Kennard's POV

It happened during a family vacation.

A filthy, ragged beggar suddenly rushed toward my parents. At first, they looked absolutely disgusted until he whispered something in their ears. In a heartbeat, their entire attitude changed.

Not only did they take him in as their godson, but they also demanded that I hand over the company I spent years building, worth billions.

When I refused to give it up, they drugged me and sent me off to a 220-pound widow on the grasslands like I was some kind of offering.

She tortured me until I was bleeding and broken. My legs were also crushed, but my cries for help were ignored. The parents who once adored me looked like strangers, twisted and cold.

“This is what you get for being selfish and heartless,” my mother sneered. “You deserve it.”

“Good,” my father added as I lay there in agony. “With your legs gone, you can stay out here forever. At least you won’t be competing with Jeff for the company.”

And Jefferson Patton just laughed, proud and smug. “You can beg all you want. But nothing you say will ever matter more than a single word from me.”

As I watched them walk away without looking back, my tears were blurring my vision. I couldn’t understand what he could have said to make my own parents throw me into hell like this.

They chained me up in a yurt, and for three years, I was tortured and humiliated until I finally died in misery.

Then, I opened my eyes and found myself back on the day the beggar first appeared.

——

“Kennard,” my mother said cheerfully, “now that we've welcomed Jeff into the family, that makes him your older brother. Don’t you think it’s only right to gift him the company as a proper welcome? With his background, only a billion-dollar business would suit him.”

“He’s suffered so much. If you had even an ounce of empathy, you wouldn’t refuse such a small request,” my dad added.

Their voices were achingly familiar. I looked down at my perfectly intact body and nearly burst into tears. I couldn’t believe that after all that hell, I’d come back to life.

At this moment, Jefferson was already clean, well-groomed, and dressed in my custom-tailored suit. There wasn’t a trace of the dirt or desperation from before. He stood there with his arm around my parents, looking at me with triumph written all over his face.

Last time, I rejected them without hesitation.

Since my parents had no business sense, Grandpa left the company to me when he passed away. So, I poured my blood, sweat, and soul into saving it from collapse and building it into a billion-dollar empire. And now they wanted me to hand it over to some stranger?

When I had stood my ground, they pretended to understand, but soon secretly laced my Scandinavian Milk Mead with drugs. Then, they had brought a reeking, 220-pound widow into my yurt that night. I couldn’t move and couldn’t even scream due to the drugs. But my parents and Jefferson had only watched from the side as I was humiliated and violated.

The mother who once held me so gently laughed while my dignity was torn away and even said I deserved it.

The father who used to lift me onto horseback and once promised to protect me forever, just calmly said, “Now he won’t be able to compete with Jefferson.”

In that instant, all their love shifted to someone else. And they were willing to destroy me to prove it.

“Kennard, are you going to say yes or not?” my dad asked impatiently.

“The company’s worth a lot, sure, but family matters more than money. Don’t you agree?” my mom pressed.

Their eager voices pulled me out of my thoughts.

I swallowed my rage and confusion and, forcing a smile, I answered, “Yeah, I think so, too.”

During this vacation, I didn’t bring my assistant or any bodyguards as I thought I’d just spend quality time with my family. So, we were out on the open plains, surrounded only by local herders.

I was alone, so the last thing I would do was to fight them head-on. For now, I had to play along, stay calm, and wait for my chance to escape.

This time, I wasn’t just going to make them pay, but also uncover the truth behind the words that turned my parents into monsters.

“I’m glad you’ve come around,” Mom said, beaming as she handed me a cup. “Here, have a taste of this local's specialty, Scandinavian Milk Mead.”

As I stared at the glass in her hand, my heart clenched.

Last time, the drug was in this drink.

Kennard's POV

This time, I saw it clearly.

When my father poured the Scandinavian Milk Mead for me, he quietly covered a hole in the container, altering its contents.

So even though I agreed to give up the company, they were still going to drug and destroy me.

But why?

I remember getting tested as a kid when I was sick, proving without a doubt that I was their biological son. Even a tiger won’t eat its cub. So why would they do this to me?

Questions swirled in my mind, but I knew now wasn’t the time to dwell on them.

Digging my nails deep into my palm, I took the glass of Scandinavian Milk Mead and downed it in one gulp.

Then, in the next second, I bent down as if picking something up and spit the entire drink out onto the wool mat beneath me.

With them off guard, I quickly slipped out my phone and opened a chat with my fiancée, Lorelei Mann.

