That sentence was the last straw that broke my back, and I finally gave up completely on Theo, the son I'd cherished with all my heart.

In my previous life, I was hacked to death precisely because I stayed behind to protect Theo, who was still at North Hill Corporation.

And yet, he still hated me.

In my dying moments, he leaned close to my ear and whispered, "If my real dad were here, he'd definitely be able to protect me."

Thinking of this, I couldn't suppress a mocking laugh. Then, I replied with a shrug, "You're right to change your choice of spouse.

"After all, Theo should be with his biological father. But remember—I'm the one calling off the engagement this time, because I find you filthy!"

My words landed like a bolt out of the blue, sending shockwaves through the entire crowd.

Janelle's eyes turned bloodshot. If someone hadn't held her back, she would've gladly skinned me alive.

"How dare a stray dog that begs at my feet for scraps like you find me filthy?"

The way she looked at me was no different from how she'd look at a dog she could command at will.

After calming down a bit, Janelle gave me a cold stare.

"No matter who the father is, Theo is my son and the descendant of us Erwins!"

I pressed my lips together, a bitter taste lingering in my mouth.

Just from Theo's age, I could figure out exactly when Janelle had conceived him.

This was our make-up wedding. Janelle and I had already registered our marriage five years ago.

On the night of our registration, we'd invited our respective friends to a gathering.

Halfway through the party, I found Janelle and Lance messing around in the bedroom.

I stood outside the door and heard everything clearly. Afraid that others would find out my newlywed wife was already cheating on me, I couldn't muster the resolve to go in or walk away.

Only after the sounds inside had stopped did I push the door open.

I still remembered the words Lance used to humiliate me. He wrapped an arm around Janelle's shoulders and asked, "Isn't this your husband?"

Janelle wrapped herself in the blanket, her body barely covered. Without even glancing at me, she ordered, "My clothes are all torn. Go buy me a new set."

I no longer remembered how I managed to buy the clothes and bring them over. All I could recall was my soul leaving my body, extinguishing every last bit of emotion within me.

I'd already repaid the Erwin family's kindness with my previous life. So, in this life, I lived only for myself.

Emboldened by Janelle's backing, Lance put his arm around her and chimed in, "Since it's come to this, why don't you just file for divorce yourself and walk away with nothing?"

The two played off each other, making it clear that they wanted to kick me out of North Hill Corporation without paying any price.

Even though I was ready to blow my top, I kept my composure on the surface.

"You want me to walk away with nothing? Of course, I can leave North Hill Corporation. But I'm taking what belongs to me. Haven't you always wanted to take control of the company? I can sell you my shares."

Janelle's eyes lit up the moment she heard I was willing to sell my shares. All they had really wanted was to push me out of the company, so getting their hands on my shares was already an unexpected bonus.

After all, as long as Janelle could take full control of the company, she could use the memories from her past life to make the company grow bigger.

Although I didn't have the ability to read minds, I could see it written all over her face.

I sneered inwardly, amused that Janelle had miscalculated so badly.

In my previous life, she blamed the bankruptcy of North Hill Corporation on my poor decision-making. Multiple failed bids and even the purchase of inferior building materials led to the collapse of the structures, wiping out years of effort in an instant.

Yet, she never realized that the real source of disaster was standing right beside her at this very moment. As soon as Lance joined North Hill Corporation, its stock price would crash to rock bottom and become utterly worthless.

I was selling my shares early precisely so I could get enough cash in hand.

Lance looked extremely excited. He discussed quietly with Janelle for a moment before finally making a decision.

"Of course you can, but we'll only pay you half the normal share price."

Hearing this, even Lawrence furrowed his brow.

I walked over to Janelle. Then, I pulled her aside and whispered in her ear, "You know very well how many dirty and messy things have gone on inside North Hill Corporation over the years.

"If you don't want both of us to end up destroyed, don't haggle with me over the share price."

There was suspicion in Janelle's eyes. She was probably wondering if I'd also been reborn. But after looking me up and down, she couldn't find anything unusual about me.

Thus, she let out a cold snort and agreed to my terms.

"Take the money and get lost. Don't ever let me see you again. North Hill Corporation has been going nowhere under your watch for years. Once Lance joins the company, he'll surely make it an industry leader!"

No matter the circumstances, Janelle always harbored unrealistic confidence and trust in Lance. Yet, she never trusted me, her childhood friend.

She seemed to have forgotten that I, too, had been accepted into graduate school back then. However, I'd voluntarily given up that path as North Hill Corporation was on the verge of bankruptcy.

I felt as if a giant boulder was pressing down on my chest, the suffocating frustration nearly impossible to bear.

I stared straight into Janelle's eyes, trying to find a trace of the woman she used to be.

It was my relentless, day-and-night efforts that pulled North Hill Corporation back from the brink of bankruptcy.

I worked myself ragged around the clock, entertaining clients until I'd given myself multiple gastric hemorrhages, landed in the ICU, and was hospitalized more than once.

And yet, Janelle could dismiss everything I'd done with just a few careless words.

