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All Chapters of Left at the 999th Step: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"It looks like the groom got lost on his way here! As punishment, the bride has to down three shots!"A video was uploaded to the group chat. In it, the emcee was on the stage, teasing Winona Sinclair and George Yangley."You two sure are in sync with each other! As expected of best friends who've known each other for seven years."Below the stage, the guests were eagerly joining in on the teasing.Dressed in a haute couture designer wedding dress, Winona spoke into her microphone with a gentle, composed expression."With Simon absent, George will see to all of our guests today on his behalf. Naturally, he will also drink this penalty shot for Simon."George, as the man of honor, stood beside her in a smart suit. He picked up a shot glass with a shy look on his face.Those friends and family in the group chat who were unaware of the truth began spamming in the chat."You know, with them standing beside each other like that, the man of honor and the bride actually look like they

Chapter 2

When I pushed open the door to our villa and entered, I immediately noticed that the living room was a mess.George, clad in the black suit with gold trim that Mom had left me for my wedding day, was sitting on my marital bed, excitedly tearing open the gifts the guests had given us that day. Besides that, he was also wearing the jade bangle my maternal grandmother had left my mother, who had passed it on to me.Winona was partially crouched by the bed, a band-aid in her hands."I told you to change into a looser pair of shoes earlier for the toasting segment, yet you stubbornly refused. Now look at you! The back of your heel is chafed raw, isn't it?"Her tone was indulgent as she carefully stuck the band-aid on the back of George's heel, where the skin was only very faintly red.At the sound of the door opening, Winona turned to look over her shoulder, only to see me standing barefoot in the doorway.Her gaze immediately dropped to my feet, which were covered in mud and blood. H

Chapter 3

Stepping around Winona, I headed straight for the closet in our bedroom and pulled out my suitcase.I didn't bother packing any of the clothes Winona had bought me, just some plain, casual clothes.Winona leaned against the doorframe while watching my actions. She let out a cold laugh."Again with the running away from home? Simon Sorell, aren't you done with your tantrum yet? George dealt with all those guests on your behalf today, yet not only did you not say thanks, but you're even throwing a fit?"Ignoring her, I turned to pull open the bedside table drawer where I stored my important documents and an old phone.The drawer was empty.My body stiffened before I whipped my head around to look at George.He was sitting on the couch, fiddling with a familiar-looking phone."Why did you take my stuff? Give it back!"I walked over and reached a hand out to take the phone back.However, George swiftly ducked behind Winona, an aggrieved expression on his face as he said, "Simon,

Chapter 4

I dragged my suitcase behind me as I left the villa.The weather in Gaturnia was rather unpredictable. It had been incredibly foggy earlier, but now, dark clouds hung low in the sky while howling winds stirred to life.A typhoon warning popped up on my phone.I stood by the roadside, about to hail a taxi to the airport, when I suddenly remembered something.Mom's urn was still in the trunk of the wedding car.The original plan had been for us to go straight to the airport after the wedding and catch a flight to Frostia.However, I had gotten out of the car partway through the journey, and the driver had left it in the parking lot at the wedding venue on top of Mt. Harlow.I immediately hailed a taxi and rushed toward Mt. Harlow.Outside the taxi, the wind was growing stronger. The raging speeds sent the raindrops lashing against the windows like stones.Partway up the mountain, the taxi driver absolutely refused to continue further."Sir, a mudslide warning has been issued fo

Chapter 5

With a thunderous crash, a massive boulder smashed into the ground less than 30 feet from me, pelting me with mud with such force that my entire body throbbed.I shrank back against a hollow in the rock face, hugging Mom's urn to me tightly. I had managed to get it from the trunk of the car just moments ago.Right as the mudslide was about to bury this stretch of the road, two bright beams of light pierced through the thick fog.Following that, three heavy-duty off-road SUVs completely ignored the mountain closure order and charged right through the blockade.The doors to the leading SUV were kicked open before several burly bodyguards in professional rescue gear rushed into the storm."Mr. Simon! Over here!"The group of bodyguards surrounded me protectively, with one of them draping a waterproof jacket over me. The team leader was none other than the head of security at Sorell Corporation. His eyes reddened as he noticed my bloody feet and pale complexion."Mr. Aiden is prac

