In my past life, Chloe Henderson’s boyfriend, Liam Hayes, was developing an electric vehicle when the battery exploded, sending Henderson Motors to the brink of bankruptcy overnight. Without hesitation, I married Chloe and took over the mess Liam left behind. I poured my heart and soul into turning things around, developing a new generation of smart EVs that pulled the nearly bankrupt Henderson Motors back to the industry’s peak. But on the day the company went public, Chloe publicly accused me of murdering Liam and stealing his technological breakthroughs during the bell-ringing ceremony. Chloe herself had me thrown in jail, where she watched me be tortured to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Chloe’s grandfather, Mr. Henderson, was deciding who would lead the new vehicle project. He frowned deeply, speaking awkwardly. “Ryan, you and Liam are both incredibly talented, but there can only be one lead for the new project.” I bowed slightly and declined. “I’m afraid my skills aren’t quite up to such a big role. Let Liam take charge.”
Mr. Henderson’s face showed urgency, and his voice rose. “Ryan, do you even know what you’re saying?” I stood up, my gaze meeting Chloe’s calmly. “Chloe, I’m sure you agree with my decision too, right?” Her eyes turned icy when she realized how perceptive I was. “At least you know your place!” In terms of both technical expertise and experience, I was far more suited for the position than Liam. Before today, everyone had assumed I would lead this project, and my engagement to Chloe would naturally follow. But in this life, Chloe’s cold gaze fixed on me. I understood instantly. She’d come back too. If you’re that desperate to save your boyfriend, then I won’t stand in your way. Chloe said nothing and quickly left the conference room. I knew where she was going. At this very moment, Liam was testing a battery solution—and that explosion would kill him. There was still time to fix everything. I stayed put, a cold emptiness spreading through my chest. Ten years of marriage in my past life couldn’t compare to her favoritism for Liam. “Ryan, do you have any idea what you’re saying?!” Mr. Henderson looked at me with deep disappointment. This old man, who had personally taught me mechanical engineering, was now utterly bewildered by my actions. I spoke with indifference. “Chloe actually prefers Liam, so I think I should step aside and let them be together.” Mr. Henderson sighed. Remembering Chloe’s resolute departure just moments ago, he couldn’t bring himself to scold me.
I quietly returned to my room, packing only a few changes of clothes and an external hard drive containing the project’s core files. The next morning, an internal email announced the new personnel appointment. Liam Hayes was named Head of the Velocity Project, accompanied by a photo of him looking radiant and confident. I placed the hard drive in my backpack, my face expressionless. Just before noon, loud shouting erupted from the office downstairs. Standing at the end of the hallway, I heard Liam’s furious roar. “Chloe! You promised me! The second I became project lead, you’d hand the German partnership over to me! Why is Ryan’s name still attached to it?!” Chloe spoke helplessly. “Liam, Ryan handled all the initial technical discussions for that partnership. If we switch now, the Germans will have serious concerns!” “I don’t care!” Liam snapped, clearly displeased. “I’m the future of Henderson Motors! Chloe, are you really going to trust an outsider over me?!” The partnership with the German company was crucial for Henderson Motors to acquire the latest generation of Battery Management Systems. In my past life, I secured this partnership, and my optimizations based on it were what made Henderson’s new car an instant success. Chloe knew this full well. A few minutes later, my phone rang. It was Mr. Henderson. He sat in his office, his face etched with weariness. “Ryan, about this… I’m truly sorry.” It dawned on me then: Chloe had still managed to get Liam the lead position on the German partnership. I spoke calmly. “Mr. Henderson, you don’t need to say anything. I understand.” Mr. Henderson looked up at me, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He had always treated me like his own grandson. But faced with his granddaughter’s demands on one side and his chosen successor on the other, he had ultimately given in to Chloe. From my backpack, I pulled out the hard drive containing my life’s work and placed it before him. “This hard drive has all the data and technical solutions for the Velocity project, including all the documentation for the German partnership.” Every file on this drive was the culmination of countless days and nights of my effort. Watching my composed face, Mr. Henderson’s lips moved, but he couldn’t utter a single word. I stood up and bowed deeply to him. “Mr. Henderson, I’ll never forget your guidance these past years.” Just then, Chloe and Liam pushed the door open and walked in. “Did he agree?” Chloe didn’t even glance at me, asking Mr. Henderson directly. He nodded, and Liam immediately reached out to grab the hard drive. But I spoke up suddenly. “Wait.” Liam instantly glared at me, his eyes wary. “Ryan, what now? What do you want?” I shook my head and pulled a document from my pocket. “This is the most critical Battery Safety Agreement for the German partnership. I just finalized it yesterday and haven’t uploaded it to the hard drive yet.” Liam took the document. His face changed as he looked at the stringent terms and data. “These standards are extremely high. If even one item isn’t met, the Germans will revoke their technical authorization, and the tens of millions we’ve invested will all go down the drain.” My tone was flat. “With your proposed solution, meeting these standards shouldn’t be an issue, right?” Liam’s face flushed red, but he still stubbornly scoffed. “Don’t be so dramatic! It’s just a safety protocol. I can handle it in minutes.” I didn’t say anything more. Liam’s approach—sacrificing safety for performance—was nothing short of a ticking time bomb.
