After Death, I Gave Up

After getting fired from my company, I returned to the countryside, spending my days playing rummy with my grandmother, but my entire family went insane, searching for me everywhere.

It was because my younger sister, the family's prodigy jewelry designer, couldn't come up with a single design after I left.

In my previous life, at the National Jewelry Design Competition, she managed to produce designs identical to mine before I even finished mine.

Everyone assumed I had copied her work. Even my own family testified in her favor.

The company accused me of misconduct and plagiarism, claiming my actions had tarnished their reputation. I was fired on the spot and ordered to pay a huge fine.

My family, seeing me as nothing but a burden, threw me out of the house.

Crushed by the weight of family betrayal and public judgment, I fell into depression, only to be killed on the street by one of my sister's obsessive fans.

As my consciousness faded, I couldn't understand why my sister managed to create the exact same design before I did.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day I just signed up for the National Jewelry Design Competition.

Shadows of the Past

"Charlotte, do you feel confident about this competition?"

The chatter in the office snapped me back to reality.

And then, it hit me that I had been reborn.

"Charlotte has won the company's Outstanding Designer Award several times in a row. How could she not be confident?"

Her shoulder bumped mine as she smiled warmly.

Her words left me momentarily speechless. Only I knew what awaited me.

In my previous life, I had poured days of effort into my designs for the National Jewelry Design Competition, only to have them accused of plagiarism at the event.

The organizers displayed two identical design drafts, every line of the patterns matched perfectly, but the other one had been turned in first.

It belonged to my own sister, Melody Sutton.

She stood in the crowd, eyes red, staring at me in disbelief.

Grabbing the microphone beside her, she demanded loudly, "Charlotte, why did you copy my work? If you couldn't come up with a design, I could have helped you find inspiration, but why steal mine?"

I froze. That was my design, safely stored on my computer, never shown to anyone.

I opened my mouth to explain, but the crowd erupted.

"Plagiarist! Get out!"

"How dare you submit a stolen design? Bold move."

"Someone like this doesn't deserve to be a designer. Ugh!"

I snatched a microphone, trying to defend myself, but hardly anyone believed me.

Then, my parents displayed photos of Melody working late into the night on her designs, claiming they regretted having a daughter like me and that they would disown me.

Nobody believed me anymore.

Security escorted me out. My phone buzzed nonstop with hateful messages.

I checked my computer and found no viruses or remote access. Every sketch, every note, every draft was with me. There was no way anything had leaked. So, why did Melody's design match mine exactly?

Every line, every idea, every sketch had come from me, painstakingly drawn by hand. I could never have copied her.

"Charlotte, I heard your sister is entering this competition too. Who do you think will take first place?"

Not long after I joined the company, Melody somehow ended up at the same place.

Fear clenched my chest when I heard her question. My fists were so tight that it felt like my palms might break open.