Fight Fire with Fire

The moment I opened my eyes, I was back. Back to the day Sophie promised to buy the entire class a set of Labubus.

Id never forget this scene. Not in a million lifetimes. In my past life, this was the exact moment my world shattered and plunged into darkness.

Sophie, my roommate, had secretly stolen my black card. She was parading it around, boasting that she was taking everyone on a shopping spree for the new limited-edition Labubus. Pick whatever you want, shed said.

She had no idea that Labubu was my familys brand. That my mother was the CEO of the world's largest designer toy conglomerate.

In my past life, she used that card to rack up an insane bill, saddling me with a mountain of debt I couldn't explain and turning me into a pariah.

When I confronted her, she collapsed into my boyfriend's arms, sobbing, "Aria, how could you blame me just because you can't handle your own spending problem?"

Later, on my way to the bank to get the transaction records, Sophie ran me down with her car.

The most chilling part? My entire class testified against me, claiming Id faked the accident out of jealousy.

This time, as Sophie's boastful promise echoed in the room, I knew what was coming. I knew the panic that would seize her when the class chose the ultra-rare diamond editions, each worth a staggering fifty million dollars, bringing the total to over a billion.

"Listen up, everyone! The new Labubu line drops tomorrow. We're all going to the flagship store, and it's my treat. Pick whatever you like."

Sophies chin was held high, her voice bouncing off the dorm room walls.

A tremor shot through me.

I was really back. Back to the day my personal hell began.

Sophie swayed over, linking her arm with mine in a show of friendship.

"Aria, honey, I heard that flagship store is VIP-only. Doesn't your bank card have some kind of priority access? Let me borrow it so I can get everyone in without waiting in line."

The exact same excuse she used before.

My mother, wanting me to experience a normal college life, had given me a special supplementary card. It had a modest daily limit on the surface, but it was secretly linked to her corporate account's highest level of clearance.

Last time, Sophie had used the excuse of "borrowing" it, only to steal it and go on a wild shopping spree, maxing out what she thought was the limit.

The debt made me the laughingstock of the campus, cementing my reputation as a "gold digger."

When I confronted her, shed cried and thrown herself into the arms of Mark, my boyfriend of three years.

"Aria, I know your family doesn't have much, but you can't just accuse me of theft because you can't pay your bills."

And Mark hed slapped me, calling me a vain, materialistic bitch.

On my way to the bank for proof, Sophie's car had slammed into me. She hadn't stopped. Shed reversed and run me over again, and again, until I stopped breathing.

As a ghost, Id watched Mark and my classmates lie for her, telling the police I was a desperate scam artist who'd thrown myself in front of her car.

My mother, who was overseas on business, was devastated. By the time she uncovered the truth, Sophies family had already smuggled her out of the country. The grief and rage made my mother sick.

The memory made my blood boil. I wanted to tear the woman in front of me to pieces.

I swallowed my rage and looked at Sophie's perfectly fake smile.

"My card? I don't have it with me."

Mark was sprawled in my desk chair, glued to his game.

Without looking up, he scoffed, "Don't be a spoilsport, Aria. Sophies being generous. The least your useless card can do is be helpful for once."

He stood up, snatched the bag hanging from my bedpost, and dumped everything onto my mattress.

His eyes landed on the black card. He tossed it to Sophie.

"Here, Sophie. Go ahead. Don't mind this cheapskate."

Sophie beamed, pressing herself against Mark. "You're the best, Mark. I hope Aria isn't mad."

Marks face was soft with affection for her, but when he turned to me, his eyes were full of disgust.

"What is your problem, Aria? Its just a card. Get over yourself."

I walked toward him.

CRACK!

The sound of my hand connecting with his cheek echoed in the sudden silence of the room. Id put every ounce of my strength into it.

In the stunned silence, I smoothly plucked the card from Sophie's grasp.

"What gives you the right to touch my things, Mark?"

He cupped his cheek, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Aria! Are you insane? You're a scholarship kid living on financial aid. You dare hit me?"

CRACK!

Another slap, this time on his other cheek.

"Do I need to make an appointment?"

"Aria, how could you hit Mark!"

Sophie immediately threw herself in front of him, her eyes welling with tears. "It's all my fault, I'm the one who wanted the card. Please don't be mad at him. If you have to hit someone, hit me."

She was a picture of tragic beauty.

I let out a cold laugh and, without hesitation, slapped her across the face.

"As you wish."

"And save the act. Youre not fooling anyone."

Sophie clutched her face, her eyes wide with shock.

Marks eyes went bloodshot. He lunged forward and shoved me, hard.

