Rebirth

It was so pathetic that I had a crush on my maid's daughter, Aileen Henson.

It was because of my indulgence that Lilia Henson, her mother, had an opportunity to turn against my family.

One day, that greedy old woman took advantage of my feelings for Aileen.

With the help of Aileen, Lilia tricked me into signing a contract.

They cheated and got all of my family's possessions.

Then, to destroy the evidence, they burnt my home.

My father and mother ended up dying at the hands of the one I loved.

It was all my fault. I fell in love with the one I shouldn't.

I was responsible for my parents' death.

With unbearable pain, I jumped off the 100-story Pearl Tower, a landmark in Riverfield.

Perhaps it was the only way to ease my guilt a little.

But, miraculously, the moment I fell, I was reborn. I came back to that day a year ago.

At that time, Kolten Dickerson, my father, was still the lieutenant governor.

Sandra Mill, my mother, was still the chairwoman of the city's biggest jewelry company.

I told myself that since I got a chance to start over, I should never be that weak man, and I must treat my parents well...

In the morning, I got up from my big bed.

I put on my school uniform and prepared to eat breakfast. And then I should go to school.

My parents were hardworking. They'd already left for work.

I lived in a two-story villa.

I walked downstairs to the dining room. I said to the maid, "Ms. Henson, is breakfast ready?

"I'm going to be late for school."

Aileen had been living with Lilia, so she took Lilia's last name.

For now, Lilia was not that greedy.

She only dared to steal something of value from my house and sell them out.

I loved Aileen, so I kept Lilia's little secret.

And my parents loved me very much.

Whatever attitude I had towards Lilia and Aileen, they would do the same.

This was the reason why Lilia could betray my family in the future.

In the past, for fear of causing trouble for Lilia, I always bought my breakfast.

Not only would I not let Lilia work, but I would give her two hundred dollars a day in tips.

She, as a servant, became no different from her master.

However, today, Lilia was surprised to sense my change.

She did not get a tip, and she was asked to do house chores.

Lilia said, "Patrick, you don't like breakfast, don’t you?"

I gazed coldly at Lilia.

I shouted, "How dare you call my name! Who do you think you are?

"I am your master. You should call me Mr. Dickerson.

"And, whether I eat or not, you must prepare breakfast. Got it?"

Hearing my words, Lilia was a bit stunned.

Instead of getting a "proper" tip, she was yelled at.

Lilia didn't dare to say anything. She hurriedly went to prepare breakfast.

But when she was cooking the spaghetti, I said, "Hey, you! Why it takes so long to make breakfast?

"It's pasta, not a turkey. Are you trying to starve me to death?

"Forget it. I'll go out and eat my breakfast."

Lilia froze. Never before had she been scolded by me.

On the way out, before I got into the car, I warned her, "If you don't want to stay here, then quit.

"You can't do your job properly. We deserve better maids."

Her face was as dark as it could be.

I believed she must feel miserable.

I got into the Mercedes-Benz.

Halfway to school, I asked Jaylon, my family's driver, to buy me a sandwich.

By the time I got to school, I had finished my sandwich.

At Riverfield High School, there were only two kinds of students.

One was the top students. They were outstanding and ranked top.

Our school was proud of having those excellent students.

The others were lousy students from wealthy families, just like me.

The school couldn't run normally without the support of us.

I got out of the car and went to the front door of the school.

However, I saw Aileen and Emma standing there, looking around.

Seeing me approach, they both focused their eyes on me.

I could tell that they were both waiting for me.

In my previous life, to get Aileen to be my girlfriend, I tried all kinds of ways to please her.

I never missed one single holiday.

Whatever she wanted, I would buy it for her.

All the luxuries she didn't think of, I thought of them for her and gave them to her.

However, what I got was the destruction of my family.

She and her mother were all murderers.

They were the ones that killed my parents.

In this life, I would never let this tragedy happen again.

Aileen was the most beautiful girl in my school, and Emma was her best friend.

Two girls stopped me.

Aileen said to me, "Patrick, what do you mean?"

