On the eve of the Wall Street Market crash, I chose to withdraw from the American Stock Tycoon Championship. Both of my so-called childhood friends bombarded me with calls, ordering me to keep competing. I hung up, yanked out the SIM card, flushed it down the toilet, and made myself a bowl of instant noodles. While the stock market roared on, I binged a TV series. In my past life, after I won the championship, the fake heir stormed the stage, tearfully accusing me of stealing his stock trading strategies. My two childhood friends turned on me, each slapping me across the face, publicly denouncing me as a fraud. The fake heir was elevated to “stock market god” status, amassing thousands of adoring fans. Meanwhile, I was ostracized, canceled online, and branded a copycat. In the end, one of his obsessed fans pushed me off a skyscraper—Midtown Manhattan Penthouse. I died instantly. This time around, I bowed out of the championship entirely. As for Ryder Hartwell, the fake heir, I want to see how he’ll survive the impending 2008 Financial Crisis. …… Content
“Hunter, what are you doing sleeping here? Did studying the stock market wear you out?” Felicity “Lissy” Dawson’s crisp voice pulled me back to reality as she gently patted my shoulder. I blinked at her in disbelief, my mind a blank slate. Genevieve “Eve” Lockwood touched the back of my hand, her expression filled with admiration. “I brought your favorite strawberry cake. Come on, take a break,” she said, tearing open the packaging and scooping a piece to feed me. The sweet scent of strawberry wafted toward me as the spoon hovered near my lips. The moment the strawberry touched my lips, a shiver ran through me. I’ve been reborn. The horrifying memory of free-falling from a skyscraper and the sharp pain of my head splitting open felt like a distant nightmare. Seeing me sit there dazed, Genevieve frowned, her tone displeased. “The Stock Tycoon Championship is pushing you too hard. I’ll call my sponsor to lock in the win for you.” Lissy smirked. “I can’t stand Genevieve’s bossy billionaire act, but seeing you like this, Hunter, I’ll back her this time.” In the past, I would have pushed back. “Don’t interfere. I have my own career to focus on.” But now, all I felt was dread. These two women, once my closest allies, now seemed more like sinister messengers from hell. Lissy and I grew up together in the Starlight Haven Orphanage, supporting each other through thick and thin. Genevieve first came into our lives when she was five, tagging along with her parents during one of their orphanage inspections. She snuck off to play, fell into a pond, and Lissy and I saved her. From then on, our trio was inseparable. When I turned eighteen, both Genevieve and Lissy confessed their feelings to me, each vowing to stay by my side forever. But everything changed when Ryder Hartwell came into the picture. In my past life, during the American Stock Tycoon Championship, I led my team to navigate the financial crisis unscathed. Then Ryder emerged, accusing me of stealing his stock trading strategies. I showed my analysis and trading simulations to prove my innocence. But Ryder revealed videos of his stock predictions, each posted an hour before my simulations were logged. That was when Genevieve and Lissy arrived. I’d expected them to defend me. Instead, they turned cold, their words laced with disappointment. “You’re just jealous of Ryder!” “Stealing his parents wasn’t enough for you? Now you’re stealing his stock strategies? How low can you go?” Their betrayal was a knife to the chest. Ryder became a celebrated financial prodigy, showered with accolades and admiration. Meanwhile, I was branded a fraud, endlessly harassed online, and isolated. It all culminated in my untimely death—pushed off my own penthouse by one of Ryder’s rabid fans. Not this time. Never again. I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood. My chest burned with rage. This time, I’ll strip away their façades, expose their lies, and take back everything that was stolen from me. I forced down the bile rising in my throat and smiled faintly. “I’m withdrawing from the Stock Tycoon Championship.” The sympathy on their faces vanished instantly. Genevieve rubbed her temples, irritated. “Don’t be dramatic. Withdrawing isn’t a joke.” Lissy chimed in, “Exactly. You said you wanted to prove yourself. Was that just talk?” I cut them off, my tone flat. “I’ll stay in the competition… if Ryder withdraws.” Genevieve slammed her hand on the table. “Why? Ryder already gave you the Sterling family name. Can’t you leave him alone?” Her frustration boiled over as she flung the strawberry cake onto the floor. It splattered like a crushed dream. I stared at the mess, my voice cold. “Gave? Let’s call it what it is. He stole my place for twenty-three years—my family, my name. Every time I see him, I’m reminded of the years I spent starving and scavenging just to pay for school.” Lissy frowned. “That’s all in the past, Hunter. It wasn’t Ryder’s fault…” I didn’t bother arguing further. I shut my laptop and motioned toward the door. “You can see yourselves out.”
