LOGINThe whole room erupted.Everyone stared in shock at the beggar of a man.I stood on the stage, looking down at him.It was Adrian.Wasn't he supposed to be in prison? How was he here?My assistant hurried onto the stage and whispered in my ear."Ms. Kane, Adrian faked an illness during a transfer and escaped when they took him to the hospital for a checkup.""The police are hunting him everywhere. No one expected him to show up here."Watching Adrian rave like a rabid dog, I felt a wave of pure revulsion.Even now, even here, he still believed all of it was my fault."Let him through."I said it calmly into the microphone.Security hesitated, then let go.Adrian scrambled to the front of the stage and gripped its edge with both hands.His eyes were bloodshot as he stared me down, wild with jealousy and hatred."Are you happy now, Vivian?""You destroyed everything I had, and here you are living it up.""You cold-blooded snake. You'll come to a rotten end."I looked at him coldly, feeli
"Mom, Dad, I bought you a villa in a seaside town. The climate's lovely, perfect for taking it easy.""I'll send someone to pick you up tomorrow. From now on, just enjoy your lives. I've got the company handled."My parents' contented laughter came through the line."Viv, as long as you're doing well, that's all we need."After I hung up, my eyes went a little red.In my past life, my death had left my parents at Adrian's mercy, and he had thrown them into the street, where they died alone in the cold.This time, I had finally kept them safe. And I had kept myself safe too.The auction went remarkably smoothly.With the Vance scandal splashed across every headline, no legitimate company was willing to take on the mess.The shell company I had arranged took the plant and production lines for a song.Once the acquisition closed, I overhauled the plant from top to bottom.I swept out all the executives who had followed Adrian.I promoted a crew of genuinely talented engineers and folded t
Adrian's hand went slack, and his phone hit the floor and shattered.He came completely apart and turned to glare viciously at Tiffany."This is all you. You worthless bitch, you ruined me."He lunged at her and clamped both hands around her throat."If you hadn't set Dr. Whitmore off, I'd never have ended up like this. Just die."Tiffany thrashed and clawed at his face, screaming."Let go of me. You're the one with no skill. How is this my fault?""The money you bought my bag with was embezzled too. You're the real criminal here."The two of them grappled in full view of everyone.The cameras frantically captured every ugly scene.I watched them roll around on the floor without the faintest ripple of feeling.The blood debt of my past life had finally started paying me back, with interest.The police arrived quickly and pried the two of them apart.Adrian's suit hung in shreds, his face streaked with scratches.Tiffany's hair was a mess and her couture dress was torn, leaving her utte
The next day, the medical world's press conference was packed and buzzing.Cameras and microphones from every major outlet were already set up.Everyone was eager to learn who exactly was behind this out-of-nowhere company, Astra Pharmaceuticals.Adrian sat in the front row in a well-cut suit.Tiffany sat beside him, dressed to the nines as well.After yesterday's fight, the two of them seemed to have patched things up."You look so handsome today, Adrian. You'll definitely land that distribution thing."Tiffany clung to his arm, sweet-talking him, though her eyes darted around the room.Adrian adjusted his tie and let out a confident little scoff."Of course. In all of Halcyon Bay, who besides the Vances has the muscle to take on Dr. Whitmore's patents?""Once I land this, let's see if those debt-chasing shareholders still dare run their mouths at me."He turned to Tiffany, a warning in his voice."Behave yourself today. Don't cause any more trouble."Tiffany nodded eagerly, meek as a
Worn down by her nagging, Adrian backhanded her across the face."Shut up. If it weren't for you, such a reckless spendthrift, the company wouldn’t be in such a mess!"Tiffany clutched her cheek and stared at him in disbelief."You hit me? You hit me over some stupid company?""You'll regret this, Adrian."She ran out of the house in tears.I sat at the top of the second-floor stairs, watching the farce, thoroughly enjoying myself.In my last life, Adrian had treated Tiffany like something precious, never so much as a harsh word for her.Now that his own interests were on the line, the golden girl he had cherished had become nothing but a nuisance to him.With Adrian at the end of his rope, I changed into a business suit and slipped quietly out the back of the house.I didn't go to the office. I drove straight to Dr. Whitmore's institute.In my last life, trying to save the deal, I had learned everything there was to know about him.He was desperate for funding because one of his resea
I clapped a hand over my mouth in mock surprise and gasped."What? That beggar was actually Dr. Whitmore?""Babe, why didn't you say something sooner? After the way you and Tiff treated him yesterday, he must be furious."Adrian stopped short and glared at me."How was I supposed to know it was him?""Dressed like that, who could've recognized him?""And you, why didn't you stop Tiff yesterday? You're the COO. Are those eyes just for decoration?"Without a second thought, he dumped the blame on me.In my last life, I ran myself ragged and talked myself hoarse cleaning up his messes.And he took every bit of it for granted.This time, my eyes reddened at once and the tears came spilling down."That's not fair, babe.""Yesterday you were defending Tiff so hard, I assumed the old man was some nobody con artist.""I was only going along with what you wanted.""And you're the one who said Tiff had a hard day and wanted to buy her that bag."I left him speechless, his face reddening and then







