I Let Her Steal My Body,Then I Smiled

1: 1

The moment I learned my family was giving me company shares worth 300 million as my dowry, the poor scholarship student my brother sponsored suddenly announced she wanted to be my bridesmaid.

I was about to say yes when a few lines of text drifted across my vision:

Send her far away! She wants to use the bridesmaid role to trick you into eating the parasitic curse. Once you swallow it, you'll be forced to swap bodies with her, and everything you have will become hers!

She's insanely jealous of you! She's the one who framed you for cheating on the SATs!

She's also been secretly in love with your fianc for ten years, and she wants to use black magic to rewrite her fate! Just don't agree, and her whole plan falls apart!

The next second, Sophia Swanson did exactly that. She pulled out a delicate box of pastries and held it up to me, stiff and awkward.

"Millie, I couldn't afford a wedding gift, so I made your favorite sweet almond cakes by hand. They're still warm, hurry and try one!"

The captions went wild.

See! I told you I was right!

Get her out of here, and destroy that box of cakes too!

Only if you destroy the parasitic curse hidden in those cakes will everything you have stay safe!

But I didn't listen to the captions. Instead, I took the cakes at once and finished every last one without hesitation.

My family was about to go bankrupt, and to fill the hole, my parents were forcing me to marry the scum who'd bullied me.

Even when I was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer, they insisted it was just an excuse to dodge the marriage.

A life like this. If Sophia wanted it, then she could have it.

"Millie, I heard you're getting married tomorrow. Could I be your bridesmaid?"

Sophia stood in front of me, twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers, testing the waters.

I froze at that.

Sophia was the scholarship student my brother sponsored. We'd been in the same class for three years of high school, but she was shy and reserved, and the two of us weren't close.

On top of that, the bridesmaids had been chosen half a year ago. A last-minute switch would have that whole squad of girls cursing me to death.

I scratched my head. "Sorry about this, but the bridesmaids are already set"

Her eyes reddened in an instant.

"Is it because you think I'm too shabby? Are you afraid I'll embarrass you?"

I was about to explain when my brother, Otto Fox, came down from the second floor.

"Sophia traveled all this way to be your bridesmaid, and this is how you treat her? Is this how we raised you? Where are your manners?"

I rolled my eyes. "Otto, bridesmaid dresses have to be custom-made in advance. There's no time."

"You've got so many evening gowns. Just pick one, problem solved." Otto walked over and patted Sophia on the shoulder.

"Sophia, don't take it to heart. My sister's just like this, spoiled rotten, no filter."

Sophia looked up at my brother. "Otto, thank you. I don't blame Millie. I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"If I'd had everything handed to me since childhood the way she has, I'd probably find it hard to think of other people too. If it's really too much trouble, then never mind."

My mother heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen carrying a fruit tray.

"You're already here, so I'll make the call on this. Millie, don't be difficult. One more bridesmaid just makes it livelier."

"Besides, your brother has sponsored Sophia for all these years. She's practically family. Doing this to her, don't you think it stings?"

I drew in a deep breath, figured it was easier to avoid a fuss, and was about to nod.

Then a few lines of text drifted across my vision again.

Millie Fox, whatever you do, don't agree!

She isn't here to be a bridesmaid at all. She's using it as an excuse to get close to you, to trick you into eating the parasitic curse so she can swap bodies with you! And then everything you have becomes hers!

The cheat sheet in your jacket pocket during the SATs, she planted it! She's jealous of you. She wants to destroy you!

She's also been secretly in love with your fianc, Caleb Gilbert, for ten years. The moment she heard Caleb was getting engaged to you, with company shares as your dowry, she completely snapped. She got hold of the body-swap parasitic curse. She's already eaten the mother parasite, and once you eat the child parasite, she wins!

In your last life, this is exactly how you were destroyed. After the swap succeeded, she took your place as the Fox family's eldest daughter, as Mrs. Gilbert, while you were sold off to the underground casino by Sophia's gambling-addict father to pay off his debts!

So whatever you do, don't eat anything Sophia gives you!

Looking at those dense lines of captions, my mind churned.

After the SATs, I really had found a cheat sheet in my jacket, and I'd assumed it was some classmate's prank.

Thank god I hadn't worn that jacket to the exam.

But the next second, Sophia really did pull a food box out of her backpack.

"Millie, I couldn't afford an expensive gift, so I made your favorite sweet almond cakes by hand. They're still warm. Have a piece?"

The captions went berserk.

Don't eat it! There's a parasitic curse in those cakes!

Throw it out, now! Burn it if you can! This kind of parasite fears fire most of all!

I looked down at that almond cake, and suddenly I smiled.

"Sure. But I just had dinner, so I'm not hungry right now. I'll save them for a midnight snack when I get back tonight."

The captions completely lost it.

Are you insane? You know it's a trap and you're still walking into it?

Is she stupid? Wasn't the lesson from your last life enough? How do you not learn?

Forget it, she can't be saved. Typical rich girl, tiny brain, won't listen no matter what you say.

The corner of my mouth curved.

