The Stardom She Spurned, I Turned to a Galaxy

Because I took an opportunity the heroine tossed aside, a stream of comments scrolling before my eyes branded me the “Life Thief.” Now, in my second life, the heroine is fighting tooth and nail for everything. And the comment stream is gloating. 【This time, our girl’s life won’t be stolen!】 But for someone who’s been reborn, she hasn’t learned a single thing, has she? … When I opened my eyes, I was twenty again. A fresh college graduate, sitting in the lobby of the Pierce Corporation for a job interview. I stared at my young, smooth hands, a wave of shock and elation washing over me. The next second, a series of glowing comments floated past my vision. 【Ugh, the first life was so disgusting to watch!】 【I know, right? How did that thief steal all of the heroine’s opportunities?】 【Thank God for rebirth! Now our girl can finally protect the life that was meant to be hers!】 … I watched the comments scroll by, utterly baffled. Heroine? Thief? What were they talking about? It took me a moment to piece it together. The “thieving side character” was me. And their precious “heroine” was Isabelle Price. My gaze drifted across the hallway. Isabelle was sitting right there, looking around with the same dazed confusion as me. I realized it instantly. She had been reborn, too. 【Why is the thief staring at our heroine?】 【She probably noticed her acting weird after being reborn.】 【Oh no! Don’t tell me she’s going to steal her opportunities again! I’m gonna puke!】 … That one glance unleashed a flood of dozens of new comments, some of them shockingly vulgar. The more I read, the angrier I got. Who were these people? And when had I ever stolen anything from Isabelle Price? Just then, Isabelle stood up and walked toward me. I watched her approach, my guard instantly up. We’d had a few interactions in our past life, but we were never close. Now, the way she was looking at me sent an uncomfortable chill down my spine. “Stella,” she began, her voice dripping with arrogance. “We meet again.” “This time, I won’t be giving up the opportunities that rightfully belong to me. You should probably just go home. Don’t waste your time here.” She finished with a sigh, her expression shifting to one of pity. “Although, I suppose the you of right now wouldn’t understand any of this.” Then, without another word, she turned and walked into the interview room, leaving me completely bewildered. She meant I’d stolen her opportunities in our past life? A few incidents immediately came to mind. But if I remembered correctly… Weren’t those the opportunities she had thrown away herself? In our past life, just like today, we had both interviewed for the same position at the Pierce Corporation. I was rejected. Disappointed, I was heading home when the HR manager came chasing after me, telling me to stay. Overjoyed and confused, I followed her back, only to listen to her vent the entire way. According to her, Isabelle and I had scored almost identically in the final round. But since Isabelle was a local, they had decided to give the offer to her. The problem was, as soon as Isabelle found out she’d gotten the job, she demanded an outrageously high starting salary. She said she was worth it. The HR manager tried to reason with her, explaining the company’s incentive programs for new talent and pointing out that her demand was far above the industry standard for a recent graduate. But Isabelle wouldn’t budge. She issued an ultimatum: either they met her price, or she would walk. The HR manager was so exasperated that she just gave in, agreed to the terms, and showed her the door as fast as she could. And just like that, the opportunity to work at Pierce Corp fell into my lap. So, that was me stealing from her? She had torpedoed her own chances! I finally understood the HR manager’s frustration. The sheer audacity of it gave me a stomachache. The comments continued their relentless scroll. 【LOL, look at the thief’s face! She looks so pissed!】 【Useless trash! I love seeing her get owned!】 【Thieves should just die! I hate it when someone steals what isn’t theirs!】 … Like idol, like fan, I guess. I almost laughed out of sheer anger. I was so disgusted I didn’t even know how to respond. Just as I was stewing in my own indignation, Isabelle emerged from the interview room. She looked calm and composed, which only made me feel worse, like I’d swallowed a fly. The truth was, she wasn’t incompetent. The HR manager in our past life had admitted that our interview performances were neck and neck. As long as she didn’t act like a lunatic, the job was likely hers. Of course, I wasn’t a naive college grad anymore. This position at Pierce wasn’t the be-all and end-all for me now. But the thought of her and that comment stream gloating was a bitter pill to swallow. Case in point, they were already celebrating in my face. 【Perfect! Our girl nailed it this time!】 【Amazing! Her reactions and answers were almost identical to the last life!】 【Looks like the thief is out of luck!】 … But what they said made me pause. Nailed it? Identical to the last life? Seriously, girl? A second chance at life, and you haven’t learned a single thing? You’re just running the same old plays? “Stella Reed? We’re ready for you.” The HR manager’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Coming,” I replied, instantly pushing all thoughts of Isabelle out of my mind. In my previous life, I had worked my way up from the bottom to become the Vice President of the Pierce Corporation. I knew every gear in that machine, every flaw, every inefficiency. My biggest regret was that I hadn’t been able to push the company to even greater heights. I had thought Isabelle’s interference would cost me that chance in this life. But since she had shown zero growth… Then I would be the one to correct the regrets of my past. As I walked into the office, I saw Isabelle shoot me a triumphant, mocking smile. She wouldn’t be smiling for long. My interview was a resounding success. An understatement, actually. The HR manager’s eyes lit up as I spoke, and she repeatedly told me I was exactly the kind of talent Pierce Corp needed. I was more than satisfied with my own performance. My answers were sharper, more insightful than they had been even in my first life. But the moment I stepped out of the room, my good mood evaporated. Isabelle was looking at me with that same pitying expression. “You tried your best, Stella,” she said slowly. “But it’s a shame. This position can only be mine.” I really, truly wanted to ask her how she managed to be so incredibly smug. But the comment stream interrupted me again. 【In the last life, the thief stole the heroine’s job, and she ended up miserable.】 【It’s finally the thief’s turn to suffer this time, right?】 【Hehe, I can’t wait to see the thief fail.】 … A hot flash of anger surged through me. What was wrong with these people? Wasn’t Isabelle the one who was so confident that if Pierce Corp didn’t want her, some other company would snap her up? She was the one who screwed up, lost her job, and now she was blaming me? What did I even do? Oh, right. I was being called a thief precisely because I hadn’t done anything. If I actually had, they’d probably want me drawn and quartered. The thought, strangely, calmed me down. I ignored Isabelle completely and returned to my seat. I was seething, but this was a corporate office. Starting a brawl wasn’t the best look. Besides, the most satisfying revenge would be the look on her face when the HR manager announced the final decision. I couldn’t wait to see it. While my darker thoughts churned, the interviews continued. The number of applicants was huge, mainly because the heir to the Pierce Corporation, Adrian Pierce, had just officially taken the reins. A new boss always meant big changes. He needed a loyal team to shake things up and clean house. Everyone was hoping to get in on the ground floor of the new era. And this heir, Adrian Pierce… Happened to be my husband in my past life. Just then, the door to the conference room opened, pulling me from my thoughts. But it wasn’t the HR manager who emerged. It was a tall, lean man in a tailored suit. His gaze was sharp, his features severe. As his eyes swept across the waiting area, the air grew thick, and everyone seemed to hold their breath. There was no mistaking him. It was the heir himself, Adrian Pierce. 【Wait, why is the male lead here???】 【Could it be because our heroine did so well?】 【That has to be it! The thief won’t be able to steal the male lead this time!】 … As another round of comments flew by, my brow furrowed. What did that mean? Adrian and Isabelle had some kind of history too? My gaze, when it landed on Adrian, was instantly filled with scorn. Tainted goods. Not interested. For some reason, our eyes met. His widened for a fraction of a second, a look of utter confusion on his face. He clearly didn’t understand the derision in my stare. I coolly looked away. Whatever. Let’s just see how this plays out. “Ahem.” Adrian cleared his throat. “Good afternoon. I assume you all know who I am, so I’ll skip the introductions.” “I have two announcements to make.” “First, after reviewing the final round of interviews, we have decided to extend an offer to only one candidate.” His voice was a low baritone, but it made every heart in the room pound. I stared at his lips, trying to read the name before he said it. But the name that came out was… “…Isabelle Price.” The comment stream exploded. 【HAHAHA! It’s our girl! Of course it is!】 【Ahhh, so satisfying! I can finally breathe again!】 【Look at the thief’s face! God, I love it! More! More!】 … Isabelle stood up, a picture of demure grace, and shot me a glance over her shoulder. The meaning in her eyes was unmistakable. Pure, unadulterated gloating. But I didn’t feel hurt. Instead, a wave of profound disappointment in Adrian washed over me. My analysis during the interview had cut straight to the core of Pierce Corp’s problems—many of the points were insights that Adrian and I had spent years developing together in our past life. And yet, he still chose her. I immediately stood up and turned to leave. If Pierce Corp didn’t choose me, there was no reason to stay. But just as I reached the door, Adrian’s voice stopped me. “Miss Reed. You can’t leave yet.” “I’d like to discuss the points you made during your interview in greater detail. Would you care to join me in my office?” I turned back. What I saw was Adrian’s sincere, expectant expression. And Isabelle’s face, contorted with shock and venomous hatred.