Chapter 1

I kindly reviewed an overseas contract for an intern.

Two weeks later, the contract blew up.

The client exploited predatory penalty clauses, demanding thirty million dollars in damages. The company went bankrupt overnight.

My boss, who had treated me like a nephew, jumped off the eighteenth floor after loan sharks cornered him. He died on impact.

And that intern—the one who secretly altered the shipping terms—sobbed in front of the media: "Ethan forced me to sign it! It was all his idea!"

My family was doxxed and ruined.

Blacklisted from the industry, I was crushed under massive debt.

Meanwhile, she played the innocent victim, hopped over to a Fortune 500 company, and got a huge raise.

On my way to my boss's funeral, a speeding truck hit my car.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day before the contract was signed.

Chloe, the intern, stood by my desk with rimmed, teary eyes:

"Ethan, the client is rushing this export deal. My clearance level is too low. Can you just push the approval through with your manager ID?"

I leaned back and said, "If your clearance isn't high enough, go ask the CEO for special authorization."

I had traveled back in time.

My heart pounded violently, cold sweat drenching my back.

Right before me stood Chloe, wearing her trendy white blouse and biting her lower lip.

Looking like the ultimate victim.

Behind her stood Brenda from HR and Marcus from Operations.

Both were the company's self-righteous "nice guys," and Chloe's most loyal white knights.

I was twenty-six. In three years at this e-commerce firm, I'd busted my ass off to become the Head of Sales.

My boss, Walter, had been a great mentor to me.

In my past life, I was just too soft-hearted.

Seeing Chloe as a fresh graduate trying to earn her first big commission, I used my master credentials to greenlight the multinational contract without thinking twice.

What I didn't know was that she had secretly modified the return freight liability clause behind my back.

That thirty-million-dollar catastrophe bankrupted Walter completely.

The day Walter jumped, his brains splattered across the pavement.

And Chloe? She posted a tear-jerking essay on Ins, claiming I was a toxic male manager who bullied her into taking the fall.

Cancel culture pinned me to the cross forever.

Now, staring at her wide-eyed, innocent face, I felt nothing but sheer disgust.

"Ethan, the client is on a tight deadline. If we don't sign in ten minutes, the deal is dead."

Chloe fidgeted with her shirt hem, lowering her voice to a whimper.

Brenda leaned over, frowning. "Ethan, it's just a click of a mouse. Why give a hard time to a fresh college girl?"

Marcus chimed in immediately. "Seriously, man. This deal comes with an eight-thousand-dollar commission. Chloe needs that cash to pay her rent."

I let out a cold laugh.

"She gets the commission, and I shoulder the risk?"

I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest.

"I haven't even vetted the fine print. Why the hell should I use my credentials to approve it?"

Chloe's tears began spilling down her cheeks right on cue.

"Ethan, I went through it multiple times! There are zero issues!"

"I swear on my life, if anything happens, I'll take full responsibility!"

In my previous life, she had said the exact same words.

And when disaster struck, she was the first to run.

I pointed up at the security camera above my desk.

"Remember what you just said. Full responsibility."

"Still, I'm not approving it."

Brenda lost her temper. "Ethan! Where is your empathy?"

Marcus pointed an accusing finger at me. "How can a grown man be this petty? No wonder you're single!"

I smiled, completely unfazed.

"Petty? Sure."

"Brenda, you're in HR. Stake your position on it."

"Marcus, you're a senior lead. Why don't you sign it off with your ID?"

Both of them shut their mouths instantly.

Guilt-tripping people is easy.

The second their own necks are on the line, everyone turns into a coward.

Right then, the CEO's office door swung open.

Walter walked out, holding his thermal tumbler.

"What's with all the shouting? I could hear you down the hall."

Seeing Walter alive and breathing, my eyes stung with sudden heat.

In my past life, he had treated me like family, even lending me money for a down payment.

And my foolish soft-heartedness had indirectly killed him.

In this life, I would never let that tragedy repeat itself.

The moment Chloe saw Walter, she rushed over.

"Mr. Vance, we have an urgent order! The client is wire-transferring the funds right now!"

"But Ethan is withholding the sign-off. I'm scared we're going to lose this massive revenue for the company."

What a classic gaslighter.

Walter looked at me. "Ethan, what's going on? You turning away free money?"

I stood up, unclipping my badge from my chest.

"Mr. Vance, this is an international shipment. It involves foreign exchange risks and dispute liability."

"Chloe is an intern. She doesn't know the first thing about international trade law."

"If I don't review it line by line and we get scammed, selling our entire company won't cover the damages."

Chloe stamped her foot in distress. "Mr. Vance, I swear I checked it word for word! Everything matches!"

Brenda threw in another plug. "Mr. Vance, Chloe is so diligent. She works overtime every night. You know that."

Walter's expression wavered.

A deal bringing in hundreds of thousands in immediate cash flow was simply too tempting for a struggling business.

"Ethan, how about you just approve it first?"

"Chloe is just trying to do good by the company."

I looked Walter dead in the eye.

"Mr. Vance, are the corporate compliance rules just a joke to you?"

"Any deal exceeding half a million requires a joint audit by Legal, Finance, and Operations."

"Legal is on vacation, Finance isn't at their desk. Why should I blindly approve this?"

I slammed my badge onto the desk.

"Whoever wants to sign this suicide note, go ahead. But my name is staying off it."

The entire office fell dead silent.