Chapter 1

My wife had no idea that the cryogenic vault was holding the final viable sample of Devon Hayes, the sole heir to a multi-billion-dollar empire who had lost his fertility.

She indulged her childhood friend, an intern at our firm, letting him install cheap bootleg security software from Temu.

The pirated program corrupted the entire system, causing the freezing vault temperatures to spike out of control.

In my previous life, I did everything to protect my wife from liability.

I hacked into the core mainframe, bypassed the corrupt protocols, and saved the billionaire's final hope for an heir.

Afterward, the furious VIP clients demanded accountability, and Ethan Cole couldn't handle the heat.

In sheer panic and humiliation, he locked himself in the freezer and committed suicide.

Before dying, he left a video falsely claiming I had orchestrated the entire disaster to frame him.

My wife calmly destroyed the footage back then, telling me he brought it on himself.

Years later, our cybersecurity firm became world-renowned.

Yet she lured me into that very same cryogenic chamber, staring through the reinforced glass with cold indifference as I begged for my life, freezing to death in agonizing despair.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the exact day Ethan installed that bootleg software.

This time, I turned off my phone and pulled the covers over my head.

I couldn't wait to see how they would survive the billionaire's wrath without me.

01

The moment the relentless barrage of phone calls woke me from my sleep, I realized I had been reborn.

Without a second thought, I hurled my phone against the wall, smashing it to pieces.

In my past life, Ethan Cole had brought about his own ruin by uploading bootleg security software he bought off Temu.

A trojan virus tore through the firewall, and the temperatures inside the cryogenic facility began to skyrocket.

He had called me in tears, begging for help.

Knowing that Devon Hayes's last viable sample was stored inside, I rushed over in a panic.

Using my elite coding skills, I purged the virus and salvaged the billionaire's only chance at continuing his bloodline.

Afterward, Devon demanded answers.

Ethan could have easily walked away if he had just swallowed his pride and apologized.

Instead, treating it as an unbearable humiliation, he ran into the cryo chamber and ended his own life.

My wife blamed me for his death and had me frozen alive in that very same vault.

After enjoying a full night of peaceful sleep, I took my sweet time heading over to the facility.

The main control room was already descending into total chaos.

My colleagues were shouting at Ethan, their voices sharp with fury.

"Ethan, do you think this is a damn game? You actually installed bootleg software off Temu into a top-tier security grid!"

"The trojan completely hijacked the system! The cooling controls are fried, the liquid nitrogen chambers are heating up, and within minutes, every single sample will be destroyed!"

"These belong to the most powerful politicians and billionaires in the country! They'll slaughter us, and it's all your fault, you useless idiot!"

Despair was written on every face in the room.

Two furious engineers even lunged forward, kicking and punching Ethan until he was sprawled across the floor.

Ethan cowered on the ground in pure terror.

When he caught sight of me walking through the door, his eyes flashed with desperate relief, quickly followed by bitter resentment.

He scrambled to his feet, pointed an accusatory finger at me, and screamed.

"I called you dozens of times! Why didn't you pick up?"

"If you had shown up last night, things would never have gotten this bad!"

"You knew how dangerous these clients are! You stayed away on purpose just to ruin my life!"

Instantly, the room fell silent.

Several coworkers turned to glare at me, their eyes filled with blame.

I looked at Ethan with utter coldness.

"You're the one who was stupid enough to install pirated software. What does that have to do with me?"

Ethan's eyes turned bloodshot as he tried desperately to shift the blame.

"Madelyn assigned you as my mentor! When I make a mistake, it's your job to take responsibility!"

Staring at his deceitful, entitled face, I stepped forward and slapped him across the cheek.

Then, I pulled out the shattered pieces of my phone.

"First of all, I pulled seven consecutive all-nighters designing a hundred-million-dollar defense grid for a top client. I smashed my phone in exhaustion and frustration, so I never heard your calls."

"Second, I may be your mentor, but this isn't a simple workplace error. This is sheer, reckless stupidity, and I have zero obligation to clean up your mess."

My words instantly snapped the rest of the team back to reality.

"He's right! You've been running your mouth and causing trouble just because the boss favors you, and now you want Gabe to take the fall for your screw-up?"

A fresh wave of angry accusations washed over Ethan.

His face turned paper-white, his eyes hollow with dread.

Just then, the control room doors swung open, and Director Kenneth Ross walked in alongside my wife, Madelyn Kelly.

Ethan scrambled across the floor on his hands and knees, throwing himself at Madelyn's feet.

"Maddie, I swear I just wanted to help! I had no idea it would turn into such a disaster!"

The second Madelyn entered, her gaze locked onto Ethan with tender concern.

She gently wiped the tears from his cheeks.

"Stop crying. I know it was just an honest mistake."

"So what if a few samples got ruined? We'll pay whatever compensation is required."

"Money is nothing. No matter what mistake you make, I will always back you up."

Director Ross, having just reviewed the data logs, kicked a metal chair across the room in a blind rage.

He pointed straight at Madelyn's nose, his voice shaking with fury.

"Devon Hayes just stored his final sample here!"

"He was injured in an attack and permanently lost his fertility! That was his last chance at ever having a biological child!"

"If that sample is destroyed, every single one of us is as good as dead!"

"You want to back him up? You going to pay for it with your life?"