Chapter 6

The first week after I returned to Jipsdale to take over running Sorell Corporation, news from Gaturnia reached me like a flurry of snow.Sinclair Technologies had collapsed.The Sorell family pulled its 30 billion dollars in funding overnight. Once the banks caught wind of the situation, they immediately triggered cross-default clauses and froze all of Winona's accounts.Winona lost all her financial support in one go, resulting in the business empire she had been so proud of crumbling within days.What was even more hilarious was that George had finally revealed his true colors. He was used to being spoiled by Winona and still thought that Sinclair Technologies was the same deep-pocketed company it had been.While Winona was anxiously going around trying to borrow money, not only did he not help out, but he even went behind her back and used her supplementary card to buy a limited-edition sports car worth millions of dollars.When the debtors started calling him, he was so terr

Chapter 7

One month later, the industry's premier medical summit was held in Jipsdale.As the representative from Sorell Corporation, I sat in the VIP section.Winona was also in attendance. She had sold off the only property she had left under her name and managed to get herself an entry ticket to the event, though it was in one of the outermost seats. She was hoping to use this opportunity to score investors to save her company, which was on the brink of bankruptcy.Up on the stage, I gave a talk on the main topic of the conference. Once I was done, thunderous applause broke out from the audience, while countless gazes were entirely focused on me.I was in complete control of the room, no longer the directionally challenged accessory to Winona who only knew how to hide behind her.As I walked off the stage, a sudden wave of intense pain came from my stomach.Back when I was in Gaturnia, I accompanied Winona to more than a few business dinners, drinking so much alcohol that I eventually d

Chapter 8

Sinclair Technologies' bankruptcy liquidation entered its final stage. The lawyers seized all of Winona's properties and froze all her accounts. With nothing left in her name, she had no choice but to move back to the rundown apartment she had rented back when she first started up her company.On a Wednesday afternoon, I led an asset valuation team to her apartment to verify the final collateral list.The instant I opened the door to the apartment, I was hit with the musty smell of mold.Winona was packing up what little personal belongings she still had left.When she spotted me, her dull eyes brightened for a few seconds before an embarrassed expression crossed her face.The assessment team began cataloguing the assets with their equipment. As one of the workers moved an old bookshelf, the cardboard box on top of it tumbled off and crashed to the floor. The items inside instantly spilled out—an old phone with a cracked screen, a black leather notebook, and several receipts tha

Chapter 9

George was charged with business fraud and ended up receiving an eight-year sentence in prison.After losing all her assets and shares, Winona was burdened with a mountain of debts and was kicked out of the apartment by the asset valuation team.On one ordinary Friday afternoon, Winona came to Sorell Corporation.She knelt outside the building in the pouring rain for three whole hours, all to see me one last time.I had Riley lead her to the conference room on the top floor of the building.When Winona entered, she was still dripping rainwater. Fishing out a plastic bag, she opened it to reveal the old phone that George had reset. She had used tape to hastily patch the cracked screen together."Simon…" She dropped to her knees before me with a thud, raising the phone above her head as though in offering. "I consulted the best data recovery team I could find, and they said that, with some time, they might be able to recover some of the audio recordings…"Please, I'm begging you,

Chapter 10

Two years later, I returned to Gaturnia. The weather here was still the same—damp with heavy rainfall.I led the medical AI company under Sorell Corporation's umbrella to a successful listing on the Gaturnia Stock Exchange.The bell-ringing ceremony was grand and drew widespread attention. At the event, dazzling lights illuminated the venue, while countless cameras from various media outlets were aimed right at the stage.I had chosen to dress in a smart, tailored black suit that day. Taking the hammer offered to me, I struck the ceremonial bronze bell hard, causing a deep boom to echo throughout the space.As I stood there in the spotlight, I gazed down at the very same people who once laughed at me at the wedding ceremony with Winona.After the ceremony was over, several familiar faces immediately surged forward and approached me.Two years ago, they had accused me of being inconsiderate in the wedding group chat. Now, though, they offered up their business cards with both ha

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