The ballroom was silent.What had been a celebration a few minutes ago now looked like the aftermath of a war.
Crystal glasses lay shattered across the marble floor, champagne pooling like liquid gold under the chandelier lights. Emily stood motionless at the center, the engagement ring still trembling in her hand. Her perfect smile—trained through years of social climbing—was cracking, and everyone could see it.
Adrian didn't look back.
He walked out of the hotel hall with calm steps, the click of his shoes echoing through the long corridor. Every whisper behind him grew fainter until it dissolved into nothing. For the first time in years, he felt the strange lightness of being free—though his heart burned like iron fresh from the forge.
Outside, the city was awake. Flashbulbs flickered from reporters like tiny explosions.
"Mr. Vance, is it true you called off the engagement because of fraud allegations?""Is it over between you and Miss Taylor?""Do you have a statement for the Vance Group investors—?"
He paused at the top of the hotel stairs, facing a wall of cameras.In his past life, he had tried to please them—tried to preserve an image that wasn't worth preserving.This time, he didn't owe anyone anything.
He adjusted his coat and said calmly,
"No comment. But you'll hear from me soon."
Then he got into his car and closed the door before they could ask anything else.
The driver started the engine, waiting for instructions.Adrian looked out through the tinted window as the hotel shrank in the distance. His reflection on the glass showed a man both familiar and foreign—one who carried memories from another life, one who had already died once.
So this is where it starts again, he thought.From the ashes of what I once was.
The next morning's headlines were merciless.
"Vance Heir Cancels Engagement in Public Scandal""Taylor Group Faces Backlash After Fraud Allegations"
On social media, half the city took sides, half made jokes. His phone vibrated endlessly—calls from board members, investors, even family lawyers. He ignored them all.
Instead, he went home.
The penthouse was spotless as always, but it felt too quiet.He poured himself coffee, opened his laptop, and began reviewing his family's financial records—something he hadn't dared to do in his past life.
Three years ago, before his "accident," his father's death had been ruled an industrial mishap. But the data told another story—money transfers, hidden subsidiaries, falsified maintenance reports. Someone had orchestrated it.
"Taylor Industries…" Adrian murmured. His jaw tightened."And someone else helped them."
That evening, a knock came at the door.Not the sharp, rehearsed kind that business people used—but soft, deliberate.
When he opened it, she stood there.
Elena Ward.
Graceful as ever, dressed in a slate-gray suit that matched the storm outside. Her dark hair was pinned back, her eyes sharp enough to slice through the room.
"Quite the spectacle you made last night," she said.Her voice was smooth, but there was amusement underneath. "You've given every gossip site in the city a week's worth of headlines."
Adrian leaned on the doorframe. "To what do I owe the honor, Miss Ward?"
"I'm here to talk business."Her gaze flicked over the documents on his table, the open laptop, the old coffee mug."Though I suppose… we could also talk about survival."
She stepped inside without waiting for permission. The scent of rain followed her.
Elena Ward—the woman who once pulled strings behind the city's biggest mergers—had never visited anyone without purpose.
"I've been watching the fallout," she said. "Taylor Industries is collapsing. The vultures are circling. If you play your cards right, you could own half their assets by next quarter."
Adrian met her gaze evenly. "And you're here to help me play?"
She smiled. "I'm offering… a partnership. You're sharp enough to know alliances are the real currency here. You've got the name, the face, and the motive. I have the influence. Together, we could—"
"—control the chaos," he finished quietly.
She tilted her head, intrigued by how quickly he caught on.
But what she didn't know—what no one knew—was that in another life, he had made the same deal.And it had cost him everything.
This time, he wouldn't fall into anyone's orbit again.Not even hers.
Still, he smiled. "I'll think about it."
As she turned to leave, she said softly,
"Careful, Mr. Vance. The city isn't kind to men who burn bridges."
He watched her silhouette disappear into the elevator light.The rain hit the glass again, rhythmic and cold.
Adrian looked at the half-empty coffee cup on his desk and whispered,
"I've already been burned once, Miss Ward. I'm not afraid of the fire anymore."