Chapter 2

Luna was as efficient as always. By the next morning, I had already received all the legal documents from her, along with the court's asset freeze order.

Every single bank account under Iris's name was frozen. The luxury apartment she was living in at Luminae, with a monthly rent of 10 thousand that I was paying for, had its lease terminated immediately after the landlord received a legal notice from Luna.

I could almost picture the look on Iris's face when she tried to use the supplementary card I gave her at a luxury store, only to be told there was no money left.

Right on cue, at ten in the morning, Iris called. I didn't bother picking up.

She was relentless, calling again and again. Fed up, I blocked her.

Soon enough, an unknown number popped up on my phone.

I answered, and Iris's voice burst through, high-pitched and frantic. "Caine, what are you playing at? Why are all my cards frozen?" She sounded nothing like her usual sweet, fake self.

"Literally," I said, keeping my voice cool. "The money was always mine. I don't feel like sharing anymore, so I'm pulling it back."

"You bastard," Iris shrieked. "We're done, and you're playing games with me? Is this your way of getting back at me?"

Honestly, who was really the one refusing to let go here? And who spent my money, then turned around and called it gross?

I gave a short laugh. "Iris, you're confused. This isn't about clinging. This is about reclaiming what's mine. Every cent you spent was a gift from me, and I'm revoking that gift now. Either pay me back, or we'll settle this in court."

There was a long silence on the line. She was probably stunned by how firm I was.

After a long pause, her voice softened, thick with tears. "Caine, do you really have to be this heartless? Was everything between us for the past five years a lie? I know I messed up. Please, can't we try again?"

The same old drama played again. She had tears, tantrums, and threats. Back then, her crying would've always made me give in. But now my heart was stone cold.

"It was all a lie," I said coldly. "I never had feelings for you, but pity. And now, that's gone. That's it."

With that, I hung up and blocked her number again. Finally, the world was quiet.

*****

Later that afternoon, Fenton sent over Silas's file. "Caine, this guy's a total scumbag. His startup?

"The core tech is straight-up stolen from his professor's research. He slapped a new label on it and is out there hustling for investors. Right now, he's hunting for suckers to take the bait."

I stared at Silas's grinning face in the file, my eyes icy. In my previous life, I was the biggest sucker of all. This time, I would make him taste the iron fist of IP law.

I forwarded the file to Luna. [Luna, get in touch with this professor for me. I want to buy the exclusive patent rights to his research. And set up an investment company under my name.]

Luna replied instantly: [Got it, Mr. Roth. What should we name the company?]

I thought for a second, then replied: [Vengeance.]

The games began.

*****

Iris got kicked out of her apartment. All her designer clothes and luxury bags were taken by the property management as unauthorized possessions and put in storage.

She stood outside Luminae in nothing but pajamas, dragging a suitcase, looking like a walking punchline.

Fenton called me, practically gloating. "Man, you should've seen it. People were all over their phones, recording the whole thing. Veritas University's campus queen turned into a stray overnight. Now that's some wild gossip."

I barely reacted. Compared to the way I ended up in my previous life, this was nothing.

Iris wasted no time finding her so-called true love, Silas.

Silas had rented a tiny, rundown studio near campus, and that became their temporary crash pad.

Soon enough, a post popped up on Veritas University's campus forum: [Exposing the Heartless, Revenge-Obsessed Rich Kid Who Used and Abandoned Her.]

Using the alias Kitten, Iris dropped a tearjerker post about how some rich kid tempted her with cash, then tossed her aside when he lost interest. She claimed he used legal tricks to throw her out and leave her on the streets.

She made herself look like someone who couldn't care less about money, and aimed all the blame right at me.

She didn't mention my name, but every detail pointed straight at me.

The whole forum went wild.

[Damn, this rich kid is such an asshole.]

[Poor girl, she gave up everything for love, and this is how he treats her?]

[Expose him. Let's cancel him for good.]

Meanwhile, Silas was playing the knight in shining armor in the comments, replying over and over: [Thanks for all the support, everyone. I'll always be here for Iris.]

They were a perfect act, milking all the sympathy they could get.

Fenton was swearing up a storm on the phone. "Those two bastards have no shame. Caine, you'd better get someone to delete that post, or your reputation's going to be trashed."

"Delete it? Why bother?" I laughed. "I want that post to stay up and stir things up a bit longer."

The gift I'd asked Luna to prepare was about to make its debut.

*****

The next day, as the original post was peaking, another bombshell dropped. The title read: [The 4 Million Temptation Over Five Years, And The 15 Thousand For Saving Her Mom. Want the Real Story?]

The post came from Luna's law firm. There were no insults, pure evidence.

Screenshot after screenshot of bank transfers laid out every payment I'd sent to Iris over five years, including tuition, living costs, designer bags, and trips, adding up to 4.2 million.

And at the end, a hospital payment slip for 15 thousand, paid for Iris's mom.

The post wrapped up with a cool, lawyerly statement: [All gifts from Mr. Roth to Iris were given out of their past relationship. Now that things are over, Mr. Roth has every legal right to revoke those gifts and reclaim the money.

[We reserve the right to take legal action against any online defamation or attacks.]

This post was like dropping a nuke, instantly setting the whole forum on fire. The tide completely turned.

[Holy crap, over 4 million in five years? That's not dating. That's a full-on sugar baby arrangement.]

[Come on, if you were a sugar baby, would your sugar daddy pay 15 thousand for your mom's hospital bills? The man was utterly head over heels for her.]

[So Iris was spending his money, hooking up with someone else, and then had the nerve to call him the bad guy?]

[She's not just a manipulator. She's straight-up toxic.]

[Man, I actually feel bad for that rich guy. He got totally used.]

The comment section under Iris and Silas's post got absolutely roasted. People were tearing them apart with jokes and insults.

They became the funniest joke on campus at Veritas University.

This was the starter. Every bit of pain Iris put me through, she would get it back a hundredfold.