When my stepbrother, William Carson, and I get caught up in an avalanche, the search and rescue team is quick to find us. But they only have one stretcher, meaning only one of us can get rescued first.

My dad grabs my hand as he tells me, "Wilfred, William has a weak constitution. Please give the spot to him. You can wait for the team to come back for you."

In my previous life, I believed my dad, so I gave the spot of survival away to William.

But later on, the blizzard picked up again, which suspended the search and rescue team's efforts to save me. That was how I froze to death on the mountain.

William ended up inheriting all of my assets. He also officially got together with my fiancee, Violet Hathaway, who was cheating on me with him the entire time.

As my soul levitated over the funeral, I heard my dad telling the guests, "Wilfred has always been defiant since young. The fact that he traded his own life for William's is enough to make his death worthwhile."

When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the moment my dad is holding my hand.

This time, I just nod quietly with tears in my eyes. Once again, I watch as William is placed onto the stretcher.

I'd like to see whose death is the worthwhile one.

The wind and snow gradually intensified, and the rescue team quickly disappeared into the vast white expanse.

I dragged my exhausted body and began laboriously moving through the thick snow, finding a sheltered slope and digging a snow cave for me to curl up in.

With the snow and cold winds out of the way, my body temperature began to rise once again.

Then I retrieved my satellite phone from the inner pocket of my down jacket and turned it on. The screen lit up, casting a faint glow over my pale face.

The signal was strong at full bars.

The other side picked up as soon as I placed a call to them, and a lazy yet slightly concerned male voice came through.

"Hello, Mr. Wilfred Carson. You've finally thought about me at long last, haven't you? Didn't you say you were going alpine climbing with your family and wouldn't take any of us mere mortals with you?"

It was Zack Fox, a good friend I met after getting into outdoor sports in the past. He was basically a madman who valued life over money, and he also considered me his only friend.

"Zack. I got caught in an avalanche."

Zack's side went silent at once. However, seconds later, I heard the sound of a chair falling over, accompanied by Zack's angry roar.

"What the hell? Where the hell are you now, Wilfred?"

"Chill," I said, calmly reading out my GPS coordinates to him. "I'm safe at the moment, but I need you to come and save me."

"What about the official rescue teams?"

"They took William away," I said indifferently. "And my dad told me to wait for the next team."

There was another bout of silence on the line.

Zack was more aware of the mess that was my family matters more than anyone else.

"The next team? Tell him to wait for his next life then!" Zack blurted out in anger. "I've already looked at the weather forecast. There'll be a huge snowstorm in 12 hours, and all rescue operations will be halted! He's just leaving you there to freeze to death!"

"I know," I replied, still as frighteningly calm as ever.

"Wait for me, Wilfred. I'm going to get you down from that godforsaken place in a fighter jet if I have to!"

After hanging up on the call, I leaned back against the icy walls and closed my eyes to preserve energy.

I bet the world at the foot of the mountain must be bustling with activity right now.

I could imagine my dear father, Michael Carson, facing the media cameras while playing the role of a desperate father grieving the loss of his son while trying to stay strong.

Meanwhile, my dear stepbrother, William Carson, would be lying in a VIP hospital ward, enjoying the best medical care there was to offer while being on the receiving end of everyone's concern and sympathy.

Perhaps, that fiancee of mine, Violet Hathaway, would also be keeping him company at the moment, gently holding his hand in hers and comforting him, telling him not to blame himself for my "disappearance".

After all, these were all exactly what happened in my past life.

I opened the web browser on my satellite phone listlessly. The signal was a little slow, but it was enough to load a number of trending news headlines.

"Carson Group Heir Missing in the Alpine Mountains, Fate Unknown After Saving Stepbrother's Life."

"The Strength of Kinship—Younger Brother Sacrifices Himself to Save Elder Stepbrother, Touching Countless Hearts."

"Michael Carson of Carson Group Speaks In Grief: We Are Still Searching with All Our Might. We'll Never Give Up!"

I nearly laughed out loud just reading the headlines.

"Sacrificing Himself"? "The Strength of Kinship"?

Seriously, who even thought to come up with titles like these? These reporters sure had a way with words.

I tapped on one of the articles, and the accompanying photo that popped out immediately stung my eyes.

Dad's eyes were red and bloodshot in the photo, and he looked haggard and worried as he leaned against his assistant for support, unable to stand on his own.

Meanwhile, William was lying in a hospital bed with a pale face and an IV drip in his hand. Violet was sitting by the bed, peeling an apple for him.

What a touching scene of fatherly love, full of tender affection for each other.

I saved the photo to the phone before turning it off.

Time passed. I wrapped myself tighter in my last thermal blanket, curling myself up into a ball.

Even though I was sheltered from the falling snow and the chilling winds by the snow cave, the chill still seeped into my bones through my clothes.

After what felt like forever, my satellite phone rang once more. It was Zack.

"Wilfred! Wilfred, can you hear me? We've already arrived at the mountains, but the helicopter can't land. We can only come up from the foot of the mountain. Hold on tight!"

"Don't worry. I'm not going to die just yet," I said, licking my dry, chapped lips. "By the way, I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it?"

"Check all the flights going in and out of Lesterville in these past few days. Is there anyone named Violet Hathaway on the list?"

I was referring to my "gentle" and "quiet" fiancee, of course.

In my past life, it wasn't until after my death that I found out she and William had been seeing each other behind my back since a while back.

The so-called marriage alliance was just nothing more than a conspiracy between the Carsons and the Hathaways to seize the inheritance my mom left me after she passed away.

Violet played the role of the perfect fiancee in front of me, even though she was basically glued to the hips with William behind my back.