I didn't give a shit about her at all.

I asked, "What do you mean? By the way, who are you?

"Sorry, I'm not much for talking to the poor. I'm going to be late for the class, you know."

Both Aileen and Emma did not expect me to be so rude.

For a while, they couldn't get used to the new me.

Aileen said, "Did you yell at my mother this morning?"

I replied, "Is it wrong for a master to yell at his maid?"

Aileen was speechless.

She then said angrily, "What? Is it a big deal to be rich?

"In the end, you're still a stupid guy. People like you only rely on parents to show how high up they are.

"You're not capable of anything. You can never get good grades on your own.

"The future belongs to outstanding people like us. You are nobody."

I laughed, but then I kinda wanted to cry.

In my previous life, I loved Aileen deeply.

It was because of her words that I fell in love with her.

She was my Miss Dreamy. And it was hard to get over her.

But now, I wouldn't.

A New Me

I added, "Aileen, watch your words.

"You're the one that asks me for gifts again and again.

"I'm not a decent man, but it's you spending my money without shame.

"you said you just borrowed my money. But have you ever once paid it back?"

"Now get out of my way."

I went between Aileen and Emma and ran to class...

This was a language class.

I listened very carefully.

Actually, I was a smart boy. Teachers had said that if I worked hard, I could achieve high.

I finished learning the whole textbook after listening carefully to my teacher.

The bell rang.

Emma walked over to my desk uninvited.

She whispered, "If you're willing to buy Aileen that recently launched phone, she can forgive you for what you said to her."

I looked back at Aileen. She seemed to be slightly nervous.

I said indifferently, "You tell her that keeping her alive is already the biggest forgiveness I have for her.

"Stay as far away from me as she can. I'm sick of seeing her!"

Emma's mouth was wide open. She could not believe what I said.

I adored Aileen from freshman year to senior year, and it was known throughout the school.

Why I suddenly changed and didn't take Aileen seriously?

On the other hand, my classmates began to talk about us.

They were very loud.

"Hey, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. So let's all bet on how much money Patrick will spend on Aileen this time?"

"Tens of thousands of dollars?"

I deliberately walked out of the classroom through the crowd.

I turned around and said, "Not a single penny!"

My classmates all froze...

In the afternoon, we would have a language quiz in the first class.

We would get the score before the end of the class.

Aileen ranked, as always, first in the class. She was as good as ever.

But, surprisingly, I ranked fifteenth this time.

The teacher and my classmates were very surprised.

If I worked hard, I could make huge progress.

Because of my outstanding grades, I was moved to sit with Cynthia.

Cynthia was from a rich family, like me.

It was only that her grades stood out among the rich children.

The teacher let me sit with her, and it was a recognition of my performance.

Cynthia shook my hand and said, "Welcome, my study companion."

Cynthia was more than pretty. She was gorgeous.

She was also very easy-going and kind.

I shook her hand as well and showed my respect to her.

From the beginning of the afternoon class to the end of the evening class, I was all about "preparing" for the class.

My classmates were very surprised.

In the past, my whole mind was on Aileen.

I would either talk to her or send her a small gift.

Why had I changed my mind today? I was actually ignoring Aileen.

After the evening class, Aileen took the initiative to invite the whole class to the Rivefield Restaurant for dinner.

She said it was a celebration of Valentine's Day.

And, she came to invite me herself.

As smart as I was, I understood what she meant.

It was all a lie.

She just wanted an expensive gift from me.

And I would be the one who ended up paying the bill.

I wasn't nice to her.

I said, "Invite someone else. I have to go home and review my notes.

"You are on my way."

Aileen's eyes widened.

She stopped me again.

She then said, "Did you ignore me on purpose? Is it about the gift?"

It was funny.

I was speechless.

"What's the matter? Do I have to give you gifts?

"Who am I to you?"

Aileen didn't know how to answer my question. She had already gotten used to me being nice to her.

She took it all for granted.

I was the one who always gave unconditionally.

Anger flashed across Aileen's face.

