Chapter 1

The business proposal trembled slightly in my hands.

On the surface, it looked like an opportunity.

However, in my previous life, this very document pushed me into a bottomless abyss.

"My abilities are limited. I'm afraid I'm not the right person for something this important."

I calmly slid the proposal back across the table to my sister, Serena Camden.

The smile on her face froze instantly.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Do you know how much effort it took for me to secure this for you?"

I looked at her coldly–the sister who always appeared so caring on the surface.

In my past life, she was the one who pinned every scandal on me, turning me from a Wall Street rising star into a disgraced outcast.

"Alvin Camden, since when did you become such a coward?" my fiancée, Patricia Brooks, snapped immediately.

"If you're always this timid and hesitant, how is your career ever going to move forward?"

A cold laugh rose in my chest.

These two women claimed they were thinking about my future, but the only person they truly cared about was Cole Handerson.

"Cole graduated from an Ivy League school. He's stronger than me in every way. This project would be much better suited for him."

I met their gaze directly.

In my previous life, Cole and I were put in charge of the project together. He falsified the accounts to boost performance–and in the end, I was the one left to take the fall.

This time, I would not make the same mistake.

"You should learn from Cole," Patricia suddenly said in a gentler voice.

The moment she mentioned Cole, admiration sparkled in her eyes.

I almost found it laughable.

This woman, who claimed to love me so deeply, had another man living in her heart.

Suppressing my irritation, I continued refusing.

"I've already committed to attending the Silicon Valley Venture Capital Summit. I won't have any time this month."

The reason they were so eager to push Cole and me onto this project was simple.

Without the financial network I built on Wall Street, Cole had no chance of pulling off a cross-border acquisition of this scale.

However, if the ten-billion-dollar deal succeeded, it would become Cole's golden ticket straight to the board of directors.

I opened my laptop and pulled up my email.

"Do you want me to forward the invitation from the organizers?"

Patricia stared at the screen, her expression instantly sharpening.

"An international summit like this–and you didn't mention a single word about it to Cole?"

"What, you think this is finally your chance to steal the spotlight?"

Serena's voice turned cold as well.

"In business, people share resources. Your kind of unilateral decision-making is really something."

I let out a faint laugh.

"The investment banking circle isn't that big. Cole can't even be bothered to say hello most days, and now this is somehow my fault?"

Even though we both worked at headquarters, Cole never bothered hiding his disdain for someone like me, a newcomer.

Over the past six months, aside from mandatory meetings, we did not exchange more than three sentences in private.

Patricia became even more agitated.

"Do you have any idea how busy Cole is? As his subordinate, shouldn't you be proactively reporting things like this?"

As she spoke, she already took out her phone and started calling the summit organizers.

Meanwhile, Serena stood up and walked straight out of the conference room–clearly going to find Cole.

Watching this scene unfold, a wave of bitter irony rose in my chest.

In their eyes, I was nothing more than a pawn they could sacrifice whenever necessary.

A few minutes later, Patricia put down her phone, her expression dark.

The summit was already fully booked. The organizers politely declined her request.

"This is a chance to face the world's top investors. If Cole misses this opportunity.h"

She bit her lip anxiously. Then suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Alvin, how about this?

"Why don't you transfer your spot to Cole? I promise the next time a good opportunity comes up, you'll be the first person I think of."

Hearing those words, I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug deep into my palms.