Chapter 1

"Your money makes me sick," Iris Blackwell snapped, hurling the black bank card straight at my face.

The card's edge sliced across my cheekbone, making me hiss in pain.

I opened my eyes to her face, etched with coldness and contempt.

It was exactly like in my previous life, when she and Silas Pemberton, her first crush, shoved me off the rooftop together.

This time, I didn't bother to make excuses like an idiot.

I bent down, picked up the card from the floor, wiped off the dust, and said coolly, "Fine, as you wish."

*****

I died.

I died in the suffocating heat of Aurelian's summer, shoved off the rooftop of the thirty-third floor. My body sliced through the air and finally smashed onto a black Bentley below.

The one who did this to me was Iris Blackwell, the poor student I'd personally supported for five years, and her childhood sweetheart, Silas Pemberton.

As my consciousness slipped away, I saw Iris curled up in Silas's arms, looking down at me with cold, superior eyes.

Her voice was cold as ice. "Caine, you're a money-grubbing upstart. You never deserved me. You used your cash to break us up and ruin my happiness. Now it's payback time."

I was such a fool. I thought five years of devotion would win her heart.

I thought paying her tuition, scraping together 15 thousand for her mom's surgery, and turning her from a poor girl into the campus queen at Veritas University was kindness.

But to them, it was evidence that I ruined their love.

Regret and icy despair consumed me.

*****

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Iris again, trapped in the same moment.

Inside the lavish suite at Pax Hotel, she threw the bank card loaded with 1.5 million right at my face. "Caine, we're done. Your money disgusts me."

In my previous life, her words struck me like thunder. I begged her, desperate to know what I'd done wrong. All I got was crueler mockery and scheming from her and Silas.

But now, I had time-traveled. With the icy chill of falling from that rooftop still clinging to me, I came back to the thirty minutes before everything went to hell.

The sting on my cheek was a brutal reminder: this was all real.

I stared at Iris. She was dressed in the white Chanel dress I'd bought her, the Cartier necklace I'd paid for hanging around her neck, her makeup flawless. Yet with the purest tone, she spat out the most poisonous words.

She thought I'd freak out, lose my head, and bend over backwards to please her like before. But I was not that fool anymore.

I calmly picked up the bank card from the floor and slipped it into my pocket. "Fine," I said, my tone cool.

Iris froze. All the accusations and blame she'd been ready to throw at me suddenly got stuck in her throat.

For the first time ever, real shock flashed in her beautiful eyes.

What was wrong? Was she uncomfortable that I didn't act out her script?

Iris frowned, annoyance creeping into her voice. "Caine, what do you mean by that? You think I'm joking with you?"

"No." I pulled out a tissue and wiped the scratch on my cheek from her nails. "You want to break up? Fine. My money disgusts you? I'll take it back. Any problem with that?"

Iris's expression shifted dramatically. She probably never imagined that the Caine who used to obey her every whim would speak to her in such a calm, almost cold tone.

She bit her lip, and her eyes immediately reddened. "Caine, do you think I can't live without you? Are you trying to force me like this?"

She was pulling the same trick again. She was born to twist the truth like this.

I couldn't be bothered to waste another word on her. I stood up. "Iris, from now on, we're nothing to each other.

"The clothes you're wearing, the necklace around your neck, the 15 thousand for your mom's surgery, and the 4.2 million I've spent on you these past five years? Consider it all as a waste."

"Don't ever come looking for me again." With that, I turned and walked away, zero hesitation, zero regrets.

Behind me, Iris screamed in disbelief, "Caine, stop right there."

I didn't glance back. Iris could enjoy her so-called pure love without me. This time, I would make sure she and her scumbag boyfriend get a taste of every bit of hell I went through in my previous life.

As soon as I walked out of Pax Hotel, I pulled out my phone and dialed. "Hello, is this Luna? It's Caine Roth. I need your help with something."

A cool, professional female voice answered, "Mr. Roth, I'm listening."

"Draft a gift revocation agreement for me, and audit all financial transactions under my name related to Iris. I want every cent recovered," I said.

In my previous life, I treated them well. This time, they were nothing to me.

The woman on the other end was Luna Whitmore, the top lawyer in Bund Quarter. She specialized in financial disputes, and everyone called her the Undefeated Queen.

She wasn't only top-tier at her job, but also had such a stunning figure that no one could look away. At 5'9" with those outrageous curves, every business suit she puts on looks like it was custom-made by a world-class designer.

In my previous life, after I died, she handled my estate. She had a hunch something was fishy about my death, but sadly, she never found any proof.

This time, she was the sharpest weapon in my arsenal for revenge.

Luna's voice was unfazed, still cool as ever. "Understood, Mr. Roth. Should I get started on pre-litigation asset preservation?"

"Absolutely," I replied, no hesitation. "Freeze every bank account under her name, and lock down the apartment she's living in. It's mine, and I want it taken back right now."

"Got it. The documents will be sent to your email in half an hour," she replied.

After hanging up, I let out a long, slow breath.

It felt like all that rage in my chest finally had somewhere to go after that call.

My phone buzzed. It was my best friend, Fenton Vane. "Caine, where are you? The crew's ready for tonight at the bar. We're waiting on you."

Fenton was the only friend I had. His family ran a chain of supermarkets. He was a classic rich kid, but honestly, he had more sense than anyone else I knew.

Back in my previous life, he warned me more than once. Iris wasn't as innocent as she looked. He told me to keep my guard up.

But I was too stupid, totally blinded by love, and I ignored him.

"Same old place, bar at Whitmore Hall No. 3. Wait for me," I said.

*****

Half an hour later, I met up with Fenton.

When he saw the scratch on my face, he blew up. "Holy shit, Caine, what happened to your face? Did you and Iris get into another fight? Wait, did she actually hit you?"

I took a swig of whiskey, and the cold liquid slid down my throat. "We broke up."

Fenton froze for a second, then broke into a huge grin. "You broke up? For real? Holy shit. You finally saw the light? About damn time."

He slapped my shoulder so hard that I thought my wound might split open.

"She brought it up," I said, my voice flat.

Fenton's grin froze, then turned worried. "She asked for it? Damn, you must be feeling awful right now. No way, man, tonight, I'm sticking with you. We're getting hammered, no excuses."

I shook my head and looked at him. "Fenton, I'm fine."

My eyes were so calm that it actually made Fenton uneasy.

He leaned in, studying me. "Something's off. You're not yourself. Before, a fight with her was like your world was ending. But today, you are so calm. It's as if you have become a completely different person."

Of course, I had become a completely different person. That Caine was gone. He died up there on that rooftop.

I didn't bother explaining. I finished my drink in one go. "Fenton, do me a favor."

"Say the word," he replied.

"Help me dig up some info on Silas. He's in the computer science department at Veritas University, and he's from the same hometown as Iris," I said.

Fenton frowned. "Why are you looking into him? I know that guy. He's like a fly buzzing around Iris all the time, and he's always talking trash about you behind your back."

"I want everything on him," I said, my voice icy. "Including that startup project he's working on."

In my previous life, Silas used a so-called AI Precision Marketing project to scam 3 million in startup funds out of me. Then, he turned around and used that money to hire someone to stage the accident that ended my life.

This time, I would make sure his dreams turn into a nightmare he would never escape.

Fenton shivered when he saw the cold glint in my eyes. He didn't ask any more questions. "Alright, leave it to me. But Caine, are you really okay?"

I forced a bitter smile. "I'm fine. Never felt better."