I stumbled back, the corner of the metal bed frame digging into my lower back, a searing pain that made me break out in a cold sweat.

"Aria! Don't push your luck! What right do you have to hit Sophie? She's the kindest person I know!"

I clutched my back, staring him down. "She was asking for it!"

Our other roommates gathered around, their voices a chorus of condemnation.

"Aria, that's so out of line. Sophie was trying to do something nice, and you attack her just because you won't lend her a card?"

Sophie was sobbing hysterically, clinging to Mark's arm. "Mark, don't blame her. It must be because she's poor it makes her insecure. But I swear, there's nothing going on between us."

Mark was completely taken in, pulling her into a protective embrace. "Sophie, you're just too pure. That's why vultures like her take advantage of you."

He glared at me, his gaze dripping with contempt. "Aria, drop the ghetto attitude. Give Sophie the card and apologize. Now. Or we're done."

I almost laughed. How had I been so blind?

"Done? I'd love nothing more!" I announced. "Mark, consider yourself dumped!"

Sophie feigned shock. "Aria, don't be rash! You two have been together for three years, you can't just throw that away!"

Then her expression shifted to one of magnanimous charity.

"How about this, Aria. You lend me the card, and all the loyalty points from tomorrow's shopping spree can go to you. I heard VIP cards like this can rack up enough points to redeem for rare collectibles. You could sell one for tens of thousands. See? It's a win-win for you."

Mark chimed in, "Shes giving you a way out, Aria. Don't be an idiot. Hand over the card."

I smirked. "My card. My rules. And I'm not lending it."

A flash of venom crossed Sophie's eyes.

"Aria, I just really want everyone in our class to have a Labubu they love. If you just lend me the card, I'll even throw in one of the newest blind boxes for you, personally. How about that?"

The other girls in the room started to pressure me.

"Come on, Aria, that's a great deal. You get points and a freebie."

Mark added snidely, "You just wanted a bigger piece of the pie, didn't you? Take the deal and stop being pathetic."

I scanned their greedy, foolish faces. In my past life, every one of them had lied to seal my fate.

"Are you all deaf? I said no."

A murderous glint flickered in Sophies eyes before vanishing.

The next second, she was wiping away tears and turning to a group of students from another class who had just walked in. Her voice was the epitome of heartbroken innocence.

"I'm so sorry, everyone. I promised Id treat you all to Labubus tomorrow, but Aria won't lend me her VIP card, so we can't use the priority access. I've broken my promise."

With that, she covered her face and wilted into Marks arms.

Mark, burning with righteous fury, looked at me as if he wanted to kill me.

He stormed over and slapped me viciously across the face.

"You bitch, Aria!"

He followed it with a sharp kick to my stomach.

I crumpled to the floor, pain exploding in my abdomen.

Mark stood over me, snarling, "You did this on purpose, didn't you? You can't stand that Sophie is popular! You've always been jealous that she has more money and more friends than you!"

His words riled up the crowd. Their promised free-for-all was gone.

A girl grabbed a glass bottle from a desk and hurled it at my head. "You're disgusting, Aria! We finally had a chance to get a limited edition, and you ruined it!"

Then, someone splashed the dregs of last nights coffee on my face. Others followed, throwing whatever trash they could find at me.

I was a mess, covered in sticky, foul-smelling garbage.

But the hatred inside me erupted.

I surged to my feet, grabbed a nearby chair, and hurled it into the crowd.

"GET OUT! ALL OF YOU!"

The chair crashed to the floor with a deafening bang, startling everyone into silence.

"Aria, you're crazy!"

Ignoring the throbbing pain, I pulled out my phone and dialed 911.

"Yes, I'm being attacked by a group of people. The address is"

The mention of police sent Mark into a panic. He lunged, snatched my phone, and slammed it onto the ground.

The screen shattered.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Aria! It was just a joke between classmates! Are you trying to ruin everyone's lives?"

I stared at him, my voice ice. "You had the guts to attack me. I have the guts to call the cops."

Ten minutes later, the police and our student advisor arrived.

But it was my word against everyone else's. They all stuck to the same story: I'd had some kind of breakdown and was making false accusations. The advisor, eager to sweep it under the rug, vaguely supported their claims.

Despite my protests, with no clear evidence, the police simply gave a lecture on getting along and left.

They weren't punished, but at least the immediate danger was over.

As I was leaving, I noticed the zipper on my backpack had been tampered with.

A cold knot formed in my stomach.

I said nothing. I just went back to my apartment.

After a long shower, I took out the black card and examined it closely.

It was a fake.

Sophie had swapped them.

It must have happened during the chaos, when they were all surrounding me. She'd planned it all along, provoking me to create a diversion so she could make the switch. I thought I had taken my card back, but the real one was already in her hands.

