Stealing My Fortune Enjoy Your Ten Years in Prison!

In my past life, I finally saved up a $500,000 down payment for my dream home. When I swiped my card at the sales office, the agent looked at me and said my balance was only $50. I checked my transaction history, confronted the bank, and called the police, but everyone treated me like a lunatic. Because every single charge on my bank statement was crystal clear. Yet, I was living frugally—I had never spent a single penny of that money! When I told my coworkers, instead of sympathy, they scrolled through my statement and sneered. A few toxic male colleagues even mocked me: "Look at Luke, dropping thousands at VIP nightclubs at three in the morning. That’s the exact price of an overnight high-end escort!" No matter how desperately I explained, no one believed me. I posted my story anonymously online, only for commenters to accuse me of making up fake drama to gain followers and sell junk. Only one user left a serious comment: "Watch the people around you. See if someone’s spending matches your exact bank charges." I paid close attention. Soon, I discovered that our department's newest intern, Trent, had charges that mirrored my card’s deductions down to the cent. Once I was certain, I confronted Trent directly. He just laughed in my face. He claimed I had squandered my own money and was crazy enough to pin it on him. He even turned the entire office against me and had me committed to a psychiatric hospital. I suffered there for two agonizing years. Unable to bear the torture any longer, I finally escaped and jumped into the freezing river. When I opened my eyes again, I was back—on the day right before I was supposed to buy that apartment. The first thing I did after waking up was open my mobile banking app. Sure enough, my balance was just $50. My thoughts cleared instantly. At this point in time, my money had already been transferred into Trent's account through whatever twisted trick he used. I wanted nothing more than to tear him apart, but I remembered the heartbreaking image of my parents’ hair turning white overnight after my death. Impulse in my past life had cost me everything. Repeating it would only lead to the same ruin. Just then, our department manager, Sarah, called me over. "Luke, this new client is a tough nut to crack, but the commission is five grand! Don't say I never look out for you!" My throat bobbed, and I swallowed hard on instinct. Five thousand dollars. That was enough to cover a month’s rent with plenty to spare. Yet, I turned it down. "Thanks, Sarah. But I’m not taking on any new clients for the next month." Ignoring her stunned expression, I turned and walked out of her office. The thin walls offered zero privacy, so everyone outside heard every word. Instantly, whispers broke out across the floor. "Luke is our top sales rep! He used to snatch up every lead, but today he just passed on one?" "Not just today—did you hear him? He said he’s not taking any for the entire month!" Tuning out the gossip, I opened DoorDash. I ordered a venti iced Americano, draining the last $50 from my card. In my previous life, I wouldn’t even spend four bucks on a fast-food drink. To make a name for myself in this ridiculously expensive city, I had literally risked my life working. I stayed up until two or three in the morning following up with clients, woke up before sunrise, and squeezed into crowded subway trains like a sardine for two hours just to clock in on time. Being late once meant a fifty-dollar penalty. That was nearly a week’s worth of groceries for me. My only dream was to buy an apartment near the office, even if it was just a tiny three-hundred-square-foot studio. Every payday, I kept only three hundred dollars for basic survival. The rest went straight into savings. And yet, the $500,000 I broke my back to save had somehow ended up in someone else's pocket! Suddenly, the office door flew open with a loud thud. "Listen up, everyone! Lunch is on me today!" Trent’s obnoxious voice echoed across the room. His face was flushed with excitement, and a brand-new Swiss watch gleamed on his wrist. He strutted in like a lottery winner swimming in cash. "We’re going to The Grand Regency! Order whatever you want!" The office erupted, and colleagues swarmed around him. "Trent, did you strike gold?" "Did you score a sugar mama or something?" I didn't move. Holding my coffee, I stared at him with cold, venomous eyes. Because I knew every single dime he was flashing was mine. Surrounded by the crowd, Trent waved his hand, putting on a modest front. "Oh, come on, I just bought a random lottery ticket a couple of days ago and hit a little jackpot." A nosy coworker immediately pressed, "How much did you win?"Trent glanced in my direction, a smug smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Not much," he said nonchalantly. "Just a few hundred thousand." "Damn—" A collective gasp rippled through the office. A few hundred grand was a life-changing fortune for regular workers like us. I noticed, however, that from the second Trent walked in, his eyes kept darting back to me. He was watching me like a scientist observing a lab rat. He was waiting to see if I had realized my bank card had been drained dry. I swallowed the burning rage in my chest and bit back the accusations on the tip of my tongue. Now was not the time to alert him. I stood up, putting on an easy, almost envious smile. "Trent, congratulations! You've got to share some of that good luck with me." Seeing me act completely normal, surprise flickered across his eyes, followed by a quiet sigh of relief. He clearly thought I was still in the dark about my missing savings. As lunchtime approached, Leo, who sat beside me, leaned in. "Luke, didn't you say you'd go look at apartments once you had enough for the down payment? When are you going? I'll tag along." At the mention of the apartment, my hands clenched so hard my fingernails dug into my palms. I loosened my grip quickly, keeping my face smooth and unbothered. "No rush," I replied. "I lost my ID a few days ago, and replacing it takes time. Besides, real estate prices are dipping right now. Better to wait and see." The moment I finished speaking, I felt another gaze lock onto me. It was Trent. He was staring at me again, an unmistakable gleam of triumph in his eyes. Trent had only joined our firm two months ago as an intern. He was five-foot-seven, chubby, plain-looking, and