Chapter 3

Tiffany' s smile widened, full of satisfaction and a hint of condescension.

She thought I was just another easy mark.

Another poor, desperate girl she could wrap around her little finger.

"Don't worry about it, Chloe," she said, already typing quickly on her keyboard. "That's what friends are for."

The air in the room felt thick with her arrogance. She didn't even try to hide the fact that she was doing everything herself. She took my driver's license, snapped a picture of it with her phone, and input my social security number without a second thought.

She was so sure of her power, so certain that I was helpless.

"Okay, I'm applying for the max amount for you," she said, her eyes glued to the screen. "Twenty thousand. You should be good with that for a while."

Twenty thousand. Double what she offered the first time. The greed was already showing.

"There's a small processing fee," she added, not looking at me. "Five hundred dollars. You can just Venmo it to me. It's to, you know, expedite the application."

I knew that fee went straight into her pocket. It was the first toll on the road to hell she was building for me.

In my first life, I scraped together that five hundred from my meager savings, a painful sacrifice that left me with almost nothing.

This time, it was an investment.

I pulled out my phone and sent her the money without hesitation.

"Done," I said.

She glanced at her phone when the notification came through, a quick, greedy little smirk flashing across her face before she hid it.

"Perfect. The money should be in your account within 24 hours," she declared, closing her laptop with a decisive snap.

Later that week, Tiffany invited me to a party at an off-campus fraternity house. I knew it was a test, a way for her to show off her new pet project.

The place was packed with loud music, drunk students, and the smell of cheap beer. Tiffany was in her element, moving through the crowd like she owned the place.

She introduced me to her friends, a group of girls who looked just like her-rich, entitled, and mean.

One of them, a blonde named Jessica, looked me up and down with a sneer.

"So you're the charity case," she said loud enough for everyone around us to hear.

Tiffany laughed, a high, tinkling sound that grated on my nerves. "Be nice, Jess. Chloe's just getting a little help from the family."

"I heard your family's 'help' comes with a high price," another girl chimed in, winking at Tiffany.

They all laughed.

I felt the familiar sting of humiliation, the same feeling that had haunted me in my past life.

But this time, it didn't break me. It fueled me.

I forced a small, nervous smile. I played the part of the embarrassed, grateful poor girl perfectly.

I let them mock me, let them think they were winning.

Later in the evening, when Tiffany was a few drinks in and feeling particularly powerful, I pulled her aside.

"Hey, Tiffany," I started, keeping my voice low and a little hesitant. "I was just wondering... that loan thing is amazing. I know so many people back home who could use help like this."

Her eyes lit up with interest.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," I said, looking at the floor like I was nervous to even ask. "They're all good people, just... you know, struggling. Farmers, small business owners. Is there, like, a commission or something? If I bring in more customers for your family's company?"

I held my breath. This was the moment. The hook for my entire plan.

Tiffany stared at me for a second, a calculating look in her eyes. She was probably wondering if I was smart enough to think of this on my own.

Jessica, who had sidled up next to us, let out a loud, braying laugh.

"A commission? Oh, that's cute. You want to be a little loan shark now, Chloe?" she sneered.

Tiffany waved her off, a smug smile playing on her lips. She saw an opportunity. Not just to make more money, but to tie me even deeper into her scheme. If I was a recruiter, I'd be just as guilty as she was.

"Actually," Tiffany said, turning her full attention to me. "That's a great idea. You're showing some real initiative."

She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Let's say... for every new person you sign up, I'll give you a ten percent cut of their processing fee. And a five percent kickback on the loan's first interest payment."

It was a garbage offer, designed to give me crumbs while she and her family took the whole cake.

It was also exactly what I needed. A formal agreement. A promise.

"Wow," I said, my voice full of fake awe. "Really? That would be incredible."

"Just send me their info, and I'll handle the rest," she said, patting my arm. "You just focus on bringing in the names. We're going to make a lot of money together, Chloe."

She and Jessica exchanged a look over my head, a look of pure, predatory glee.

They thought they were setting a trap for me.

They had no idea they had just walked right into mine.