Chapter 3

Janine’s brow twitched, and when she spoke, her voice came out through clenched teeth.

“That was because I had no idea that he was greedy for money. Grandpa, stop trying to persuade me. No matter what, I won’t let you hand Mark’s plan over to him. He’s not worthy!”

Mr. O'Connor’s face turned red with anger. He was clearly furious.

In the end, he could only turn to me helplessly. “Will, what do you think? Is his plan actually useful? He says we should adapt to the environment by sunbathing and converting a refrigerated warehouse into living quarters. If it works…”

He hesitated, then added, “After all, the shelter you built relies on solar-powered systems. If we produce them on a large scale, it would cost…”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Mr. O'Connor. I–”

Before I could finish, Janine cut me off sharply. “His broken little house is nothing but a money-making scheme. How can it even compare to Mark’s refrigerated warehouse? If you can’t decide, Grandpa, then let them sign a bet-on agreement! Once both structures are completed, we’ll conduct a livability evaluation.”

Mr. O'Connor’s eyes lit up at that suggestion. He looked at me expectantly. He had always treated me well. In my previous life, even until the day he died, Janine never dared tell him that she had tortured me to death.

I looked at her coldly. “What do you want to bet on?”

Janine grabbed Mark’s hand and smiled smugly. “If you lose, you’ll break off our engagement and get out of the family! And that’s not all. You’ll kneel and apologize to Mark. From then on, you’ll never dare compete with him again!”

I didn’t hesitate to agree.

In my previous life, she never stopped praising Mark’s refrigerated warehouse. Even after I died, she dragged my corpse into his unfinished warehouse and whipped it for three whole days. However, what she didn’t know was that when the heatwave arrived, the city’s power grid would collapse almost immediately; when that happened, without electricity, the refrigerated warehouse would become even hotter than the outside.

With her grandfather’s support, Janine grew openly intimate with Mark. By the construction site, she wore a cropped tank top and a short skirt, lounging on a recliner.

“Janine, I specially made this sunscreen for you,” Mark said gently. “You won’t have to worry about getting tanned at all.”

Janine smiled sweetly, allowing him to rub the sunscreen all over her body.

“Mark, you’re so thoughtful. I’ve felt more heat-resistant lately. It must be thanks to you. With you here, I’ll definitely become the leader of the new base!”

As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward me. I acted as if I didn’t notice and kept my head down, focusing on building my shelter.

Sensing her distraction, Mark picked up the sunscreen and walked over to me, wearing a fake smile.

“Will, it’s burning out here, and you’re wearing a jacket. Take it off and put on some sunscreen. It’ll help with the heat.”

I ignored him, but then I caught a familiar scent coming from the sunscreen.

My head snapped up. I grabbed his collar and roared, “What did you put in it?”

Mark snickered as he leaned close to my ear and whispered, “It’s the leaves that grew from the tree planted over your mother’s ashes at the O’Connor family cemetery. I uprooted the entire tree just to boil down this small jar. Go on. See if it smells like your mother.”

A flash of hatred crossed his eyes.

“If your mom hadn’t told Janine that you had a talent for construction, do you think she would’ve ever noticed you? Otherwise, I would’ve seduced her long ago! The O’Connor family’s son-in-law and their fortune can only be mine!”

Rage exploded inside me. I swung my fist and smashed it into his face. Blow after blow, I beat him until his nose was bleeding and his face was bruised and swollen.

Janine rushed over. The moment she saw Mark’s condition, she flew into a fury. The next second, the small bowl of sunscreen shattered against my forehead.

“You’re insane!” she screamed. “Mark kindly offered you sunscreen, and you hit him? I shouldn’t have let him help you at all. I should just let you burn to death in the sun!”