Late-stage stomach cancer, coughing up blood every day, and my parents thought I was putting on an act to dodge the marriage.

My future husband was the animal who'd bullied me back in middle school.

My brother had a theatrical personality, only bothering to play the part when he needed to use me.

Every single day I wondered when I would finally be able to escape all of it.

And now someone wanted my life?

Wonderful. Nothing could suit me better.

2: 2

Back in my room, I locked the door, opened my laptop, and logged into the brokerage account.

The forty percent stake the Fox family had put up as my dowry had transferred into my name today.

I knew it was all for show. They wanted the shares in hand so they could squeeze Caleb Gilbert at the wedding tomorrow.

I didn't care. I dumped every share.

The second the system confirmed the sale, my heart slammed against my ribs.

Three hundred million, cash in hand.

Then I hit every online loan platform I could borrow from, and messaged every fair-weather friend in my chat one by one.

"Need money fast, three-day turnaround, thirty percent monthly interest!"

With the Fox family and the Gilberts behind me, they all said yes without blinking.

Finally, I moved every last dollar into overseas accounts.

When it was done, I let out a breath.

Sophia Swanson was healthy and highly educated. The only bug in her life's script was money.

And now I'd patched it, completely.

The captions were still drifting past.

You really want to swap with Sophia?

Your life is a wreck, but it still beats hers, doesn't it? She's got a gambler for a father. You'll never shake him off!

Swapping with her? You'd be better off just running!

I laughed.

"Run where? I'm dying of stomach cancer. How far do you think I'd get?"

"Besides, you just said it yourselves. Last time, after my body got swapped, Otto and my parents knew all about it, right? What they want is an obedient puppet. Not a daughter."

"Better to gamble than stay chained to this family. A healthy body, a fresh start!"

The captions went quiet.

Once it was all done, I went out for the extra-spicy hot wings I'd been craving for ages.

After the cancer diagnosis, I'd stayed away from anything spicy.

Now? It didn't matter.

This body wouldn't be mine much longer anyway.

I ate one bite after another until my whole face flushed red and sweat beaded on my forehead.

Afterward, I wired a million to my best friend, Nora Henson.

"You wanted to study abroad, right? I'll cover the tuition. One condition though: you're not allowed at my wedding tomorrow."

Nora replied in seconds, totally baffled:"Why? Weren't you counting on me to be your bridesmaid?"

I smiled."Just had a reading done. The master says your chart's bad for going out tomorrow."

From the captions, I'd learned that last time, after Sophia took over my body, she'd handed Nora over to Caleb's bed to win his favor.

All because Nora had stood up for me at the wedding and refused to warm to her.

Nora fell into a deep depression after the humiliation, and in the end she killed herself.

This time, I was going to keep her far away from ever meeting Sophia.

I drank alone until two in the morning. On the ride home, I suddenly remembered the pet camera at the house.

I wanted to check whether my little Yuanbao had eaten properly.

The moment I opened the app and the screen lit up, I froze.

It wasn't my ragdoll cat in the frame. It was Otto and Sophia, seen from behind.

What were the two of them doing in my bedroom?

I tapped on the live audio.

Sophia's voice came through first:"When on earth is she going to eat it?"

Otto sounded irritated:"I told you, tonight as a late snack. Who knows what time she'll be back!"

"The mother parasite inside me can last one more day at most!" Sophia dropped her voice."If she eats it too late and the mother parasite dies, there's no chance at all!"

"What's the rush? She's dying of stomach cancer. She can only come crawling home. Where's she going to run?"

Sophia paused."Stomach cancer? So once we swap bodies, that disease becomes mine?"

Otto's lips curled."That was all just to fool her. A fake diagnosis. To crush any ideas she had and make her give up for good!"

"To sell it, I laced the milk she drinks before bed with diamond powder. That way she throws up blood every day and believes she's really sick."

When Sophia said nothing, Otto patted her shoulder."Relax. Once you're Millie, we'll go straight in for surgery and take the powder out. With money, what medical resources can't we get?"

"All you have to do is marry Caleb like a good girl, give him two kids, keep the company steady. Everything else, you don't have to worry about."

3: 3

I stared at my phone screen, my fingers trembling faintly.

After learning I had late-stage stomach cancer, I'd sunk into a fog. That was the reason I stopped fighting the marriage alliance.

I only had a few months left anyway.

But I never understood it. I'd always eaten clean and healthy. How could I have gotten a disease like that?

Mom and Dad didn't believe me either. They insisted I was faking the whole thing.

Now I saw it clearly. This had been Otto's scheme all along, a trap inside a trap.

The captions exploded across the screen.

Holy hell, is that something a human being would do? How did we never see how ruthless Otto was in the last life!

So the stomach cancer was fake!

Millie, it's not too late to turn back now!

I didn't react. I just went home.

If I had parents who loved me, a brother, a man who loved me the way I loved him, I'd have been willing to fight for it.

But now, all I wanted was to see them dead.

The living room light was still on when I got home.

Otto saw me come in and held out a glass of milk. Eat the cakes already. If Sophia finds out you still haven't touched them, she'll start reading into it again.

