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.

As soon as Mom stepped out the door, Tessa went into a frenzy, snapping photos nonstop at the floor-to-ceiling windows. She posted them immediately to her social feed. "Just another summer in Rainville, hiding away in my family's tiniest retreat."

It was gone before I could even read it properly. Apparently, she forgot to block me. That explained why she had always forced her way into my home, in both this life and the last. She was using me to craft her image.

I was at a loss for words. Then I heard the sound of drawers rattling outside my dressing room. By the time I stepped out, she had already taken a box of sheet masks from the fridge, ripped one open, and was about to slap it on her face.

She had acted the same way in my previous life, rifling through my things and taking whatever she pleased without even asking.

At the time, I told myself she was just a recent high school graduate who didn't know any better. I earned well and didn't care much about money, so I let it go. However, her conduct revealed that this was no ordinary spoiled attitude. She was downright cruel.

My patience was gone. I snatched the torn-open mask from her hand and tossed it straight into the trash. "If I see you touching my things again, I won't hesitate to call security and have you thrown out immediately."

"Stingy," she muttered with a slight pout.

Just as she was about to call Mom and whine about me, I added, "If I hear you spreading nonsense about me to anyone, I'll throw you out as well. I have more than enough money to change the locks every day. You can try and see if Mom can afford to hire a locksmith for you every single day."

Tessa had always bullied the weak and feared the strong. When she saw how unyielding I was, Tessa cursed quietly and went back to the guest bedroom without further protest. That night, I contacted my housekeeper, Molly Reed, and instructed her to keep an eye on Tessa when I was not home, forbid her from touching my things, and report anything unusual immediately.

For the next few days, Tessa was quiet and unusually well-behaved.

I suspected she was planning something, so I enabled my Threads contact permissions and found Tessa among my contacts. Her Threads updates hadn't stopped for a single day.

She was either photographing the wine in my cabinet or snapping shots of the Rainville windows, pairing every post with a melodramatic caption. "I don't need much money. I need plenty of love."

She carried herself like a spoiled heiress through and through.

However, every brat needed her bait.

I told Tessa I would be away on a business trip for a few days and reminded her to behave herself.

She agreed readily. The very next day, Molly messaged me. "Ms. Lane, your cousin brought a group of classmates to the house. Should I let them in?"

I opened the security feed and froze at the crowd at my front door. Their faces slowly merged with the memories of people from my previous life, and for a brief moment, I felt unmoored, unable to distinguish past from present. That oppressive heat pressing against my chest returned like a phantom.

I truly wanted to throw Tessa and those people off the 22nd floor right then and there.

I narrowed my eyes and brushed my fingers over the screen. In my last life, Tessa had treated me that way for one simple reason—I had embarrassed her in front of her classmates.

Since she loved putting on an act so much and cared so little about my life, I would tear off her fake mask in front of those classmates and grind the pride she cherished most under my heel.

I transferred 100 thousand dollars to Molly. "Stop her. If she lays a hand on you, I will compensate you at the highest standard."

On the monitor, Tessa lifted her chin arrogantly. "Get lost. You're just a filthy housekeeper. How dare you block my way! Don't make me say it twice."

Molly stood her ground. "Ms. Lane said you have no right to bring people in."

One of the classmates asked suspiciously, "Tessa, isn't this your house? Who is Ms. Lane? You're not lying to us, are you?"

Flushed with anger and embarrassment, Tessa slapped Molly fiercely. "Nonsense! I'm the true owner of this house."

She showed not the slightest shame at lying as she tried to lead them inside.

Spurred on by the hundred thousand dollars, Molly stood her ground in front of the door. "No. You're not going in."

Tessa shoved her to the ground and kicked her viciously. "Have you lost your mind?"

She lifted her chin in arrogance. "Who do you think you are to stop us from going in? When I get back, I'll tell Mom to dock your pay until there's nothing left."

Tessa's friends stared at her as if she were royalty.

"Wow, Tessa, I can't believe it. You're actually a rich heiress? Your place is incredible."

Tessa's smug grin widened. "This is nothing. It's only the smallest house my family owns. Mom gave it to me for my coming-of-age and told me to treat it however I like."

Another friend exclaimed in disbelief, "This is Rainville Prime! A house this big must be worth tens of millions of dollars, and you're telling me this is just the smallest one? I thought you were joking about your new place, but it's real! Ms. Boston, you're amazing!"

Just as they had in my previous life, they began partying and dancing recklessly in my house. Tessa generously told them to make themselves at home and not hold back in the slightest.

They jumped around on the couch I had brought back from Francia, still in their shoes, sprayed paint all over the walls, and made a complete mess. Tessa hauled out most of the wine from my wine cabinet.

They were so extravagant that they drank half and poured out the other half, like a pack of bandits storming into the city.

Molly screamed from the side, "Stop it. All of you, stop. Do you have any idea how much this costs?"

They didn't care in the slightest. Tessa shoved Molly aside and slammed the front door behind her.

With all the evidence in hand, I called the police. Then I opened the door and stepped inside.