Afterward, she said, "Alright, Patrick, it's fine if you don't go. Then you can lend me your membership card for the Riverfield Restaurant.

"OK?"

The membership card for the Riverfield Restaurant was worth at least 30 thousand dollars.

What she really meant was to let me pay for the bill.

Who said she was an innocent and outstanding girl?

She once said she would become a big shot.

And I was going to be a loser.

But now she wanted me to settle the bill?

She really wanted all.

A wave of nausea almost made me throw up.

Aileen was disgusting.

I took out my membership card and handed it to Aileen.

"Take it and stop pestering me."

Aileen snatched away the card I hadn't even handed to her.

In fact, she had no intention of pestering me at all, other than trying to take advantage of me.

In the evening, I reviewed my textbooks at home.

These books were too easy for me, and I really regretted not concentrating on my studies before.

Instead, what I thought about was Aileen.

But, thankfully, it was not too late.

It was nice to see that my mom and dad were both healthy and doing well in their careers.

It was great to have loved ones!

I put down my textbook and stretched. It was done here for now.

Then Aileen called me.

I smiled and glanced at the number on the screen, purposely picking it up and hanging it up again.

I wanted her to know that I got her call.

But, I didn't want to answer it.

Then, Aileen made five or six more calls, and I did the same thing.

I felt excited to think about Aileen's anxious appearance.

Maybe it was because I didn't answer Aileen's call, so Emma called me.

I picked it up, and it was Aileen's voice.

"Patrick, what the hell is wrong with you?

"Why do you lend me a card with no money?"

On the other side of the phone, I couldn't stop laughing.

I said, "You didn't say you had to borrow one with money?

"And why should I lend it to you?"

Aileen said in a broken voice.

"Are you kidding me? You know how embarrassed I am now?"

I sneered, "So what if I did that on purpose? Want to hit me?

"You feel embarrassed in front of your classmates. What does that have to do with me?"

Damn You

In the past, I never said a harsh word to Aileen.

So, my attitude now made Aileen unable to accept it at all.

She still believed that she was my princess as before.

In fact, I'd already given up on her. She meant nothing to me.

Aileen said, "Patrick, if you are willing to pay the bill for me, I might consider letting you hold my hand tomorrow."

I said, "I'm sorry. I'm not interested in anybody's hand."

On the other side of the phone, Aileen kept silent. I could only hear her breathing.

Aileen hadn't figured out what happened to me.

I hung up the phone without hesitation.

And then I switched it off.

Tonight, I could have a nice long sleep.

The old days had gone.

I didn't have to keep my phone on, waiting for Aileen's call, even though she wouldn't call me.

And my mood wouldn't be affected by Aileen.

The next day, I got up and went downstairs.

I saw Lilia dressed in the maid's uniform, standing at the end of the stairs waiting for me.

Seeing me coming down the stairs, Lilia greeted me with a rare smile.

However, I didn't even look at Lilia.

Lilia walked to the dining room and said, "Mr. Dickerson, I've prepared breakfast for you.

"I cooked it all."

And then she offered me her hand.

In my previous life, I would give her a huge tip.

But now, there would be nothing.

I shouted, "What do you mean by reaching out your hand?

"Want money?"

Lilia looked at me in amazement.

I sneered.

I added, "Be careful. I can chop your old paw off.

"You don't know what you do for a living? Cooking is one of your jobs.

"How dare you!"

Lilia's face darkened.

"Oh, Mr. Dickerson, I'm sorry. I'll do my job carefully, and I won't dare to ask for tips again."

I ignored that old woman.

I walked to the dining room.

I smashed all the dishes on that table to pieces.

"Hey, you! What have you cooked? It looks like trash.

"I'm wondering if you bought the food from someone to cheat our family."

Lilia said helplessly, "But, Mr. Dickerson. You haven't even tasted it, so how can you jump to conclusions and say it tastes bad?"

I cursed, "Lilia, who's the boss here, you know?

"You or me?"

Lilia's head was covered in sweat. She then said, "Of course, you."

