The first thing I did after learning my wife died in a plane crash? I frantically offloaded all our assets at rock-bottom prices and bolted overnight.
Why? Because in my past life, after my wife died, she left behind thirty million in debt.
To pay it off, I had to give our son to my mother-in-law.
I worked three jobs, around the clock, while also looking after my wife’s entire extended family.
I pushed myself until I was completely broken.
Ten years later, riding the internet boom, I finally paid off the debt and grew my company into a powerhouse, only to be diagnosed with stomach cancer.
In my final moments, I saw my supposedly dead wife appear with a strange man, holding our son, Liam, and another little girl.
“Thank you, Alex, for all your hard work these past years. Now, the four of us can live comfortably off your money. Oh, and neither of these children are yours.”
I was so enraged I died on the spot. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day my wife faked her death.
“Sir, my condolences.”
“Alex, try to stay strong.”
My phone vibrated endlessly in my pocket, buzzing with sympathy texts from relatives and friends.
On TV, the anchor solemnly reported the news of Atlantic Airways Flight 730’s disappearance, confirming all onboard were presumed dead.
And my wife, Chloe, was on that plane.
In my previous life, when I saw that news, I fainted on the spot.
When I woke up, a collection notice from the bank greeted me—thirty million dollars.
Chloe had used our marital home and my company as collateral to take out a thirty-million-dollar loan.
My life, from that day on, plunged into absolute darkness.
But now, looking at Chloe’s photo on the TV, my heart felt nothing. In fact, I wanted to laugh.
Perfect. If you want to play games, Chloe, let’s play a big one.
I dialed my real estate agent, Mr. Henderson.
“Alex? Calling so late? Is everything alright?”
“Mr. Henderson, I need a favor. My villa, the two apartments downtown, and the office building my company owns—I need you to list them all. Urgent sale.”
There was a few seconds of silence on Mr. Henderson’s end. He was clearly stunned.
“Alex, you… what are you saying? The market’s terrible right now, an urgent sale will mean a huge loss. You’ll lose at least…”
“Sell them no matter the loss.”
I cut him off.
“One condition: all funds must be in my account within three days.”
After hanging up, I didn’t pause for a moment. I dialed another number.
“I need you to track someone down. Chloe. And a man she’s been in close contact with recently, Daniel Hayes.”
The person on the other end was a buddy I’d helped out years ago. He was a private investigator now, with some seriously shady connections.
“Alex, track down Chloe? What’s going on?”
“She’s not dead.”
I said calmly,
“She’s with that man, Daniel Hayes. Find their current location for me, the sooner the better.”
After arranging everything, I finally had time to glance at my phone.
Dozens of missed calls, all from my mother-in-law, Martha Peterson, and my wife’s useless brother, Kevin Peterson.
I swiped away all notifications. Just as I was about to silence my phone, Martha’s call came in again.
The moment I answered, a deafening wail erupted.
“Alex! My Chloe! My daughter is gone just like that! How can you call yourself a husband?! Why didn’t you stop her from going to that Maldives trip?! You give me back my daughter!”
Her shrill voice pierced my ears.
In my previous life, I was terrorized by that crying for ten years, treating her whole family like royalty.
And what did I get? A bunch of ungrateful leeches.
I held the phone away from my ear, waiting for her wailing to subside a bit, then spoke coldly.
“Done crying?”
Martha’s sobbing instantly stopped.
“Alex, you… what kind of attitude is that! Chloe just died, and you…”
“First, ‘just died’ isn’t quite right. A plane falling into the ocean? She’s likely dead for good.”
“Second, for her funeral, you’re her family. It’s your responsibility to handle it. My company has some issues right now, I’m slammed, I can’t leave.”
“You!”
Martha was so furious she couldn’t speak.
I didn’t give her a chance, continuing:
“That’s it. Don’t call me unless it’s important.”
With that, I hung up and immediately blocked her number.
The next morning, Mr. Henderson brought several buyers to the villa.
To offload the properties as quickly as possible, I was selling them at seventy percent of market value.
“Alex, please reconsider. This price is a massive loss.”
Mr. Henderson was still conscientiously trying to persuade me.
“No need to consider. Whoever can pay in full the fastest gets it.”
My attitude was firm.
The buyers looked at me like I was a lunatic, but faced with such huge profits, their greed was impossible to hide.
In less than half a day, the villa and the two apartments were under contract.
The company building was a little more complicated, but at such a low price, it sold quickly.
Mr. Henderson patted his chest, guaranteeing it would be done within three days.