I took the milk. It's too late now, they'll sit heavy on my stomach. I'll eat them tomorrow.

Otto frowned. Don't forget, then. A few little cakes, and you have to keep putting it off?

I smiled. You know my stomach's bad. Relax, I'll definitely eat them tomorrow.

Otto stared at me for a couple of seconds. Fine. Go to bed early, you have to get up for hair and makeup.

I nodded, and when he wasn't looking, I poured the milk out the bedroom window.

The next morning they dragged me up at five for makeup.

The makeup artist clicked her tongue admiringly at my face. Miss Fox, your skin is gorgeous. Barely needs any concealer.

I smiled and said nothing.

After all, this face was about to be ruined.

Nine thirty in the morning. Half an hour before the wedding officially began.

I sat in the waiting room with my eyes closed, resting.

Sophia pushed the door open in a hurry, a box of cakes in her hand. Millie, didn't you say you'd eat the cakes today? Otto said you forgot, so he had me bring them over specially.

The captions went wild.

Don't eat it! Unless the host dies, the body-swap curse can't be reversed!

There's no undo button in life, Millie!

The curse was that absolute? Perfect. Exactly what I wanted.

I ignored the captions, took the box of cakes, and picked one up and bit into it right in front of Sophia.

A moment later I felt something wriggle down my throat and into my stomach.

Then I ate a second cake, and a third.

The look on Sophia's face shifted from expectation to pure elation.

She suddenly leaned in close and dropped her voice. Millie, do you know what you just ate?

I played dumb. Sweet almond cakes

Wrong. She smiled. It's the curse. The child parasite is already inside you, and the mother parasite is inside me. Half an hour from now, we'll swap bodies. And then I'll be Millie Fox, and you, you'll only ever be Sophia

She stared at me, waiting for me to scream, to fall apart, to drop to my knees and beg.

But I didn't.

I just leaned back in the makeup chair and looked at her. Oh, really? Well, congratulations.

Sophia's smile froze.

You're not scared?

Scared of what?

You're not afraid I'll take everything from you? Your company shares, your parents, your fianc

Of course I am. I forced out two tears. Sophia, can't you take the curse out? Please

4: 4

She was clearly delighted by the state of me, laughing so hard her whole body shook. "Millie Fox, so even you have days like this. Do you have any idea how much I hate you?"

"Same age, same everything, and somehow you got to be the little princess while I got beaten by my dad? Three years of high school, I clawed my way into the school I wanted. You? Your grades were barely good enough for community college, but you got to go abroad to polish yourself up!"

"And Caleb." She ground the name out through her teeth. "I've loved him for ten years. Why does he get to marry you, some pretty face and nothing else? Because your families match? He was obviously bewitched by you!"

"And on top of that, you actually handed me your old clothes, the ones you didn't want anymore! Were you pitying me or insulting me?"

It came back to me then. I had given Sophia a few dresses.

They were brand new, tags still on. I'd peeled the tags off myself, afraid the prices would make her uncomfortable.

So in her eyes, that was charity.

"Are you finished?" I looked at her.

"Since you want my life so badly," I said, picking up the fruit knife off the table slowly, "then let me give it to you."

Sophia's face changed. "What are you doing?"

I didn't answer. I aimed the knife at my own face and dragged it down, hard.

The skin split open, blood spattering across the white wedding dress, the pain twisting my mouth into a snarl.

Sophia shrieked, "Are you insane? That's the face I wanted!"

A second ago I was just a pretty face. Now suddenly it was the face she wanted. So false.

I ignored her and cut a second time, then a third.

Slashes crossing every direction, deep enough to reach bone.

Then I lifted the pot of chili oil from the table, still boiling, opened my mouth, and poured it down.

Sophia lunged to grab the knife, her eyes wild enough to split at the corners.

"Millie Fox, you bitch! You've ruined my plan, I'm going to kill you!"

I was watching the clock. Thirty seconds left.

"Sophia." My face was covered in blood, and I smiled at her. "Didn't you want to be the Fox heiress? I'm handing it to you, and now you want to kill me?"

"Plus Mom and Dad, my brother, Caleb, I'm so curious. Without this face, do you still have any use to them at all?"

I glanced at the mirror on the vanity. Flesh and blood, unrecognizable. Even surgery couldn't bring it back now.

Sophia stared at me, shaking all over, frozen where she stood.

The next second, the whole room spun.

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in front of the mirror, and in the mirror was Sophia's face, clean, untouched, not a scratch on it.

I turned around. The real Sophia, wearing my face, was rushing at me with the fruit knife raised.

Blood smeared across her whole face, her eyes full of nothing but the will to kill.

"The curse only reverses if the host dies!"

My expression shifted. I quickly tore at the gown on me, mussed my hair, yanked open the lounge door, and bolted out.

The wedding hall was packed with guests. I ran and screamed at the same time. "Help! Millie Fox has lost her mind! She destroyed her own face to get out of the wedding, and now she wants to kill me to keep me quiet!"

I wanted to see exactly how the Fox family planned to clean up this mess.