Chloe spoke coldly. “You can leave now.” “From today on, Henderson Motors and you, Ryan Sterling, are finished. We have no further connection.” Just as I was about to leave, Liam called out to me. “Wait. Since Ryan isn’t the project head anymore, he’s not exactly family, right? By rights, everything he’s currently using belongs to the Hendersons. Shouldn’t he leave it all behind before he goes? Chloe, don’t you agree?” I turned, ignoring Liam’s smug face, my gaze fixed only on Chloe. “Is this what you want?” She stood there, her eyes flickering with a hint of evasion. But in the end, she silently agreed. Hearing this, Mr. Henderson was so furious he smashed the teacup next to him on the floor. “You absolute brats! Ryan’s been with the Hendersons for eight years—he’s family! How dare you treat him like this?!” “Grandpa!” Chloe finally spoke, but it was to defend Liam. “Liam’s right. If he’s leaving, we should settle everything now to avoid future complications.” I looked at her and suddenly smiled. “Mr. Henderson, if this is Chloe’s decision, then I’ll respect it. But if we’re settling accounts, then I need to do my own math. I joined the Hendersons when I was twenty, learning from you, and it’s been eight years to this day.” Liam scoffed disdainfully. “So you’re trying to win sympathy with that?” I glanced at him, then continued. “In my second year with the company, I streamlined the production line process, saving the corporation over three million dollars annually.” “In my fourth year, my chassis tuning solution helped Henderson Motors secure the largest municipal procurement contract that year.” “In my sixth year, to solve the motor overheating issue…” I listed them, one by one, detail by detail. With each point I made, Chloe’s face grew a shade paler. “All of this added up. In those eight years, the profits I generated for Henderson Motors far exceeded everything the Hendersons ever gave me.” Chloe’s lips were tightly pressed together. She, of course, knew the weight of these accomplishments. In my past life, it was these very foundations that allowed Henderson Motors to revive from the brink of collapse under my leadership. “The Hendersons supported me for eight years, and I worked myself to the bone for Henderson Motors for eight years. My efforts are enough to repay Mr. Henderson’s mentorship. From now on, we owe each other nothing.” Liam, however, let out a sarcastic laugh. “Easy for you to say. The car you drive, the house you live in—which of those truly belongs to you?” He stepped forward, pointing at the car keys in my pocket. “That Mercedes, that’s Chloe’s, right?” Then he pointed at the watch on my wrist. “That Vacheron Constantin, must be close to a million, right? How could a broke kid like you afford that?” Finally, he pointed at the documents on the desk. “And that Grand View apartment in your name—Mr. Henderson gave you that too, didn’t he? Seriously, what here *isn’t* from the Hendersons?” I let him mock me, my gaze never leaving Chloe. But she remained silent. “Chloe.” I couldn’t help but ask her. “That year on my birthday, the promise you whispered in my ear—have you forgotten it?”
Finally, she ground out two words. “Forgot.” I had thought that after coming back to this life, my heart was already dead. But at this moment, those two words still stabbed me painfully. I forcibly suppressed the dull ache in my chest and began to unfasten the watch on my wrist. Mr. Henderson suddenly stood up. “Ryan! Don’t do this!” “Mr. Henderson.” I cut him off, placing the watch on the table. “Rules are rules.” Car keys, apartment keys—I pulled them out one by one, placing them next to the watch. Finally, I took off my expensive suit jacket, folded it neatly, and laid it on the table. I was left in just a thin white shirt. Liam’s face wore a look of vindictive pleasure. Chloe finally couldn’t hold back and called out to me. “Stop! That’s enough!” I looked at her calmly. “From now on, I am just me. I, Ryan Sterling, am no longer an employee of Henderson Motors, nor am I Chloe Henderson’s fiancé. We are nothing to each other anymore.” I shouldered my backpack and walked out of the office. The hallway was packed with employees eager for drama. On the company’s internal message board, the news of my dismissal was already pinned at the top. My colleagues’ pointing and whispering glances stabbed me like needles. “Look, that’s him! The freeloader finally got kicked out!” “He actually thought Chloe would keep him. Look at where he came from!” “Without Henderson Motors, he’s nothing!” I dragged my heavy feet, walking step by step through the crowd. Just as I exited the corporation’s main gates, a black Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing the serious face of a middle-aged man. “Mr. Sterling? We’re from the Federal Automotive Technology Institute. Our director would like to speak with you.”
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