I was signing contracts with a buyer when the doorbell to the villa began ringing like crazy.
I didn’t even need to look to know who it was.
Opening the door, Martha Peterson’s tear-streaked, puffy face and Kevin Peterson’s indignant, sneering expression appeared before me.
Martha’s eyes were red and swollen, as if she’d cried all night.
Kevin, meanwhile, looked furious and contemptuous.
“Alex! You heartless monster! My sister’s barely gone, and you’re already selling the house!”
Kevin stormed in, pointing a finger at my nose, practically spitting in my face.
Martha followed, wailing hysterically:
“Oh, Chloe, you died such a terrible death! Look at the man you married! The moment you’re gone, he’s selling off the entire house!”
The buyers and Mr. Henderson inside the house exchanged awkward, disdainful glances.
I watched their performance with cold eyes. Once they were done with their scene, I slowly spoke.
“Done with your tantrum?”
Kevin paused, then grew even more enraged:
“Alex, what’s that supposed to mean?! Are we wrong?! My sister was so good to you, and this is how you treat her?”
“Good to me?”
I scoffed as if I’d heard the funniest joke in the world.
“Good to me? You mean by using my house and company as collateral for a thirty-million-dollar loan, then faking her death and running off?”
My words exploded like a bomb in the living room.
Martha and Kevin’s expressions froze instantly.
The buyers and Mr. Henderson looked shocked, glancing at each other, clearly having stumbled upon some juicy high society drama.
“You… you’re talking nonsense!”
Martha was the first to react, her voice sharp as she retorted,
“My Chloe would never take out a thirty-million-dollar loan! This is slander! You’re just making excuses to sell the house!”
“Exactly!” Kevin chimed in,
“My sister’s a stay-at-home mom! Where would she get a thirty-million-dollar loan? Alex, I think you’ve lost your mind!”
I sneered, pulled several documents from my briefcase, and tossed them onto the coffee table in front of them.
“Open your eyes and look closely. This is the loan agreement signed by Chloe. These are the bank’s collateral documents. It clearly states that if the loan isn’t repaid within three months, the bank will seize this villa and the ownership of my company.”
These documents, of course, I had forged overnight.
But the signature on them? That was Chloe’s genuine handwriting.
In my previous life, when I was sorting through her belongings, I found many of her practice drafts.
She not only imitated my signature, but also the bank manager’s.
And her own signature? I could write it with my eyes closed.
Martha and Kevin were clearly intimidated. They picked up the documents, scrutinizing them, the color draining from their faces bit by bit.
“Impossible… this is absolutely impossible…”
Martha murmured, her eyes beginning to dart around.
Chloe’s plan? Her own mother couldn’t possibly have been completely in the dark.
“Nothing’s impossible.”
I folded my arms, watching them coldly.
“Right now, the bank has issued its final notice. I’m selling everything to cover this hole. Otherwise, we’ll all end up homeless.”
I deliberately emphasized “we.”
Kevin’s face was grim. He probably realized he wouldn’t be able to spend my money anymore, and angrily yelled:
“That’s your joint debt as a couple! Why should we be responsible for it?!”
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Is that right? Well, good. I was just worried I wouldn’t have enough money. Since you’re her family, shouldn’t you contribute to this debt?”
The moment I finished speaking, several rough bangs on the door came from outside.
“Open up! Alex! Pay your debts, it’s your obligation!”
Several burly guys in black tank tops with sleeves of tattoos stormed in. The bald man leading them looked fierce.
Martha and Kevin had never seen such a scene before. Their knees buckled on the spot.
Martha immediately hid behind Kevin, who was pale and shaking like a leaf.
This was the second act I’d arranged.
In my previous life, it was these same guys who came to my door every other day, harassing me relentlessly.
They even caused trouble at the restaurant where I worked, costing me my job.
This time, I’d brought them in early.
The bald man walked up to me, his expression menacing.
“Alex, thirty million. When are you paying it back?”
I feigned panic, stepping back, and pointed at the trembling Martha and Kevin. I spoke in a frantic, loud voice:
“Gentlemen, you’re looking for the wrong person! The one who borrowed the money is Chloe, and they’re Chloe’s mother and brother! Look, the loan agreement clearly states that this money was all taken by Chloe to buy her brother a house and car, and her mother luxury items!”
I also handed over the forged fund flow statement.
The bald man took it, glanced at it, then turned his fierce gaze to Martha and Kevin.
“Oh? So *you* were the ones spending the money?”
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