Chapter 2

2

Seeing my reaction, Hudson’s voice wavered with a hint of fear. “Silas Sterling, this is exactly what I mean. You always use that arrogant tone to hide your malice!”

I looked up and stared at him with pure disdain.

“You think I sabotaged you? You aren't worth the effort. You have no talent and even less skill, yet you think you’re a god.”

“If I actually wanted to ruin you, your pathetic company would have turned to ash in minutes!”

Hudson’s face turned from red to a sickly purple. He gritted his teeth so hard I could hear them clicking.

He looked like a kicked puppy, trying to act like a martyr.

Nova gripped his hand tightly, her heart breaking for him. Just like in my previous life, she reached for the formula on my desk.

“Silas, Hudson has suffered so much because of you. Why won't you just admit it?”

She sighed. “Maybe you’re just too busy. You’ve become so focused on work that you’ve ignored the feelings of those around you.”

“I’m taking these files. I’ll handle the company business from now on so you can rest.”

She looked at me with those eyes, clear as water and seemingly pure.

In my last life, she used this exact mask of innocence to steal our core formula.

The next day, Hudson leaked the formula to the public. Decades of our family’s hard work vanished overnight.

Vance Industries swooped in and stole all our contracts while Sterling Corp teetered on the edge of bankruptcy.

Desperate, I turned to loan sharks. That was how I ended up being tortured in that abandoned building.

Before they dragged me away, she had stood there while I was bleeding out and clapped her hands.

“You didn't know your place,” she had said. “You deserve this.”

A surge of white-hot rage flared in my chest.

I snatched the documents out of her hand and immediately hit the emergency call button on my phone.

I smiled. “My dear sister, there’s no need to learn the business. Why don't you spend some time learning the penal code instead?”

Nova’s voice turned chillingly dark. “Silas, I think you’ve been the CEO for too long. You’ve forgotten who actually holds the power here.”

“I gave you a chance, and you threw it away. Don't blame me for being heartless.”

I scoffed. “You’re just obsessed with this pretty boy. You’re so blinded by him you can't see straight.”

“Nova, can't you think for yourself? Do you even have a brain left?”

She cut me off, her face darkening. “Silas Sterling.”

“Without my research, Sterling Corp’s products are nothing but expensive trash!”