Zack went silent on the phone for a while. Then, I heard the sound of a keyboard tapping away.

"I got it. She returned from Parres three days ago. Business class."

She flew back three days ago, which was the day before the avalanche happened.

My heart sank at the realization.

She was in such a hurry, anticipating it after all.

"One more thing, Zack," I said, my voice as cold as ice. "Send photos of Violet and William being intimate with each other in the hospital's VIP ward to the largest entertainment media outlets in Lesterville. Make sure to stay anonymous.

"As for the headline, tell them to use, 'Body of Heir Not Yet Laid to Rest, but Fiancee and Stepbrother Begin Their Hospital Romance'."

Zack let out a low whistle. "That's a good, ruthless headline. I like it. You've finally come to your senses, Freddie. You know you can't be soft when dealing with scumbags like them."

"This is just the appetizer," I said before hanging up. Then, I stuffed the last of the energy bar into my mouth and forced myself to swallow.

I needed to conserve energy. A fierce battle was still awaiting me.

The sky had completely darkened by then, and the snow cave had turned pitch black.

Just as I was about to pass out, I suddenly heard faint footsteps and several muffled shouts outside the snow cave.

"Wilfred!"

"Freddie!"

It was Zack and the others!

I roused myself and crawled out of the snow cave with whatever energy I had left. Just a short distance away, several figures were braving the wind and snow as they struggled to approach me with powerful flashlights.

Zack was right in front of the group, leading them along.

When he caught sight of me, he immediately dashed toward me and pulled me tightly into his arms.

"You bastard! Thank God you're still alive!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling from relief.

I patted him on the back and said, "I told you I wasn't going to die yet."

"Cut the crap and let's get going. I don't want to stay in this hellhole for another second."

One of the rescue team members immediately draped a thick down jacket over my shoulders while another handed me a thermal flask. The warm cocoa flowed down my parched throat, dispelling much of the chill in my body.

The descent was far more difficult than I had imagined, yet Zack's team was very professional, securing a safety rope around my waist and protecting me from both sides as we climbed down.

Despite that, I still nearly slipped on the ice multiple times.

"Hold tight, Wilfred!" Zack hollered at me from the front. I gritted my teeth and continued following them step by step.

I couldn't afford to die here. I still hadn't seen William's or Dad's lives completely ruined yet.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally caught sight of the rescue camp at the foot of the mountains.

Zack led me around the camp to the side where an inconspicuous SUV was parked instead.

"Get in. We'll talk further after going back to the city."

The car's heater was on full blast, and my frozen body finally felt a little warmer.

Zack fetched a first-aid kit from the back seat and carefully and skillfully checked me over.

"You're fine. Nothing serious. Just some frostbite and lethargy."

He continued grumbling as he cleaned up and treated the small cuts on my fingers. "That Michael is such a bastard! I'm going to get someone to chop his leg right off as soon as I get back!"

"Don't be impulsive," I said, pulling him back. "It's illegal to do that. I'll make him suffer so much that he'll wish for death instead."

Zack looked at me with a complex expression in his eyes. "You've changed, Wilfred."

"People change after having died once," I said nonchalantly.

The SUV sped along back to the brightly lit city. Zack dropped me off in a presidential suite of a five-star hotel right in the city center.

"Stay here for the next few days and don't go home. Your place is a den of snakes at the moment."

I didn't object to his suggestion.

"My dad…"

"Don't worry. My men are watching his every move. Everything he does is under my control," Zack said, handing me a new phone.

"This is also a new number. Call me if anything happens."

I took a hot shower, changed into clean clothes, and finally felt alive once again.

I stood before the suite's massive floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city's night view below. I felt nothing but a chill in my heart.

After Mom passed away some years back, I fell into deep depression. It was Dad and William who brought me back from the brink of death with their "familial affection" and feigned kindness toward me.

But now that I thought of it, I realized that they weren't really trying to save me. They just didn't want me to die that easily.

After all, they needed me alive to slowly transfer the enormous fortune and inheritance under my name to their names instead.

My phone vibrated just then with a text message from Zack.

"The photos have been sent out, and several news outlets have acknowledged it. You're in for a show probably tomorrow morning."

I simply replied with an "Okay".

Then, I dialled another number to call Dominic Howell, Mom's most trusted lawyer before she passed away.

"Hello, Mr. Howell? It's me, Freddie."

Dominic was shocked.

"Freddie? You… Weren't you caught in an avalanche?"

"I'm back, Mr. Howell," I said, interrupting him. "I need you to do something for me. Make a detailed list of all the shares and assets that my mother left me. Also, prepare an application request to freeze all my assets."

Dominic was stunned. "What's happened, Freddie?"

"Something terrible," I said, looking at the night view outside the window as I made my words clear.

"Someone just tried to bury me alive and seize my inheritance from me."

…

Early the next morning, I was woken up by my phone vibrating incessantly on the table. A deluge of push notifications from the news app appeared on the screen, each with its flashy headline.

"Carson Heir's Fiancee Allegedly Cheating With Stepbrother."

"Secrets the Wealthy Don't Want You to Know: A Carefully-Plotted Murder?"

"William Carson's Reputation Shatters. Hypocrite? Or Two-Faced Snake?"

The heartwarming hospital ward photo from yesterday, coupled with the headlines I sent out last night, made for a particularly ironic situation in the news article.

Meanwhile, the comment section was flooded with incredulous comments.

"Holy shit! Is that for real? Wilfred hasn't even been found yet, and they're already sleeping together?"

"I knew it! William looked too sullen and sly in the other photo. I was right all along!"