Finally, it dawned on me that it wasn't that she didn't know how to love someone. It was that she had never loved me.

We signed the contract on the spot. As I was leaving, Theo spat at me from the side.

"You're nothing but a loser, Wes!"

In my previous life, I spent years raising Theo. But it was all for nothing, as he would only ever call me "Wes". Looking at it now, it turned out it was genetics. He had that vile blood running through him.

I never imagined that the last time I'd come to North Hill Corporation would be with my divorce papers in hand.

Janelle and Lance were both out of the office. The two of them had left for a honeymoon abroad right after that day.

But even though they weren't actually in the company, I kept hearing both of their names on the employees' lips along the way.

"What's the deal with the new vice CEO? Why did he change our working hours the moment he arrived?"

"I don't know anything else, but he clearly doesn't understand a thing about business. All he does is crack down on us regular employees."

Along the way, all I could hear were employees complaining about these ridiculous new rules.

I placed the divorce papers on Janelle's desk. As I opened the door to leave, I saw Aaron Buck waiting for me at the entrance. He was my assistant and the person I trusted the most in this company.

In my previous life, he had vanished without a trace. It wasn't until the building contracted by the company collapsed that I discovered his body.

Back then, news broke that the company had been using substandard materials, and the story went viral after being reported by influencers.

I was pushed out as a scapegoat to take all the public criticism, left powerless to investigate Aaron's cause of death. But now…

"Mr. Dunham, take a look at this."

Aaron handed me his phone, showing me his chat history with Lance. After I left, he had been put in charge of handing over my business.

The chat screen was filled with work messages sent by Aaron, while Lance hadn't replied to a single one.

"He doesn't reply to my messages, but still posts normally on Instagram. Mr. Dunham, are you really okay with leaving the company in their hands? North Hill Corporation is your life's work, after all."

Faced with Aaron's question, I shrugged and replied helplessly, "There's nothing I can do about it. I've already sold off all my shares, so North Hill Corporation has nothing to do with me anymore."

Aaron gave me a sly smile and said in a lowered voice, "Others might not know, but I know you too well. You've definitely found yourself a new job."

I smiled mysteriously and didn't directly answer Aaron's question. After all, matters of strategy must be kept secret.

Dragon Cover residential district, with a total of seven phases, was the largest residential project that had come up for bidding in recent years.

North Hill Corporation couldn't take on the whole project on its own, so it had to split the profits with Millennium Corporation, each taking responsibility for a portion.

The rivalry between North Hill and Millennium went back to when Lawrence first founded North Hill.

And I used the Dragon Cove project as my stepping stone to get into Millennium Corporation. I promised them that I'd make North Hill Corporation give up its rights to the Dragon Cove project within three months.

It was summer now. By the time I entered the construction site dormitory, my clothes were already soaked through with sweat.

Over these three months, I made a point of periodically checking on the section North Hill Corporation was responsible for. After all, I genuinely couldn't remember exactly when the worker, Patrick Monroe, had met his accident.

Back then, Patrick had fallen into cement and died. To avoid paying compensation, Lance had forcibly suppressed the incident.

When the truth finally came to light, he shifted all the blame onto me, and I was forced to hold a press conference to apologize.

I recalled Patrick had a daughter called Jessica Monroe. She wore herself out chasing the truth behind Patrick's death, gradually rising to become an online influencer, and finally uncovered the truth through the strength of public support.

I came by regularly to inspect not only to prevent Patrick's death but also to leverage Jessica's power to completely crush Janelle and Lance.

However, I still wasn't sure exactly when Patrick had died.

"Wes, what are you doing here?"

Just as I was about to leave after another fruitless inspection, a voice called out from above.

I looked up and saw Theo. He was standing on tiptoe on the steel rebar.

It'd only been a week since I last saw him, but his clothes were tattered, and his face was covered in grime. He looked for all the world like an orphan.

I guessed that Janelle had taken Lance abroad and hadn't bothered to take care of Theo.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?" I asked.

Theo curled his lip and looked at me with disdain.

"I'm the future heir of North Hill Corporation, so why would I go to school and hang around with poor people? I knew I wasn't your kid. Have you even smelled yourself? You reek of poverty from head to toe."

He pretended to gag.

I was speechless. I didn't dare imagine how Janelle had been raising Theo to end up with such a personality.

I shook my head, not intending to say anything more to him.

"Wes, you're not allowed to leave. Stay here and play with me," he ordered, his tone as commanding as ever.

I turned to leave.

"You're my family's servant! How dare you disobey me?" Theo shouted at me furiously.

He was so angry that he started jumping and stomping on the rebar, completely oblivious to the danger around him.

"Mom was right! You have no sense of gratitude at all, you wretched orphan!"

The words "wretched orphan" had barely left his lips when I turned back and saw Theo lose his footing.

He fell straight down, and a gush of blood sprayed from his mouth. A rebar had impaled his chest, blood gushing from the wound.

Theo reached out his hand toward me, his eyes filled with nothing but terror.

"D-Dad, save me," he pleaded.

It was the first time he'd ever called me "Dad", only it was far too late.