I gasped, "Since you know, how could you disobey my words?

"Is there a problem? Or do you think you can just deal with me because you have a beautiful daughter to back you up?"

My words silenced Lilia, and she kept waving her hands to show that she had no such thoughts at all.

I said, "I'll give you one last chance. If you make another mistake, get out of our house immediately."

I reminded her again, "By the way, we recently realized that some valuable stuff was missing.

"I want them to be where they should be before the police arrive.

"Or, your wages, the money your husband uses to buy booze, and your daughter's future...

"Make sure you choose right."

Lilia couldn't stand still.

She tried to open her mouth to defend herself several times, but she couldn't find any excuses.

I could let their whole family be destroyed easily.

They wanted to rely on my family to earn a large sum of money. It was hilarious. It might be impossible for them to survive or they might even go to jail.

I got into Jaylon's car and headed for school.

On the way, I saw Aileen buying breakfast from a stall.

I was curious. Did Aileen come to buy breakfast herself?

With the money she got from me, she could live a better life than her classmates did.

She loved to show off and always asked vendors to bring her meals to school.

I told Jaylon to stop the car a short distance away.

Looking at Aileen in the car window, I thought, 'Is it because of her treat last night in the Riverfield Restaurant?

'She spent all those savings she got from me to pay the bill.

'So she has to buy breakfast herself to save money.'

Suddenly, there came a tall, handsome, and sunny boy in casual clothes. He went to the side of Aileen.

Like a butterfly, Aileen ran to the boy.

She gave the breakfast she bought to the boy.

But the boy didn't bother to take it.

However, Aileen wasn't angry at the boy's attitude.

Instead, she came up into the boy's arms and asked for a kiss.

The boy impatiently kissed Aileen on her lips.

Aileen, however, looked as if she had gotten a treasure, her face full of joy.

Then, the boy took Aileen's breakfast.

Only then did Aileen say goodbye to the boy, carrying her schoolbag with satisfaction.

Aileen was reluctant to leave.

When Aileen disappeared from the boy's view, he threw the breakfast into the trash can.

I laughed bitterly in my heart, so Aileen was also a stupid girl falling in love.

All the good I'd done to Aileen for so long, all the money I'd given her, she gave them to another boy.

She already had someone in her heart. And, she really cared about that boy.

She cared about that boy so much that she could not tell the boy didn't love her.

The most unacceptable thing was she kept it a secret from me.

She took my money for granted. But she neither refused nor accepted me.

In my previous life, I was so stupid that I was completely played by this woman.

I sighed and shook my head, telling Jaylon to drive.

Jaylon sent me to school. I got out of the car but found Aileen waiting at the school gate.

And, she was all high and mighty as if she was born to be superior to me.

Then I remembered what she did to that handsome boy. I felt sick.

Aileen blocked my way.

She said to me coquettishly, "Patrick, stop right there.

"My mom called me and said that you scolded her again this morning.

"Did you?"

I shouted angrily, "Aileen, you'd better not question me.

"Why don't you ask your mom how much valuable stuff she stole from my house?"

Aileen looked dumbfounded and argued, "No way. Although my mom is poor, she is not a thief.

"She wouldn't steal from your house. You must have wronged her."

I sneered.

"Do you want to watch the surveillance?

"As soon as I give the police the evidence, your mom will lose her job.

"And she will go to jail, too. Your whole family will have no source of income. You will be forced to drop out of school.

"Straight-A student? You can't even pay your tuition.

"Oh, no, I said it wrong. If you can take a part-time job, you'll still barely be able to pay your tuition."

Were they kidding me? If Lilia stole anything, Aileen, as her daughter, would not know?

Aileen didn't dare to fight back.

She changed the subject.

She then said, "So, about last night's bill...

"That's twelve thousand dollars in total, and you can give me the money, right?"

Aileen pretended to be rich and took the whole class to the Riverfield Restaurant.

And now she asked me for money?

She still thought I would give her money as before.

I said, "Call me Daddy, and I'll consider paying you money."