Chapter 4

Back at my apartment.

I blocked Chloe, Walter, Marcus, and Brenda on all platforms.

I exited every single company group chat on WhatsApp.

Over the next week.

Relying on the strong portfolio, industry contacts, and track record I'd built over three years.

I breezed through three rounds of interviews and secured an offer at one of the top three multinational e-commerce corporations in the country.

My new title: Senior Director of Global Operations.

Base salary? Tripled.

My daily routine now consisted of freshly brewed espresso, high-level strategic meetings, and a stress-free schedule.

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

According to the timeline of my past life.

Today was the day the thirty-million-dollar landmine detonated.

10:00 AM.

I was sitting in my spacious corner office, reviewing the latest European market analytics.

My phone on the mahogany desk began vibrating erratically.

An unknown local number.

I declined it.

It called again.

Declined again.

On the third try, a text popped up:

"Ethan! It's Walter! Please pick up the phone! I'm begging you!"

I raised an eyebrow.

So, the house of cards finally collapsed.

I hit accept and put it on speaker.

The second the line connected, a guttural, pig-slaughtering scream pierced my ears.

"Ethan! Ethan, save me! Please!"

"It blew up! Everything is gone!"

"The European buyer rejected the entire shipment! They claim our lab inspection reports were forged!"

"Three million dollars worth of goods are seized at Rotterdam customs!"

"They triggered that predatory clause! They're demanding we pay all international freight, daily demurrage penalties, and a thirty-million-dollar breach-of-contract fee!"

"The courts froze all corporate bank accounts!"

"Loan sharks are here with a dozen thugs! They broke into my office! They're going to cut off my hands and legs, Ethan!"

I took a slow sip of my coffee.

"Oh."

"And?"

"What does that have to do with an unemployed guy you fired two weeks ago?"

Walter wailed hysterically on the other end.

"Ethan! You saw this coming, didn't you?!"

"Why didn't you stop me?! Why didn't you tackle me to the ground to keep me from signing?!"

"You set me up! You watched me jump into the fire! You heartless, sadistic bastard!"

I couldn't help but chuckle out loud.

"Walter, watch your mouth."

"Two weeks ago, I pointed at the screen and told you it was a predatory contract."

"You told me to get the hell out."

"You used your own master admin account to force it through."

"You swore that if anything went wrong, you'd take full responsibility."

"What's wrong? Is that cross too heavy for you to bear now?"

Walter wheezed over the phone, gasping for breath.

Desperation drove him completely insane as he screamed:

"It was Chloe! That manipulative little bitch!"

"She altered the English terms on the freight liability! I don't read fluent English!"

"Ethan, you were her direct manager! You recruited her! You share legal liability!"

"You come down here right now and explain this to the loan sharks! You bring that little bitch back to face them!"

My eyes turned frost-cold.

"Go to hell."

"Call my number again, and I'll file a police report for harassment."

I hung up cleanly and blacklisted the number.

Less than five minutes later.

Another text pinged my phone.

It was from Marcus, using a burner number.

He sent a photo.

In the picture, Walter was drenched in blood, pinned to the floor by two massive, heavily tattooed men.

His office was completely demolished.

Marcus's text was dripping with raw panic:

"Ethan, the company is finished. Walter tried to jump out the window, but the debt collectors dragged him back inside and beat him half to death."

"Payroll is gone. Not a single cent left."

"Chloe fled! She hasn't shown up for two days! She broke her apartment lease and skipped town!"

"Ethan, you have connections everywhere... can you lend me some cash? My mortgage payment is due, and the bank is threatening foreclosure..."

I read the text and deleted it without replying.

Lend you money?

In my past life, when the internet mob drove me to starvation, I begged him for fifty bucks for groceries. He blocked me instantly.

Now you want a handout? Keep dreaming.

I opened Twitter.

Sure enough, on the local trending feed, a headline was rapidly climbing:

#CrossBorderScam: Local E-Commerce Firm Faces $30M Suit, CEO Severely Beaten by Creditors After Failed Suicide#

I clicked on the thread.

The comments were flooded with unpaid employees and angry suppliers.

There was even a photo of suppliers protesting outside the office with massive banners.

In my previous life, those banners hung outside my parents' house.

Those venomous curses were carved into the flesh of my family.

In this life, the karma had finally been delivered to the rightful doorsteps.

Right then, there was a knock at my door.

The HR Director of my new company stepped in, wearing a bizarre expression.

"Mr. Rivers, there's a young woman at the lobby reception demanding to see you."

"She claims her name is Chloe, and that she's a former colleague of yours."