Chapter 2

On my first day as an official employee of Zenith Group, I was assigned directly to the problematic project that Emma had asked me about in the interview. Emma granted me significant autonomy, practically placing all the central decision-making responsibility for the entire endeavor in my control.

I leveraged my formidable expertise to move swiftly and assuredly through the entire process, from vetting potential collaborators and setting contractual terms, to establishing the new brand's market identity.

In just less than a month, the project had already yielded significant preliminary results.

Emma specifically commended me three separate times during the course of the weekly meeting. She even declared, "You were clearly meant for this line of work, Calvin!"

I acknowledged her praise with a slight smile and silence, thinking that I was indeed meant for this line of work. In my past life, had it not been for Ruth, I would have been standing exactly where I was now, rather than being confined within that gilded cage.

Just as my professional life surged forward, Thomas began posting constant updates on his social feed.

He posted pictures agonizing over a new watch purchase, then boasted about a custom sports car gifted by Ruth. Later, he shared an overhead photo taken from his private jet en route to see the Aurora Borealis.

There were plenty of comments and likes on his posts, with most of them from our former classmates back at Eastlake University.

"You're marrying into wealth, Thomas! Zenith Group is in the Fortune 500! Their assets must be worth hundreds of billions of dollars!"

"That's impressive, Thomas! You've basically hit the jackpot!"

There was even someone who tagged me in the comment section, asking, "Where are you working right now, Calvin? You and Thomas used to be inseparable back then!"

Thomas hurriedly replied, "Calvin is working at Zenith Group, my future wife's company. He's far more career-driven, unlike me, who's just coasting around."

I could instantly sense his humble-bragging in the comment. I merely stared at my phone and, with a flat expression, scrolled right past his post.

….

It was the class reunion a week later. I arrived to find the private room packed, with everyone fervently talking about Thomas and Ruth.

"Thomas really lucked out! He hit the absolute jackpot!"

"I know, right? I envied Calvin when he landed the job at Zenith Group, but I never would have guessed that Thomas would end up with the CEO of the company! I mean, no matter how smart Calvin is, he's still just an employee under Thomas' thumb!"

It was then that someone yelled, "Calvin has arrived!"

In that instant, everyone in the private room turned their attention to me. Their looks held pity, regret, and a definite streak of schadenfreude.

Thomas and I had once been the top two talents of Eastlake University's Finance Department.

Now, Thomas was poised to become the husband of the CEO of Zenith Group, while I merely became a new hire on their payroll.

It was then that one of my close former classmates waved me over, saying, "Have a seat here, Calvin."

I had barely taken my seat when the private room's door swung open. Thomas walked in, beaming, with his arm firmly around Ruth's waist.

In that instant, everyone in the room fell silent before bursting into loud applause and cheers.

"That's got to be Ms. Gibson herself! There is something so captivating about her!"

"How could you be so inconsiderate, hiding such a major thing from us all this while, Thomas?"

Thomas smiled smugly, basking in the attention of the crowd. He then walked over to me, pulled out a chair, and settled down, behaving as if there had never been any tension between us. "You must have been exhausted from work lately. You look like you've lost some weight, Calvin."

He fixed me with a look of deep, profound pity, adding, "You see, Ruth won't even let me lift a finger, so I've been idling at home, almost going stir-crazy!"

He then gently patted Ruth on the shoulder, saying, "You should cut my friend some slack, Ruth! How could you give Calvin so much work? You can't run your employees into the ground like this, even if you are management!"

Thomas' so-called concern was nothing but a blatant display to show off the fact that he was the CEO's boyfriend, while reducing me to an overworked, entry-level grunt.

I looked over at him, and he just so happened to unintentionally raise his wrist and look at his watch, a limited-edition which sparkled brightly under the lights. "Why bother grinding like that, Calvin? You ought to know that getting yourself a powerful backer beats everything else!"

Thomas' statement was instantly followed by a chorus of voices chiming in with support.

I ignored him completely, shifting my attention to Ruth, who had been a compliant prop in his performance. She maintained a faint, courteous smile. I, however, noticed that the smile was merely a facade. Her gaze remained hollow, like that of a puppet without a soul.

I even sensed a subtle, creeping chill emanating from her very presence—one carrying the unsettling signature of death itself.

In my past life, I only became aware of this disturbing strangeness after getting engaged to Ruth. In this life, I recognized the signal immediately.