dead last in sales performance. In our cutthroat department, where looks and revenue ruled, he should have stayed at the very bottom of the food chain. Yet in my past life, this exact loser used my $500,000 to get full-body liposuction and extensive plastic surgery. He reinvented himself into a glamorous, wealthy bachelor. Then, he used my own money to buy off our colleagues, teamed up with a few female coworkers, and had me dragged into an asylum under the excuse that I had lost my mind. Remembering the two years of hell I spent in that asylum, I took a deep, steadying breath. At noon, Trent dragged everyone to The Grand Regency, boldly telling us we could order anything. I didn't hold back. I flipped the menu open and pointed directly to the most expensive pages. "King crab. The biggest one you have." "Australian lobster sashimi." "Pan-seared foie gras." "And bring me an order of premium caviar." With every dish I ordered, the expressions around the table grew more shocked. Leo tugged at my sleeve, whispering, "Luke, isn't this... a bit too extravagant?" I smiled at him without a word. Spending my own damn money could never be considered extravagant. Trent’s cheek twitched violently, but with everyone watching, he had to force a tight smile. "It's fine! Luke is our top earner. He works harder than anyone, so he deserves a feast." He grinned through gritted teeth. "Eat up, so you can keep working hard and closing deals for our team!" Before I could answer, a coworker chimed in: "Oh, Trent, you weren't here this morning so you don't know—Luke told Sarah that he's taking a break. No new clients for the next month." The table instantly fell silent. I casually dabbed my lips with a napkin and looked up at Trent. The smile on his face froze, cracking piece by piece. "What did you say?" He glared at me, his voice pitching high and sharp: "Luke, why are you stopping?" "What do you mean you're not taking clients?"Meeting Trent’s furious, burning eyes, I slowly curled my lips into a smirk. "Why are you so worked up over me taking a break?" The other coworkers exchanged glances, their thirst for office gossip visibly sparking. "Yeah, Trent," Leo chimed in. "Luke isn't even stressed about it. Why are you freaking out?" "Seriously. Anyone watching would think you were the one losing business." Their remarks acted like a bucket of ice water, snapping Trent out of his panic. The fury melted off his face, replaced by a strained mask of deep concern. "I... I'm just looking out for Luke!" He raised his voice, desperate to sound sincere. "Didn't you say you were only a few deals away from your down payment? Leads for The Grand South Residences are so rare! Stepping back now means losing a ton of cash! I just hate seeing you miss out!" He looked on the verge of tears, delivering an Oscar-worthy performance. I chuckled. "I'm just tired. I need some rest." I picked up a lobster tail and peeled it leisurely. "Besides," I paused, looking straight into his eyes with an innocent smile, "didn't you just hit the jackpot? Hundreds of thousands of dollars. If I end up short on my down payment... you wouldn't mind lending me a bit, right?" The air froze again. All eyes instantly locked onto Trent. Every drop of color drained from his face. His lips trembled, but not a single sound came out. I chewed the lobster meat slowly and added with an easy tone: "Our generous Trent definitely wouldn't say no, right?" Cornered under the scrutiny of the entire team, he had no choice. Through clenched teeth, he squeezed out a few words. "O-Of course I wouldn't." Terrified that I might actually ask for cash, he quickly tacked on, "Though... it wasn't really that much. Just... some pocket change." I glanced at the designer Celine shirt he was wearing, the limited-edition Swiss watch on his wrist, and the banquet spread in front of us that could feed an average person for six months. He was right. My $500,000 wasn't going to last long at the rate he was blowing through it. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Before leaving, I told the waiter to box up the untouched king crab and lobster. A couple of coworkers muttered behind my back. "God, packing up leftovers from someone else's treat? How tacky." "Seriously, acting like he's never seen food before. So embarrassing." I heard them, but I didn't care. I simply beamed at Trent. "Trent, thanks for spending so much. It'd be a waste to leave all this great food behind. You don't mind if I take it home, do you?" Trent’s face looked like a bruised palette of colors. In front of the crowd, he could only grit his teeth and nod. "No... not at all." Back at the office, I casually slid the takeout boxes into the communal fridge, completely ignoring the judgmental stares. That afternoon, I knocked on the payroll office door. "Rachel, I need to request an advance on half of my monthly pay." Rachel looked up from her desk. "Company policy requires the manager's sign-off, and all payouts happen at the end of the month via direct deposit." I handed her a signed form I had prepared earlier. "Sarah already approved it." "And I don't want a bank transfer." "I want cash." If my bank account was being magically siphoned off, cash was the only safe bet. An hour later, I was back at my desk, clutching a thick envelope of bills. It held fifteen thousand dollars—my base pay for this month plus a chunk of last month’s commission. I tucked the envelope into the deepest inner pocket of my backpack and zipped it tight. In my previous life, losing that half a million was the start of my descent into hell. In this life, I would rebuild everything starting with this fifteen grand. Yet before my seat was even warm—not even five minutes later— My right eyelid began to twitch wildly without warning. Thump. Thump. Thump. Each pulse was harder than the last. A crushing wave of dread gripped my heart! I frantically unzipped my backpack and reached into the inner compartment— Empty! The envelope was still there, but the thick stack of hundred-dollar bills was gone! My blood ran cold, and the hairs on my arms stood on end. I never expected Trent’s method of siphoning my funds to have zero limits! Was he trying to cut off every single path of survival for me? I looked over at Trent across the room. A sly, triumphant smirk flitted across his face. I squeezed my fists tight. Good thing I had already figured out how to checkmate him!