Chapter 3

At the bottom of the page, my signature was already there, stamped with a bright red thumbprint.

"What’s this?" Evelyn looked down, her face turning instantly pale and rigid.

"A family severance declaration. My signature is already on it," I swung my backpack onto my shoulders, my voice dead calm as I said, "Starting today, I have zero relation to this family."

Matthew snatched the paper off the table. The second his eyes swept over the text, his hands started shaking with absolute fury.

"Family severance declaration? Tyler, you think your wings are fully grown now, huh? You really think you can cut ties just by writing a stupid piece of paper?"

"Legally, you two are my birth parents, and I can't change that," I said, staring back at him with icy apathy, "But starting today, you exist only as names on my birth certificate. Beyond that, we’re complete strangers."

Matthew crumpled the paper into a tight ball, threw it onto the dirt, and let out a cold scoff.

"You just graduated high school. Where the hell are you going to go without us? You think your poor foster dad can afford to keep feeding you?"

"Where I go is none of your business." I turned on my heel and started walking toward the front gate.

"Stop right there!" Evelyn bellowed from behind me, "If you dare step foot out of this gate today, don't you ever think about coming back! You won't get a single penny of the family fortune!"

I didn't slow my pace, just waved a hand over my shoulder without even looking back.

"Don't worry. The next time I set foot in this house, it'll be to kick every single one of you out."

A barrage of screams and curses erupted behind me, followed by the sharp crunch of a ceramic coffee mug shattering against the stone patio.

Stepping out of the gated community, I flagged down a cab and headed straight for the tallest skyscraper in the city.

That was the headquarters of Walter Corporation.

It was my parents' main business rival, as well as the most powerful corporate empire in the city.

The heiress to Walter Corporation, Hailey Walter, was someone I had met by chance years ago when I was still lost.

Back then, I was in middle school. On a rainy night, I helped a drenched teenage girl who was lost on a back road, bringing her home to give her a warm drink.

Only later did I discover that the girl was Hailey.

In my past life, after my biological parents brought me back, she reached out multiple times.

She even discovered financial fraud in Evelyn's records and tried to help me reclaim the company stock that was rightfully mine.

However, back then, brainwashed by Carter, I rejected her kindness and pushed her away under his manipulation.

It wasn't until after I died that I realized Hailey had remembered that rainy night all along.

In the end, she was the one who sent my family to prison.

Stepping into the ground floor lobby of Walter Corporation, I took a deep breath and looked at the receptionist.

"Hi, I'm here for Hailey Walter. Please tell her Tyler Reed is here, and I brought all the evidence of the Reeds’ tax fraud and bribery."

In less than three minutes, the doors to the private executive elevator slid open.

Hailey walked out wearing a sharply tailored designer suit, radiating the effortless aura of high-society power and cool composure.

The second her eyes landed on me, a sudden wave of shock and obvious concern flickered across her face.

"Tyler? What are you doing here?" She rushed over to me.

Her eyes swept down my faded T-shirt and my beat-up backpack, and her brow instantly furrowed.

"Did your family pull something again?"

Hearing that long-lost genuine concern, my eyes stung with heat.

In my previous life, she was the only person who had ever stopped to ask me, "Are you okay?"

"Hailey, I’ve cut ties with my family," I said, pulling a thick envelope out of my backpack.

"This contains every shred of evidence regarding Mom's tax evasion and corporate bribery. Does that offer to help me still stand?"

Hailey blinked in surprise, then took the envelope. Without opening it to check, she gestured for me to follow her into the elevator.

"The Walters have plenty of attorneys, but we're missing the key witness who can make them pay." Her cool, steady voice echoed in the elevator cab. "Since you've decided to step up, I'm placing our entire legal team at your disposal."

Inside Hailey's private office, I laid out everything that happened at home, along with the meticulously organized evidence of Evelyn’s illegal activities.

Hailey looked at the neatly arranged pile of documents, a flash of admiration and deep pain passing through her eyes.

"This evidence is enough to put Evelyn away for ten years," Hailey said, setting the papers down and looking straight at me, "Tyler, you don't need to worry about a thing for the rest of the summer. Go stay at my private resort and get some rest. I'll handle the rest."

I shook my head, my jaw setting tight. "No, I want to watch them burn with my own eyes."