Her Rebirth.

Amelia slumped on the queen-sized bed with a sigh. After leaving the Cosgrove house, she had booked a hotel to stay in for the time being while she looked for an apartment to rent.

However, she had a problem. Since the city the Cosgroves lived in was made up mostly of elites, everything was just too freaking expensive.

She had gotten the cheapest hotel there was, and it still cost $1,500 per night.

Well, she wouldn't have batted an eye at the price if not for the fact that she only had $20,000 to spare.

She had set the $20,000 aside for immediate expenses, while the $200,000 Mason had sent her remained untouched in another account, meant strictly for rent and survival while she adjusted.

That meant she could only afford twelve days in this hotel, with $2,000 left for food and other necessities.

Not ideal.

But rent wasn't the only issue.

She needed a job.

However, the degree the original Amelia had gotten wasn't the most convenient.

To escape spending four years in college, the original Amelia had gone to a top fashion school instead and spent only two years there. While Mason Cosgrove had been quite displeased with it, he didn't make a big fuss about it since she wasn't the heir anyway, so he really didn't care what she did with her life.

Amelia let out another long sigh as her body curled up.

Well, she was tired now. She would think about the rest tomorrow.

...

Amelia walked into the dimly lit restaurant, dark circles etched under her eyes.

One week.

One whole damn week, and still, no job.

She had never experienced this kind of thing before.

Not as Amelia Valemont.

Not as Amelia Cosgrove.

In both lives, almost everything was handed to her on a silver platter. Now, she was experiencing firsthand what it meant to struggle and she wasn't enjoying it one bit.

She placed an order with the waitress and leaned back in her chair, waiting.

Then, the doors swung open, and a very familiar figure strutted in arrogantly.

It was a young woman with sleek, bobbed brown hair and hazel eyes, wrapped in a luxurious fur coat, a Chanel bag dangling from her arm. She held her head high, her expression smug.

Amelia's gaze briefly flickered to her before moving away.

She recognized the lady, how could she not?

She was Amelia Cosgrove's arch-nemesis as well as one of Lilac's biggest admirers, Sera Langford. She and Amelia had fought more than five times, which, more often than not, always led to pulling of hair and biting of each other's flesh.

However, Amelia currently did not wish to partake in such today. She was exhausted, mentally and physically.

However, it seemed like the heavens had turned their backs on her prayers, as it wasn't long before she saw Sera standing in front of her table, looking down arrogantly at her.

Amelia let out a long, inward sigh.

Here we go.

Sera folded her arms and said with a snicker, "Word got around that you were kicked out."

Amelia took a sip of water, unimpressed.

Sera's smirk widened. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen! The great Amelia Cosgrove, reduced to a homeless rat. It's just... pitiful."

Amelia hummed, nodding absently. "Oh, poor me."

Sera's expression faltered.

That wasn't the reaction she had been expecting.

Her brows furrowed. "Well, it was about time. This is just karma for how you always bullied Lilac!"

"Oh," Amelia responded blandly.

Sera: "...?"

The waiter arrived with Amelia's food, and without a care, she began eating, utterly ignoring Sera's presence.

Sera's hands clenched. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. Amelia was supposed to snap, cause a scene, get humiliated, and be thrown out.

But instead, she was just... sitting there. Eating.

Had being homeless affected her brain?

Sera's temper flared. She slammed her hand on the table. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Amelia's face twitched slightly in irritation.

She had tried to be patient. She had had enough. She had thought that ignoring Sera would make her eventually get tired and go away, but Sera was really getting annoying.

She set her fork down, finally looking up.

"Can you please stop being a nuisance and leave?" Amelia said coldly.

Sera's eyes widened slightly, then they switched to one filled with disdain. "Oh? Are you angry now? Did I finally touch a nerve?"

Amelia exhaled, tilting her head lazily. "Not really. I just find it incredibly sad that you have nothing better to do than pick fights with a 'homeless rat' like me. I must be far more interesting than I thought."

Sera's lips parted, but no words came out.

She actually had no response.

Sera bit her lip. She couldn't accept defeat—not like this. How could she let this hateful person humiliate her?

Sera suddenly reached into her designer bag, pulled out a wad of cash, and threw it directly at Amelia's face.

Bills fluttered onto the table.

"Since you're homeless," Sera sneered, "it's only right that I help the needy."

The restaurant fell into silence, and some diners turned excitedly to watch the drama.

For a moment, Amelia simply stared at the money scattered across the table.

Sera's lips tilted up proudly.

Can't say anything now, can you?

But then, something unexpected happened.

Amelia smiled.

Not an embarrassed smile. Not an angry one.

A genuine, amused smile.

"Finally," Amelia sighed, collecting the money neatly. "You're finally showing some use, Sera. I was beginning to think you were hopeless."

Sera gawked. "What—?"

Amelia counted the money, her fingers flipping through the crisp bills.

"Two thousand dollars," she muttered. "Not bad."

Sera could only watch in stunned silence as Amelia took some of the money and handed it to the waitress to pay for her meal.

The waitress, seemingly unaffected by the chaos, took the money and nodded. "Thank you, miss."

Sera's face twisted in disbelief.

This....this wasn't what was supposed to happen! Amelia was supposed to be humiliated!

Yet here she was, happily taking the money as if it were a gift.

Amelia stood up gracefully, slipping the remaining bills into her purse. Then, as she passed Sera, she leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.

"For your generosity, let me return the favor." Amelia's tone was soft, almost kind. "Be wary of Lilac, Sera."

Sera blinked. "What?"

Amelia smiled faintly.

"Your fiancé might just be next."

And with that, she walked out of the restaurant, leaving Sera confused and flabbergasted.