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!"

Public opinion continued turning on William and Violet.

"I feel so sorry for Wilfred! He risked his life to save a heartless ingrate!"

"I bet the fiancee isn't any better than the stepbrother! She'd already found her next target before her own fiance was even confirmed missing!"

Both William and Violet, who were still the objects of sympathy online yesterday, suddenly became the public enemy, hated by everyone.

I curled my lips up in satisfaction. This was just the first step.

Soon, Dad's company—Carson Group—issued an emergency statement online, angrily denouncing the photos and articles as fabrications by unscrupulous media outlets and stating that it would pursue legal action against them.

In addition, he announced that a press conference would be held at Carson Tower today at 3:00 pm to clarify all the circulating rumors.

I sent Zack a text message.

"3:00 pm, Carson Tower. Prepare a grand entrance for me."

Zack immediately responded, "Got it. I guarantee that it will be absolutely mind-blowing."

…

By around ten to three, Carson Tower was already swarming with reporters and media houses outside.

I sat in the back seat of Zack's SUV, wearing a mask and sunglasses as I quietly observed everything from my seat.

"Everything's been arranged. You can enter through the side door later. My people will lead you backstage."

The press conference started on the dot.

I watched the three people on stage through the backstage monitor.

Dad sat in the main seat, his face grave and haggard. Meanwhile, William and Violet sat on either side of him. William kept his head down, coughing occasionally while looking frail and aggrieved, and Violet looked extremely concerned and worried.

"First of all, thank you, everyone, for taking the time to attend this press conference," Dad started. "I'm extremely angry and heartbroken about the false rumors now circulating online. My son, Wilfred Carson, is still missing, and our whole family is wrought with grief.

"Yet, during this moment, some attention-seeking people are already maliciously slandering my son, William Carson, and my future daughter-in-law, Violet Hathaway, online.

"William and Wilfred both grew up together, and they both share a deep bond. During this incident, Wilfred chose to sacrifice himself for the sake of William's safety, and I know that William is suffering from survivor's guilt more than anyone else.

"His health is already in poor condition, and he's barely eaten or drunk anything in the past few days, relying entirely on his willpower to stay alive.

"As for Violet, she is childhood best friends with Wilfred, and the first thing she did after hearing the terrible news was to rush back from abroad and has been tirelessly taking care of William at the hospital, hoping only that he can recover as soon as possible and live a good life in Wilfred's place.

"Their relationship is purely platonic and even familial, and yet, it has been maliciously misinterpreted by those despicable people online. Does your conscience not hurt when you spread false rumors like that?"

Dad spoke with such great emotion and deep feeling that some of the more emotional female reporters in the audience had begun wiping away their tears.

Next, it was William's turn to speak.

He weakly picked up the microphone, his eyes red and bloodshot.

"I'm sorry… It's all my fault. If it weren't for saving my life, Wilfred… he…"

William then choked on his words and began to cough weakly, looking as if he were about to faint.

Violet immediately grasped his hand and comforted him softly.

"Don't be like this, Liam. None of this is your fault."

She then looked up and faced the cameras with tears in her eyes.

"Nothing is going on between Liam and me other than a platonic friendship. If Wilfred were alive, I believe that he also wouldn't want to see us being misunderstood like this."

I chuckled as I stared at them through the monitoring screen, interested to see how much longer they'd keep their act up. The cold grin on my lips grew wider and wider.

I'd had enough of the show. It was finally my turn now.

I gave Zack the signal.

It was time for me to give them a nice little "surprise gift" now.