Chapter 1

When the engineering structure collapsed, I happened to catch my wife and her first love in a heated, illicit embrace in the office.

I didn't have time for them. I rushed to the accident site to start the rescue work.

But I never expected my wife, arriving late, would push me under a crumbling wall to be crushed alive.

Afterward, she wanted to clear her lover's name for buying substandard construction materials.

She personally testified that I was the one who signed off on those materials, causing the tragedy.

With my massive life insurance payout, the two of them bought a villa and lived a life of luxury and lust.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the scene of the disaster.

This time, I chose to watch from the sidelines.

Even when my wife urged me to go in and help, I refused without hesitation.

"I am the project manager, not a rescue worker. You two made this mess, you solve it!"

In this life, I won't let this pathetic couple have a single happy moment.

1

My wife, Vanessa Vance, kept pushing me from behind.

"Leo Sterling, why aren't you going in to save them? Are you just going to watch the workers die?"

I stood my ground, having no intention of moving a single inch.

I sneered inwardly. She didn't want me to save anyone. She wanted to push me into the gates of hell.

She needed a scapegoat to clear the name of her precious Shawn York.

In my previous life, Shawn, the procurement manager, suddenly changed suppliers and brought me the paperwork to sign.

After I personally checked the quality of those materials, I strictly refused him.

I demanded he switch back to our original, trusted supplier immediately.

I didn't expect Vanessa to come home that night and start a massive screaming match.

She accused me of being jealous of her close relationship with Shawn and said I was intentionally making his life difficult.

Then, she forged my signature. Using her power as the CFO, she quickly released the funds to Shawn.

I only found out about this ten minutes before the collapse. I happened to overhear them whispering about it while they were tangled together in the finance office.

Seeing that I wasn't moving, Vanessa continued to nag.

"You're the project manager. If you don't go in, who will? I'm a woman and I'm willing to face the danger with you. What are you afraid of?"

"Do you want everyone to know their leader is a coward who watches people die?"

Shawn, who had been hiding silently to the side, stepped up to join the act.

"Mr. Sterling, those workers have lives too. Maybe their lives aren't as precious as yours, but they are still human beings. How will you lead anyone after this?"

His words immediately sparked anger among the bystanders.

"Mr. Sterling, Shawn is right. This place could have a secondary collapse at any moment. If we go in now, we can save a few more people."

"Please, lead us in there! This is no time to be a coward."

I ignored the others and looked straight at Shawn. I spoke calmly.

"Oh, since Mr. York and Mrs. Vance are so eager to help, why don't you two lead the way?"

Vanessa immediately stepped in front of him, shielding him. She shouted at me with total disgust.

"He was raised in comfort! He doesn't have the strength for rescue work. If something happens to him, will you take responsibility?"

"Oh? So he'd rather watch you go in and die with me? It seems your bond isn't as strong as I thought."

"Shut up! I'm only going in because I'm your wife. This has nothing to do with him!"

Thinking about what those two were just doing in the office, I clenched my fists until they shook.

"Let me be clear. I am the project manager, not a rescue worker. You two created this disaster. You solve it!"

"Don't even dream of dragging me in there to die with you!"

Shawn and Vanessa both froze. They clearly didn't expect me to know about the building materials.

Then, a flash of cruelty crossed Vanessa's eyes. She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"You're the manager, fine! But as your wife, is it a crime for me to want to clean up your mess? Why are you throwing dirt on us like a mad dog?"

"I must have been blind to marry such a cold-blooded man!"

I was about to fire back when my assistant suddenly stood up. He looked at me with deep disappointment.

"Mr. Sterling, I've looked up to you since I was a kid. I thought you were a responsible leader. How did you become so heartless?"

"I can't believe that in a crisis, your first thought is to shift blame! I can't follow a leader like this anymore!"

"Mrs. Vance, I'll go in with you!"

Vanessa's eyes flickered. She quickly agreed and grabbed the assistant's arm to head toward the rubble.

I cursed her in my heart. She knew exactly what she was doing.

That assistant was the younger brother of my old army buddy. I had watched him grow up.

She knew if he went in, I would follow just to keep him safe. She was hell-bent on seeing me dead.