The cold, black water of Ironclad Bay had swallowed me whole. One second I was plummeting off the Ironspine Bridge, the next—everything went dark.
My name is Kael Voss.
And in my last life, I was nothing but a joke. A stepping stone for the man who stole everything from me.
I'd loved Lila Hart since we were kids. Thirty years I waited, thirty years I gave her everything. She wore my family's ring, ate at my table, let me call her my fiancée… then she spread her legs for Jax Cole the second he snapped his fingers.
Because of her, because of Jax, the Voss fortune—billions—vanished overnight. My father was driven to suicide. My mother lost her mind and wasted away in a psychiatric ward.
I stood on that bridge, staring at the waves, and I didn't hate Jax half as much as I hated her. She was the one who begged for our company secrets, who smiled and lied while she stabbed my family in the back.
I whispered a final apology to my parents, and jumped.
Thud.
My forehead slammed hard into the steering wheel, leaving a bright, stinging bruise. I jolted awake, gasping, my heart hammering so loud I could hear it in my ears.
Two girls stood in front of my car, pale and panicked.
One was Lila Hart.
The other was Chloe Reed, her so-called best friend—another one of Jax's little toys, just like Lila.
My blood turned to ice.
I knew this scene. I knew this day.
A beat-up bicycle lay on the pavement, and my brand-new BMW X5 had a deep, ugly scratch along the front bumper.
The year was 2005.
This car had just hit the market six months prior, cost a full hundred thousand dollars.
This was Havenshire University, the most prestigious school in the capital city of Veyra.
The first day of freshman orientation.
I wasn't dead.
I wasn't drowning in Ironclad Bay.
I was back.
Before the company collapsed.
Before my father died.
Before my mother broke.
Before Lila destroyed every single thing I loved.
"Kael?!"
Lila's eyes lit up like she'd just hit the lottery. She recognized me—the fool who'd worshiped the ground she walked on, the idiot who'd let her take and take without ever saying no.
In an instant, her face twisted into fake anger, her acting so smooth it might've fooled the old me.
"Watch where you're going! My friend got hurt because of you!"
I stared at her, cold and quiet.
This was the girl who ruined my life. The snake in a pretty dress.
This time, I wasn't going to beg. I wasn't going to forgive.
I was going to burn her world to the ground.
"Let me get this straight," I said, a cold, sharp smile tugging at my lips. "You two were riding against traffic, and you hit my car."
"You're the one who's at fault!" Lila snapped, planting her hands on her hips, shameless as ever. "Apologize to us! And since we're friends, just give me ten thousand dollars, and we'll forget this ever happened."
Chloe grabbed her arm, eyes wide with shock. She hadn't expected Lila to demand money—not when they'd clearly crashed into me.
But Lila shushed her, a lazy, greedy glint in her eye. She'd been milking me for cash since we were kids. She thought I'd fold, same as always.
I barely heard her.
A voice, clear and sharp, exploded inside my head.
[ Divine Choice System Activated ]
Option 1: Agree to Lila's demands. Reward: Chloe's Affection +1, Lila's Affection +1, Lila's Contempt +10.
Option 2: Call the police and let them handle it. Reward: Full repair compensation, which they cannot afford to pay.
Option 3: Threaten Chloe—you don't want your parents to find out, do you? Reward: A glimpse of the future.
A system.
A second chance.
Luck wasn't just on my side—it was slamming into me.
"Hey! Are you listening to me? Hand over the money, we're going shopping!" Lila huffed.
Ten thousand dollars.
In 2005, the average person made barely six thousand a year. She had the nerve to demand nearly two years' wages, after she and her friend broke the law and damaged my car.
I pulled out my phone, holding it up like I was about to dial.
"Since you want to play it this way, I'll just call the cops."
Panic flashed across both girls' faces.
"What are you doing?!" Lila shrieked.
"Let the police decide who's in the wrong," I said calmly. "Cameras are everywhere here. They'll see you riding against traffic. They'll see you hit my car."
"Kael! You're being ridiculous! It's just a small scratch! You're so petty now, I'm disappointed in you!"
Disappointed.
The same word she'd used a hundred times to manipulate me.
Too bad I wasn't that fool anymore.
"Sorry to disappoint you. But this is a brand-new car, cost me a hundred grand. That scratch and the damage? It'll cost twenty thousand to fix. You can pay me now, or we can let the police handle it."
Twenty thousand.
Chloe went white as a sheet. Her parents ran a tiny corner store, barely scraping by. She couldn't pay that—her family would be destroyed.
Lila had the money, of course. My parents had given her a ten-thousand-dollar card as a welcome gift just days before. But she'd never spend a dime of it on anyone else.
"Twenty thousand?! Are you crazy? You might as well rob a bank!" Lila screeched.
I shrugged, lifting my phone again.
"Then I'll call the police. And I'll let them call your parents… and your dean."
"No!!" Chloe screamed, tears in her eyes.
Lila's face twisted with rage. She pointed at me, spitting her usual lies.
"Kael Voss, I can't believe you! You're a horrible person! We were wrong to ride against traffic, but you were driving too fast! You could've swerved! What kind of man hurts a girl over a little scratch?!"
The same old lines. Victim cards, gender tricks, shameless manipulation.
I laughed, cold and low.
"I'm glad you finally see me for who I am. But let's be clear: you hit me. I stopped in time. You're in the wrong. End of story."
I turned to Chloe, my voice sharp.
"Are you letting Lila speak for you?"
Chloe hesitated, torn between guilt and fear. Twenty thousand dollars was too much for her.
Slowly, she nodded.
"…I'll go with what Lila says."
I smiled.
The game had just begun.
And this time, I was the one holding all the cards.