Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Strength to Start Over: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Noise came from the entryway.Amanda Carroll walked in with Donovan White.He had thrown on an expensive silk shirt, the kind Amanda wore when she went out. The first three buttons hung open, exposing the hard line of his chest.I sat on the sofa and watched him notice me.He did not even pretend to tidy himself up. He leaned against the foyer wall as if he owned the place with a lazy smile."Cedric," he said. "My luggage got lost at the airport. Manda was worried I'd catch a chill, so she let me wear one of her shirts. You're a man. You're not going to mind, right?"He spoke as he walked over, as though my answer did not matter.With every step, the collar gaped wider. Faint red marks flashed along his collarbone and climbed the side of his neck. There were too many of them, and they were too deliberately placed to be accidental.In my previous life, that sight had set me off. I had exploded and made a scene. I had called Donovan shameless to his face.Amanda had shattered a

"Take it away." I pushed the box of macadamia nuts back across the desk. "I'm allergic to nuts."Amanda froze. Panic flashed across her face. "Allergic? Why have you never said that before?"Donovan frowned. Impatience crept into his voice. "Cedric, I had someone track those down for me. They're top quality. If you don't appreciate it, fine. But do you really need to make up excuses just to kill the mood?"The trace of guilt on Amanda's face vanished at once."Enough, Cedric!" she snapped. "Don meant well. He didn't know you were allergic. If you don't want to eat them, just leave them there. Why make a scene in front of everyone? Do you only feel satisfied when you ruin the atmosphere?"She grabbed Donovan's arm and stormed out, her expression cold.I watched them disappear down the hallway. Then I tore the carbon copy from the prescription pad and slipped it into the medical file.…That afternoon, I had barely reached the hospital entrance when I received a complaint notice

My phone kept ringing without pause. A cold smile touched my lips. At last, I tapped "Accept."Amanda's voice exploded through the speaker the instant the line connected. Her hysterical scream rattled my ears. "Cedric! You finally dare to answer?! What the hell did you do?!"Why did the patent office say that patent was transferred to someone else three days ago? Do you know how I looked at the press conference? Like a complete clown!"And that USB drive! It didn't just crash the company computers. It shredded every confidential file and client record we had!"Now the investors are pulling out and threatening to sue me for commercial fraud! Are you trying to destroy me?!"I held the phone a little farther from my ear and looked out at the unfamiliar city beyond the window. The foreign streets carried an exotic air.My voice remained calm. "Destroy you? Amanda, this is just basic courtesy returned. You wanted to sell the work my mother left behind to pay off your little boyfriend'

Three months later, winter settled over Dryana. Yet the city where I lived still felt like spring.Our anti-cancer drug, Hopium, achieved a major breakthrough during clinical trials. The effective response rate reached ninety percent.The number stunned the medical world.Major media outlets rushed to report the results. For the first time, my name appeared on the front page of international news. Reporters introduced me as a leading scientist.While the spotlight turned toward me, life across the ocean looked very different for Amanda and Donovan.Friends back home sent frequent updates. Every luxury property under Amanda's name had been auctioned to pay her debts. The mansion and the sports cars were gone.The company she once took pride in had collapsed completely.She now faced criminal charges for embezzlement. Although the court granted temporary bail, authorities had restricted her spending and banned her from leaving the country.The once untouchable "CEO Carroll" now l

Amanda was deported back to Dryana.A pair of handcuffs awaited her.The scandal she caused overseas spread through international media and forced Dryanese authorities to reopen the investigation into her earlier commercial fraud case. With the charges combined, she would likely spend the rest of her life behind bars.Donovan's fate proved even worse. After stealing the last of Amanda's money, he tried to slip across the border into Southeast Morvea.The smugglers betrayed him. Instead of freedom, they sold him to an underground fight ring in a remote region.According to the rumors I heard, he was still young and strong. Therefore, the organizers forced him into constant bare-knuckle matches to repay his debts. When he was not fighting, he worked as labor.One mistake meant broken bones. His life now ranked below that of an animal.The arrogant hotshot who once treated everyone else as stepping stones had finally discovered what real hell looked like.I heard the news in the l