Not Saving You Twice, Dad

The crash was deafening. Blood sprayed through the air in an instant.I stood less than ten feet away, watching every second of it."Help... somebody help me..."My father, Victor Carrington, lay pinned beneath the wheels, screaming. His legs were caught between the crumpled hood and the guardrail, mangled beyond recognition.I looked down at my own two legs, perfectly intact, and felt nothing but satisfaction. This time around, he was the one who would never walk again.In my last life, I had thrown myself in front of that truck to save him and spent the rest of my days in a wheelchair for it. I thought that kind of sacrifice would earn his sympathy, but all it earned me was his disgust.He said having me show up to events in a wheelchair was an embarrassment to the Carrington name, so he wasted no time bringing his mistress, Monica Lane, and their son, Brandon, into our home. He let them take my room and cut off my rehabilitation medication.When Monica framed my mother and ha

Monica stood at the top of the stairs, watching me pack up my files with a smug grin plastered across her face.I did not even glance at her. I picked up the box and walked straight past."Help yourself. As long as he can hold his own."At the office, Brandon was even worse. With Victor backing him, he strutted around the company barking orders at anyone in sight and even inserted himself directly into several of the core projects I was managing."You know, Arthur, Dad says you play it too safe. You've got no killer instinct." Brandon sat in the head chair of the conference room with his feet propped on the table, staring me down. "That development deal on the south side? I'll be running that from now on."Don't worry. I'll do a way better job than you ever could. I'll put the Carrington name on the map."The executives around the table exchanged uneasy glances, but no one said a word. I looked at that arrogant face of his and let a cold smile cross my lips.In my last life, t

The head of legal adjusted his glasses and continued."Furthermore, Mr. Brandon Carrington is suspected of illegally misappropriating two billion dollars in company funds for the south side project and privately entering into predatory loan agreements that have exposed the Carrington Group to a severe financial crisis."The board has voted unanimously to strip Mr. Brandon Carrington of all positions within the company, effective immediately. A formal report has already been filed with the financial crimes division."Every drop of color drained from Brandon's face. The share transfer papers slipped from his hands and scattered across the floor."You set me up? You son of a b*tch, you dug this hole and waited for me to fall in, didn't you?"He lunged at me like a rabid dog, eyes bloodshot.I did not move. The moment he reached me, I lifted my leg and drove my foot straight into his kneecap.A sickening crack echoed through the hall.Brandon let out an agonized scream and crumpled

"An ancient... burial ground?"His face was white as paper, his lips trembling uncontrollably. "We put up everything we had for that project. We took out loans from loan sharks to fund it..."Before any of them could process the news, the flimsy metal door of the apartment was kicked open.A group of heavily tattooed men carrying steel pipes stormed inside. The one in front, a bald man built like a slab of concrete, planted his boot on Victor's wheelchair and slapped a signed promissory note across his face."Mr. Carrington, your precious boy borrowed 500 million from us as bridge funding for his little gamble. The project's dead now, and with interest, you owe us 800 million."He flashed a vicious grin, his eyes drifting from Monica to Brandon and back. "If I don't see the money today, I'll take one of your boy's legs first, and then your wife will go to work at a brothel to pay off the rest.""Eight... 800 million!"Victor sucked in a sharp breath. Whatever color was left in h

"Too bad for you, all I care about is money. And since you don't have any, I'll just let him pay in body parts.""No, please..."The machete was coming down when the apartment door was kicked clean off its hinges.A dozen men in black, fully equipped, poured into the room. Within seconds, every one of the loan sharks was pinned to the floor and disarmed.I stepped through the doorway in an immaculate tailored suit, picking my way through the wreckage without hurrying."Arthur!"Monica threw herself at me like I was her savior. "Thank God you're here! Please, save Brandon! Just pay them!"I did not bother hiding my disgust. The bodyguard behind me stepped forward and backhanded her across the room.I walked over to Victor and looked down at him.He stared back at me with clouded eyes full of tangled emotions. His eyes held humiliation, regret, and buried beneath all of it, a fragile sliver of hope. He thought I had come because I could not bring myself to let him suffer after a