Part 1My Nemesis Thinks I'm Dead

My high school nemesis, Lucas Vance, became my younger brother's direct supervisor.

He recognized my brother and frequently asked him about me, both intentionally and unintentionally.

My brother knew perfectly well that Lucas and I hated each other's guts back in school.

To avoid getting caught in the crossfire and facing Lucas's wrath,

my idiot brother panicked and told him I died in a car crash.

That entire day, Lucas took the elevator to the wrong floors, burned himself pouring hot water, and stapled his own hand.

He practically had "distracted and terrified" stamped on his forehead.

My brother saw right through it. "Sis, he's just scared you're gonna haunt him tonight."

Yet, that very night, a message from him popped up on my long-abandoned Facebook account.

[If there's a next life, I will definitely tell you I love you sooner.]

Me: "?"

Is he insane?

* * *

When Leo got home from work, he was holding my favorite strawberry shortcake.

Seeing me mopping the floor, he eagerly rushed over.

"Sis, let your little bro handle this. You rest."

He snatched the mop from my hands and started vigorously mopping the floor.

He hadn't even taken off his briefcase yet.

I leaned against the wall, eyeing him suspiciously.

After he finished mopping, panting heavily, and put the mop away, I dashed forward and put him in a headlock.

"Tell me the truth, kid. What kind of lies have you been feeding Lucas about me now?"

Leo patted my arm, his eyes rolling back. "Let go, Sis, let go first."

I released him.

Leo took a massive gasp of air.

Then, under my intense glare, he dropped to his knees with a loud thud.

I jumped, startled. Just as I was about to speak, I heard his incredibly soft voice: "Sis, for the sake of your brother's future career, could you maybe... die for a little bit?"

Me: "?"

Leo's direct supervisor, Lucas Vance, was my high school classmate.

But not just any classmate.

We were sworn enemies, completely incompatible.

We couldn't stand the sight of each other. In high school, we had a minor argument every three days and a major blowout every five. Everyone knew it.

Leo looks a lot like me, and since he's only a year younger, we went to the same high school. He came to find me for lunch every day, so most of my classmates had seen him at some point.

Therefore, the moment Lucas was transferred from headquarters, he recognized him immediately.

He constantly asked Leo about me.

Even though I explicitly forbade Leo from revealing a single detail.

But my idiot brother let everything go in one ear and out the other.

To suck up to his boss, he sold me out a long time ago.

And over time, he figured out a pattern.

Lucas and I didn't get along, so naturally, hearing that I was doing poorly would put him in a good mood.

The last time I caught him, I overheard Leo talking to Lucas on the phone.

He thought I wasn't home and had him on speaker.

"My sister has been in a terrible mood lately."

Lucas's interest peaked. "Oh? What happened?"

"Ah, it's hard to say, but it's you, Lucas, you're not an outsider." Leo feigned hesitation, then let out a long sigh.

"My sister broke up with her boyfriend."

The other end was silent for a few seconds. His tone couldn't hide his curiosity. "Oh? How did that happen?"

"My sister has terrible taste in men. The guy she was dating was absolute trash. They hadn't even been together a month, and he cheated on her. She caught him in bed..."

He really knew how to spin a tale.

When I pushed the door open and glared at him, he still had a smug look on his face.

The result was entirely predictable: I beat him so badly he couldn't get out of bed.

So this time, the moment I saw Leo's sycophantic behavior, I knew he had definitely done something to wrong me.

Under my relentless interrogation.

Leo's head almost touched the floor.

"Sis, my brain short-circuited... I said you died... in a car crash."

Pfft—

I spat out a mouthful of water.

My eyes went wide as I turned to look at him.

Leo scrambled two meters away. "Sis, I'm sorry! But don't get mad yet! There are two sides to every story! Lucas thinks you're dead, so he won't ever ask me about you again! And..."

His eyes darted around. "Maybe in the dead of night, he'll feel so guilty about bullying you that he'll slap himself!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

Lucas? If he didn't pop champagne at midnight to celebrate, it would be a miracle.