The two of them stood outside my door, pounding on it so hard the sound reverberated through the hallway. “Hunter Sterling! My patience is wearing thin. You’ve got one minute—open this door, now!” Genevieve “Eve” Lockwood barked, her tone sharp with fury. Felicity “Lissy” Dawson, on the other hand, sounded calm—though her words cut just as deep. “Hunter, why are you making life hard for Ryder? Just because you’ve walked through the rain doesn’t mean you need to tear up someone else’s umbrella.” In my past life, I thought Eve, while bossy, had some kind of moral bottom line. Lissy? I respected her rise from orphan to tech magnate. But now, they looked like confused, entitled fools. I almost opened the door to shoo them away when I heard Ryder Hartwell’s voice, dripping with fake concern. “Eve, Lissy, is Hunter really locking you out?” Eve cleared her throat, embarrassed. “It’s nothing. What are you doing here?” Lissy forced a smile. “Aren’t you busy prepping for the American Stock Tycoon Championship? What brought you back?” Ryder’s tone dropped into something resembling guilt. “I… I want to withdraw.” Lissy narrowed her eyes. “Did someone threaten you?” “No… no one,” Ryder stammered, looking down. “It’s just… I’ve taken so much from Hunter—his family, his name. I owe him that much.” Tears welled in his eyes as he looked at them both. “Don’t blame Hunter, okay? This is my choice. I even offered him my trading strategies. He didn’t steal from me.” “What did you just say?!” Eve yanked him by the arm, her eyes blazing. “Are you telling me Hunter’s been stealing your trading strategies?” Ryder flushed, mumbling, “Eve, not so loud…” Eve let go of his arm, but the damage was done. Ryder wiped his tears and forced a shaky smile. “It’s okay. I can handle this.” The tears spilling onto Eve’s hand seemed to light a fire in her. “That’s it!” she declared. “Hunter Sterling needs to apologize—now!” At that, I swung open the door, her foot mid-kick. Her leg froze awkwardly in the air. “Apologize? For what, exactly?” I crossed my arms. Eve grabbed Lissy’s arm, pulling her aside to stare me down. “You stole Ryder’s trading strategies and kicked him out of the Sterling Estate. You’re disgusting, Hunter!” As if on cue, venomous words spilled from both of them, condemning me without so much as a shred of proof. I had no time for their nonsense. I pulled out my phone and called security. “There’s an unauthorized entry into my apartment. Please handle it.” The building’s private security team arrived swiftly. Within a minute, ten guards were at my door. Ryder’s face flushed red, then pale. Tugging on Eve’s and Lissy’s sleeves, he whispered, “This isn’t my home anymore. If Hunter wants us to leave, we should go.” Lissy shot me a disgusted glare, and Eve clenched her teeth. “Fine. Let’s go.” As she stormed out, Eve paused in the doorway to hiss, “Hunter Sterling, as long as I’m around, you’ll never lay a finger on Ryder!” Then she slammed the door behind her. The apartment fell silent. I took a deep breath and began packing. If Ryder could steal my stock strategies in my last life, he could do it again. The Sterling Estate wasn’t safe. Maybe there were hidden cameras in my room. Maybe he had some virus planted in my laptop. Whatever the case, I needed to cut all ties. I grabbed my suitcase and left, hailing a cab to my secret apartment downtown—a Midtown Manhattan Penthouse I’d bought with my stock earnings. Not even Lissy and Eve knew about it. That night, I microwaved some frozen dumplings, ate in peace, and holed up in my study to analyze the market. The stock market had been on a prolonged bull run, but the data hinted at a downturn on the horizon. After hours of comparing charts and indicators, I pinpointed a volatile stock with short-term potential. If I bought in at the right moment, I could secure at least a 30% gain. I placed my buy order and ordered breakfast delivery. Satisfied, I opened TikTok out of habit—and froze. Ryder had posted a new video just an hour ago. His smug voice filled the screen: “Buy this volatile stock at the opening dip, and you’ll see a 30% return in no time…” I stopped listening, my fingers tightening around my phone. The exact same stock. The exact same prediction. Blood pooled in my mouth as I bit down on my lip, hard. How? How did he know? This was my private apartment—there was no way he could have installed cameras here. What was I missing?
