "Kimberly?"

I stared at her, and that surge of hatred rose up from deep inside me.

I kept a cold expression, walked to the front door, and threw Tessa's luggage into the elevator. "You're not welcome here. Please go."

Tessa dropped all pretense. "What is this supposed to mean? I came to spend the summer with you out of kindness, and you just throw my things out? Do you have any manners?"

Mom joined in the scolding. "What's the point of all your education if you act like this?"

She tried to grab the luggage back. "Apologize to Tessa right now!"

I snapped, "This is my house. You have no right to make decisions for me."

Mom's face twisted with fury. "Well done, Kim. Now that you've got money, you don't even acknowledge your own family? How did I end up with an ungrateful brat like you? If I had known you would grow up to be this kind of person, I shouldn't have let you be born."

Tessa gave Mom a reassuring pat on the back, acting all innocent. "Aunt Florence, don't be mad. Kim's probably just in a bad mood. She's used to calling the shots at work, so she accidentally treated you like a subordinate."

Then she turned to me. "Kim, I'm just saying—even if you're making money now, you shouldn't treat your mom like this. I was only trying to keep you company since living alone can be lonely. If I had known you would be so hostile and make a fuss over me, I would never have come."

Mom grabbed my hand and tried to press her fingerprint on the smart lock. "Tessa, don't worry about her. Listen to me—this is your home now. Stay as long as you want. Let's see who dares kick you out."

I yanked my hand free and called the security desk. "There are two intruders at my door. Please come and remove them."

Before long, the security guards arrived and dragged them out, along with all their luggage.

I ignored their furious curses, stepped inside, opened a bottle of red wine, and settled on the couch, thinking the ordeal was finally over.

However, I had underestimated just how shameless they could be.

I was sleeping peacefully when a loud crash jolted me awake. The front door had been forced open.

I froze and saw Tessa standing inside, smirking at me.

Mom was paying the locksmith. "See? I told you she was just asleep and didn't open the door for us. Thank you for your hard work."

Mom shot me a glare, shoved Tessa's luggage into the master bedroom, and threw all my clothes from the closet onto the floor.

Tessa shrieked in excitement. "Wow, Kimberly, you really know how to enjoy yourself! This walk-in closet is amazing, and there's even a bathtub!"

Without even changing her clothes, she flopped onto my bed. "This bed is amazing. It's definitely better than any five-star hotel bed."

Mom glared at me furiously. "Why are you just standing there? Hurry and help Tessa unpack. You wouldn't let us in, and you made me pay five hundred dollars to a locksmith. Consider this a lesson—you're sleeping in the guest room. Tessa gets the master bedroom."

Since I was a child, she had always punished me whenever I stepped out of line. I was almost 30 now, and she still acted like she could get away with the same tricks.

I lost it. "Five hundred dollars for a locksmith? Do you even realize that my smart lock costs over ten thousand dollars? This is my house. You have no right to tell me where to sleep. Get out now."

Mom jabbed a finger at me. "What's with this attitude? How dare you talk to me like that! If you had just opened the door, I wouldn't have needed a locksmith. I got locked out of my own daughter's house. Who else has a daughter that treats her parents like this?"

I caught Mom's flustered glare and Tessa's amused smirk. Suddenly, it hit me—if I didn't let them in, there was no telling what kind of mess they could create.

Mom was my legal next of kin. Even if the police showed up, it would just be treated as a family dispute and brushed off.

A cold shiver ran through me. I felt like someone had my throat in a grip. My nails dug into my palms as I forced myself to stay calm. "Tessa can stay. Move her stuff to the guest room, and you go back to wherever you belong."

Mom tried to protest, but Tessa pulled her toward the guest room, knowing her plan had succeeded and worried I would change my mind. "It's okay, Aunt Florence. Kim needs some space. I don't mind staying in the guest room."

Mom turned to me and snapped, "See how sensible Tessa is? And look at you."

I didn't even bother replying to her nonsense. In this second life, all I wanted was to steer clear of the disasters from before.

However, they kept pushing, giving me no way out. If that was the case, it was time I started collecting a little interest myself.