REBIRTH TO CHANGE MY FATE

5

Chapter 5: Unexpected Complications

Jake Morrison stood outside the upscale bistro on Fifth Street, checking his phone for the third time. Grace had texted an hour ago saying she couldn't make it due to a work emergency, but that Maya would meet him instead. The lottery money still felt surreal in his bank account—thirty-seven thousand dollars that had transformed him from desperate to hopeful overnight.

A sleek black BMW pulled up to the curb, and Maya Rodriguez emerged from the passenger seat. Behind her stepped another woman—tall, elegant, with striking auburn hair and designer clothes that screamed expensive taste. She moved with the confidence of someone who had never worried about rent money.

"Jake!" Maya called out, waving him over. "This is my friend Sofia Ross. Grace couldn't make it, so I brought reinforcement."

Sofia extended a perfectly manicured hand, her green eyes scanning Jake from head to toe with obvious disappointment. "So you're the lottery winner Maya's been telling me about."

"That's me," Jake replied, shaking her hand briefly.

Sofia's smile was polite but cold. "Interesting. You're not quite what I expected from someone who just won fifty thousand dollars."

"What were you expecting?" Jake asked, already sensing the judgment in her tone.

"Someone with better... presentation," Sofia said, gesturing vaguely at his casual outfit. "I mean, you're wearing a t-shirt that has seen better days and jeans with holes in them. If I had just come into that kind of money, I'd at least invest in a decent wardrobe."

Maya laughed nervously. "Sofia's in fashion marketing. She notices these things."

"Clearly," Jake muttered, leading them toward the restaurant entrance.

Inside the dimly lit bistro, they were seated at a corner table with soft jazz playing in the background. Jake had specifically chosen this place because it struck a balance between nice and not intimidatingly expensive—though Sofia's expression suggested she found it beneath her standards.

"This is... quaint," Sofia observed, opening her menu with barely concealed disdain. "Very... neighborhood-y."

"The food's supposed to be excellent," Jake said defensively.

"I'm sure it is," Sofia replied with the tone of someone humoring a child. "So Maya tells me you're unemployed? That must be challenging."

"It was," Jake emphasized the past tense. "Things are looking up now."

Maya jumped in excitedly. "Actually, Jake has an interview tomorrow at Stellar International Corporation. Grace set it up for him."

Sofia's demeanor shifted instantly, her disinterest replaced by sharp attention. "Stellar International? That's Frank Zhao's company. I know Frank quite well—we move in similar social circles."

Of course you do, Jake thought, remembering his painful encounter with Frank and Sarah the night before.

"What position are you interviewing for?" Sofia asked, leaning forward with newfound interest.

"Logistics department, entry level," Jake replied.

Sofia's face fell slightly. "Oh. Entry level." She paused, then added with false brightness, "Well, everyone has to start somewhere, I suppose."

"Exactly," Maya said, missing Sofia's condescension entirely. "Jake's going to work his way up. With his lottery winnings, he can afford to take his time and really focus on building a career."

"How... admirable," Sofia said, her voice dripping with barely concealed mockery. "Though I have to ask, Jake—what's your long-term plan? I mean, thirty-seven thousand dollars sounds like a lot, but it won't last forever. Especially not in this economy."

Jake felt his jaw tighten. "I plan to be smart with it."

"Smart how?" Sofia pressed. "Investments? Real estate? Or are you just going to blow it on dinners and new clothes?"

"Sofia," Maya warned, sensing the tension building.

"What? I'm just being practical," Sofia continued, her smile sharp as a knife. "I've seen too many people come into sudden money and waste it because they don't understand how wealth actually works. No offense, Jake, but winning the lottery doesn't make you financially sophisticated."

"And what makes you so sophisticated?" Jake asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

Sofia laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "Well, for starters, I didn't need to win the lottery to afford dinner at a decent restaurant. I earned my success through hard work and smart choices, not dumb luck."

The waiter approached their table, clearly sensing the tension. "Are you folks ready to order?"

"Actually," Jake said, standing abruptly and throwing several twenties on the table, "I just remembered I have somewhere else to be."

Sofia looked genuinely shocked. "Excuse me?"

"Enjoy your dinner," Jake said coldly. "Maya, tell Grace I'm sorry I missed her."

As he walked away, Jake could hear Sofia's voice rising behind him: "Well, that was incredibly rude! Maya, your friend has serious issues with basic social etiquette!"

Fuck her and fuck her opinions, Jake thought as he pushed through the restaurant doors into the cool evening air. Some people aren't worth the effort.

The twenty-minute walk home gave Jake time to cool down, but his mood darkened again when he climbed the stairs to his apartment building and heard raised voices coming from Grace's unit.

"—told you a hundred times, Danny! The divorce papers were filed six months ago!"

"Filing papers doesn't mean shit until they're finalized!" a man's voice shouted back. "This is still my apartment too!"

Jake hesitated outside Grace's door, recognizing the distress in her voice. Through the thin walls, he could hear furniture being moved around and Grace's protests growing more desperate.

"You can't just show up here drunk and demand to move back in!"

"Watch me! I've been sleeping in my car for three weeks because of you!"

Jake knocked firmly on the door. "Grace? Everything okay?"

The voices inside went silent. After a moment, Grace opened the door, her face flushed and her hair disheveled. Behind her stood a man in his mid-forties with bloodshot eyes and the swollen features of someone who'd been drinking heavily for weeks.

"Jake," Grace said quietly. "This is Danny, my... my husband."

Danny stepped forward aggressively. "And who the fuck are you supposed to be?"

"A friend," Jake replied evenly. "Grace, are you alright?"

"She's fine," Danny snapped. "This is between me and my wife, so why don't you mind your own goddamn business?"

"When you're screaming at her, it becomes my business," Jake said, moving protectively closer to Grace.

Danny's face twisted with rage. "Oh, I see what this is. Grace, you're fucking this loser now? Is that why you want the divorce?"

"Danny, stop it!" Grace pleaded. "Jake's just a tenant here!"

"Bullshit!" Danny grabbed Grace's arm roughly. "You think I'm stupid?"

That was enough for Jake. He stepped forward and shoved Danny away from Grace. "Get your hands off her."

Danny swung wildly, his fist connecting with Jake's jaw in a burst of pain and stars. Jake stumbled backward but recovered quickly, tackling Danny to the ground. They rolled across Grace's living room floor, knocking over a lamp and scattering magazines.

"Stop it! Both of you, stop!" Grace screamed.

Jake pinned Danny down, his fist raised, when Grace's voice cut through his rage. "Please, Jake! Don't!"

He looked up to see Grace crying, her hands pressed to her mouth in horror. The sight of her tears deflated his anger instantly.

Danny struggled beneath him, breathing heavily. "Get off me, you piece of shit!"

Jake released him and stood up, wiping blood from his split lip. Danny climbed to his feet unsteadily, his shirt torn and his pride clearly wounded.

"Danny, please," Grace said through her tears. "Just leave. We can talk about this when you're sober."

"I'm not going anywhere," Danny said stubbornly. "This is my home too, and I have rights."

Grace looked between the two men, her shoulders sagging with defeat. "Fine. You can stay for a month. One month, Danny. But you sleep on the couch, and if you drink or cause any more trouble, I'm calling the police."

"Grace, you don't have to do this," Jake protested.

"Yes, I do," Grace said quietly. "He's right about his legal rights. Until the divorce is final..." She trailed off, looking exhausted.

"I'll take the floor," Grace added. "Danny can have the couch."

"Like hell," Jake said. "If anyone's sleeping on the floor, it should be him."

Danny sneered. "Mind your own business, hero. This doesn't concern you."