Cara opened her eyes to find an endless stretch of pitch darkness before her, while her nasal cavity was assailed by the revolting stench of alcohol, which hung in the air like an invisible mist.
Her sharp senses, developed over the years as a prominent tech mogul, made her aware that her surrounding ambiance was different from the world she was used to.
She maneuvered around the room using her hands, successfully searching for the light switch.
A low buzz emanated from the chandelier, followed by a snowy white light that illuminated the entire room.
Studying everything with a slight scowl, Cara was fully convinced she was no longer in the world she once lived in.
Her eyes wandered to the fully drawn curtains, down to the empty wine bottles scattered across the room, as well as the cigarette butts carelessly strewn on the floor.
Everything gave Cara insight into the persona of the room's owner.
Suddenly, myriads of memory fragments flooded her mind, making her wince in pain as her dainty hands involuntarily found their way to the sides of her head in support until the pain gave way to clarity.
She meticulously combed through the onslaught of memories until she eventually came to a crucial conclusion.
She had been reborn!
The original owner of this body was coincidentally named Cara Smith, a surname that elicited envy from most in the same wealth circle or lower, due to the family's riches and backing.
Nonetheless, despite being born into a wealthy family, the body's original owner was incredibly dumb.
She was a typical spoiled girl who refused to learn anything, to the point where she could not understand many simple words or the simplest game of life, despite being in high school.
She was widely known as a deadbeat and a target of mockery for wealthy families during their leisure time, a character used as a bad example by parents to their daughters.
However, the Smith family accidentally discovered that Cara was not their biological daughter, due to an accidental switch at birth in the hospital.
As shocking as the discovery was, the Smith family heaved a sigh of relief as they swiftly made elaborate preparations for their real daughter to come take her rightful place, considering that they never liked Cara, and their dislike intensified after the revelation.
Their real daughter was named Isha Michaels.
She was gentle, polite, and talented, a classic model child whose comparison to Cara was like a phoenix being compared with a duckling.
Cara Smith and Isha Michaels studied in the same school where the latter was, unsurprisingly, extremely popular.
She was tagged as the most beautiful girl in the school and received numerous international awards to go with her good looks.
Cara brought her mind back to the present and realized today was the day Isha was supposed to return home. To mark the occasion, the Smith family threw a grand banquet and invited their numerous relatives and good friends from rich and powerful families to celebrate with them.
Cara thought about how their switched lives would return to their proper paths as she processed her emotions and got ready to take a shower.
She sniffed at her body and noticed it emitted a pungent smell of alcohol and sweat as she made her way to the closet, scrunching up her nose in disgust.
However, she was startled by the kind of clothes she saw inside: ranging from plunging necklines, ultra-short shorts, studded pants, fishnet stockings, and the like.
It made her wonder what kind of person Cara was as she searched for a long while but was unable to find a single piece of decent clothing. Hence, she decided not to take a shower for the time being and put on a long-sleeve top over her attire, feeling somewhat embarrassed as she made her way down the stairs with her heavy makeup.
"Mom, Dad," she greeted as she approached her supposed parents, ignoring the guests who glared at her.
It was Isha's banquet, and the guests all wondered why a lowly dog like her would make an appearance, indignant at the fact she called the Smiths so fondly. They thought her to be truly shameless as they gossiped amongst themselves in hushed whispers, their voices raised enough for her to hear the babble of criticism and cold, merciless remarks akin to sharp blades. Yet, not the slightest change in Cara's facial expression could be seen as she remained aloof and held her head high.
Mrs. Smith swallowed her disgust and gave a perfunctory smile, pulling Isha, who stood a little distance away, to her side.
“Cara. Allow me to introduce you to your elder sister, Isha. You're both siblings and must be nice to each other henceforth.”
Cara, adept at human psychology, studied Mrs. Smith's body language and saw the resentment hidden behind her actions. She smiled and glanced at Isha.
“Hello.”
Isha, however, pretended not to hear her as she looked at Mrs. Smith with teary eyes.
“Mom, I only have two older brothers. If she is your daughter, what does that make me?”