As I wrestled with the impossible, my doorbell rang. I thought it was the breakfast delivery. Instead, it was Genevieve, Lissy, and Ryder—Ryder in a pristine white suit, trailing behind them like a smug prince. Eve didn’t wait for an invitation. She shoved past me and started inspecting the apartment, her gaze sharp. “If you hadn’t moved out, Ryder wouldn’t have worried about your safety. And we never would’ve found out you live in a place like this,” she scoffed. “Where’d you get the money for this penthouse? What shady business are you involved in?” Lissy picked up an antique vase from the shelf, her lip curling. “A Ming dynasty piece? Really? Hunter, we’ve known you for years, and I never realized you had this kind of wealth.” Her eyes darted to my phone, which still displayed Ryder’s TikTok video. Her expression darkened with disdain. “You’re incorrigible.” Eve grabbed my phone and smashed it onto the floor. “I’ve warned you, Hunter. No one is allowed to hurt Ryder on my watch!” Behind them, Ryder gasped dramatically. “Oh, wow. Look at this,” he stammered, pointing at my open laptop. “Hunter’s so dedicated—he’s even replicating my trading simulations.” Eve and Lissy followed his gaze and immediately rounded on me. “Are you trying to frame him?” Eve demanded. “You’re forging evidence now? Have you no shame?” I stayed silent. Explaining myself was pointless—they’d already made up their minds. Since Ryder’s appearance in our lives, I’d become the villain in their narrative. To them, he was the perfect victim, and I was the monster. Eve’s jaw tightened. “Fine. Stay silent. Let me show you what consequences look like.” She opened TikTok and recorded a video, her camera pointed directly at me. “This is Genevieve Lockwood of Lockwood Industries. I’m officially accusing Hunter Sterling, the current leader of the American Stock Tycoon Championship, of stealing Ryder Hartwell’s trading strategies.” She hit upload without a second thought. Lissy followed suit, reposting it with the caption: “I can confirm the allegations.” The posts went viral in minutes. The comments flooded in: “So he’s not a stock god, but a thief?” “Hunter Sterling, get out of the championship!” “OMG, is this a love triangle? Two powerful women defending Ryder? I’m here for it!” Ryder feigned sorrow, his lips twitching in a barely concealed smirk. “Hunter, just apologize, and I’ll forgive you. Eve and Lissy will even delete their posts.” Eve stomped her foot. “Ryder, you’re too kind for your own good!” Lissy sighed, patting his shoulder. “You’re only encouraging him to keep crossing the line.” The trio continued their theatrical performance, but I’d had enough. “Do I need to call the police,” I asked coldly, “or will you leave on your own?” Ryder’s face fell. “Hunter, you can kick me out, but Eve and Lissy? We’ve been friends since childhood. How can you treat them like this?” Eve shot me a murderous glare. “You’ll regret this.” Lissy’s tone was heavy with fake disappointment. “If this is the path you choose, don’t blame us for what happens next.” They stormed out, colliding with the delivery driver on their way. My breakfast spilled across the floor. The delivery guy stammered an apology, but I waved it off. I’d lost my appetite anyway. I sank onto the couch, replaying Ryder’s smug exit in my mind. His smirk lingered—taunting, confident. A shiver ran down my spine. Bolting upright, I ran to my study and reopened my trading software. If the 2008 Financial Crisis was imminent, I needed to act fast. This was my chance to outmaneuver him. For three sleepless days, I prepared. Finally, I liquidated all my holdings and officially withdrew from the championship. Then I opened Ryder’s TikTok account. Sure enough, an hour earlier, he’d posted a video titled: “Stock Market Collapse Incoming—Sell Everything!” Genevieve and Lissy had already reposted it with glowing endorsements. I smiled faintly. The trap was set.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295110”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #魔幻Magic #后宫Harem
Leave a Reply