If she succeeded tomorrow, Id be right back where I started in my last life, buried under a mountain of debt.

Not this time. This time, there would be no escape.

I picked up my spare phone and dialed a number.

"Ms. Ross, is everything alright?" It was Andrew, my mother's chief of staff.

"Andrew, my card's been stolen by a classmate."

"What?" His voice instantly sharpened. "Are you safe?"

"I'm fine. But the thief is planning to use it at the downtown flagship store tomorrow. She thinks it has an unlimited line of credit."

Andrew understood immediately. "I'll contact the bank and have the card frozen at once."

"No," I cut in. "Andrew, don't freeze it."

"Why not?"

I took a deep breath and laid out my plan. "They want to play? Let's play. Andrew, I need you to contact the manager of the flagship store. Tomorrow, I want the Eternal Diamond Collection placed in the most prominent display in the entire store."

Andrew audibly gasped. "The Eternal Diamond Collection that's the ten-year anniversary series. Only one hundred were ever made, each one covered in VVS-grade natural diamonds. They're fifty million dollars a piece."

"Ms. Ross, are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely sure. They want to buy Labubus? Fine. Let them buy the best."

After hanging up, I allowed myself a small smile.

My card had a security protocol. Any single-day transaction total exceeding one hundred million dollars required biometric verification from the cardholdermy iris and my fingerprint.

Sophie thought she was holding a key to an endless vault. She had no idea that the vault had a final lock only I could open.

Last time, her spending spree hadn't hit that threshold, so the transaction went through.

Sophie. Mark. Tomorrow, you're going to learn what the word "priceless" really means.

The next day, I went to the Labubu flagship store downtown.

I took a seat in the second-floor caf, at a table overlooking the entire showroom floor.

Before long, Sophie, Mark, and the rest of the classa loud, boisterous group of over thirty peoplepoured into the store.

Sophie, dressed in a designer knockoff, clung to Marks arm, beaming with self-importance.

She brandished my black card at a sales associate. "My aunt works for your corporate office," she lied smoothly. "She said this card gets us VIP access."

The associate glanced at the card, and her eyes widened slightly. She immediately radioed the manager.

The manager himself came out to greet them, leading them with practiced deference to the central VIP display.

"Distinguished guests, you've arrived at the perfect time. We've just received a shipment from our archival collection."

The class erupted in oohs and aahs. "Wow, Sophie, you're so well-connected!"

Sophie soaked in the praise. "It's nothing. Please, everyone, pick whatever you like. Don't be shy."

The manager smiled and hit a switch.

Lights illuminated a row of figures, each shimmering under a bulletproof glass dome. They were Labubus, but unlike any they had ever seen. Crafted from the finest flocked vinyl, their eyes were rare black diamonds, and their bodies were encrusted with a glittering array of pink and white diamonds.

The entire class was stunned into silence.

"Is is that a Labubu? Are those real diamonds?"

Even Sophie was taken aback. She was vain, but not stupid enough to mistake these for ordinary toys. But with the black card in her hand, she felt invincible.

To save face, she forced a laugh. "Of course they are. This is the special collection I arranged for you all. Why settle for the regular stuff when you can have the best?"

Mark wrapped his arms around her. "Sophie, you're incredible!"

"Its just money," she said, waving a dismissive hand. "Come on, everyone, pick one out."

With a collective cheer, the students swarmed the displays.

The manager, ever so helpful, began carefully placing each selected diamond Labubu into a specially designed, heavily padded case.

From my perch upstairs, I watched the feeding frenzy.

Thirty-two classmates, plus Sophie and Mark. Thirty-four in total.

I walked down the stairs, timing my path to intersect with theirs.

Mark spotted me, a sneer instantly forming on his face. "Well, well, look who it is. Aria. You here to buy a Labubu? Or just to window shop?"

I glanced at the diamond-encrusted figure in his hands. "Be careful with that," I said calmly. "It's... delicate."

Nothing set Mark off more than my condescension.

"What do you know about luxury, Aria? Don't act all high and mighty."

To show off, he tossed the Labubu a few inches into the air and caught it. "See? Sophie can afford it. We can play with it."

Sophie giggled. "Don't mind her, Mark. She's probably never seen anything this expensive before. It's just a toy. If it breaks, it breaks."

I just shook my head. "If you say so. You must be very rich."

My apparent submission only fueled Mark's arrogance. He glanced at Sophie, wanting to impress her.

"Watch this, Aria!" he shouted. "This is what real money looks like!"

And with a grand, theatrical motion, he hurled the diamond Labubu down onto the marble floor.