Most wealthy family marriages are just business deals, but I was lucky that Lorelei and I grew up together. Even luckier, I knew she was nearby, checking on a local branch here.

I dropped her my location and typed out a message asking her to come immediately, and was about to add to call the police.

But just as I hit send on the location, my father snatched the phone from my hand.

“Why are you asking Lorelei to come here all of a sudden?” he asked, squinting suspiciously at me. His expression darkened with each second.

My heart leapt into my throat, but I forced a clueless smile. “I just miss her. Can’t she come see me? Or do you have a problem with your future daughter-in-law?”

The tension thickened. My mother gave an awkward laugh to ease the moment. “Didn’t we agree this trip was just about spending time with family? Let’s not bother Lorelei right now, alright?”

The fact that they were this nervous about me contacting the outside world confirmed that there was definitely something in that drink.

Thankfully, I hadn’t actually swallowed any of it.

And even better, I hadn’t mentioned the police in my message, so I hadn’t tipped them off yet.

As my dad was about to delete the message, Jefferson leaned over to take a look at the screen. He suddenly grinned and cheerfully said, “Oh? Kennard wants his fiancée to join us? Sure! The more, the merrier.”

His confident smile sent a chill straight through me.

Could he really be that sure of himself? Was he confident enough to think even Lorelei would take his side?

No. That was impossible.

She and I had known each other since we were kids. There was no way she’d betray me.

I pushed down my unease and took the phone back. “It’s getting late. Let’s go catch the sunset on the grasslands,” I said casually and stepped out of the yurt.

But as I walked outside, I stumbled and bumped into a skinny little girl who had been gathering dried sheep dung nearby.

I helped her up gently, then a sudden idea popped into my head. Pretending to be sympathetic, I offered, “Hey, I brought lots of candy and snacks with me. Want to come with me to get some?”

Before she could respond, I took her hand and led her toward the yurt.

My parents saw this, and their eyes immediately turned cold.

“Jeff, you think Kennard’s figured something out? Is he trying to get help?” my mother asked, clearly worried.

Jefferson just waved it off confidently. “Relax. That little brat only understands the local language. Even if Kennard spills his guts, it’ll be like talking to a brick wall.”

As such, my parents were relieved.

Only what they didn’t know was that after being trapped here for three years in my past life, I had already learned to speak the local language fluently.

I couldn’t rely on Lorelei alone. This little girl might be another way out.

After quietly giving her instructions, I sent her off and returned to the yurt. Then, I faked the drug finally taking effect, collapsing limply to the ground.

Seeing my current state, my parents were immediately perked up and thrilled.

“Jeff, hurry up and bring in that old widow. It has to happen tonight,” my father said, practically giddy.

“That bastard Kennard. He still had the nerve to pity someone else earlier. He doesn’t even realize he’s about to rot here forever,” my mother sneered.

Their hushed voices floated toward me, but every word felt like a hammer striking my chest.

Just this morning, they’d looked at me with warm smiles and even sweetly called me by my nickname, "Kenn." They also expressed how happy they were that I made time for this family trip.

Kennard's POV

But the moment Jefferson said those words, everything changed.

They kept calling Jefferson "Jeff" and stopped calling me “Kenn.” Worse, they even called me a bastard.

I couldn’t understand how people could change so drastically.

This time around, I swear I’ll find out the truth.

Jefferson soon brought in the old widow, speaking in the local dialect. “As long as you cripple him, he’s yours.”

My blood ran cold. I clenched the muscle near my thigh until it hurt, rage burning in my eyes.

No wonder she came at me last time like I’d killed her family. Turned out, Jefferson was behind it all.

That nightmare of a woman crept closer again, her greedy eyes lingering on me. Her body laso reeked so bad it made me want to gag.

As she lunged toward me, I kicked her square in the chest with everything I had.

She crashed to the ground, howling in pain. But it was nothing compared to what she’d done to me in my previous life. This was just a fraction of the interest she owed.

“Help! Somebody help me!”

I bolted out of the yurt, screaming for help.

By the time my so-called parents and Jefferson caught up, a group of concerned herders had already surrounded me.

“Please, you have to help me! The three of them are trying to sell me to that woman!”

When I spoke fluently in the local dialect, Jefferson’s eyes widened in shock.

He quickly translated it for my parents, and their faces darkened in an instant.

“It’s just a misunderstanding,” Jefferson tried to cover it up with a forced smile using the local dialect. “He’s… not well. He gets paranoid and thinks people are out to get him. And now he’s having an episode. We were just about to take him for treatment, and this happened.”

As Jefferson said that, my parents grabbed one of my arms, trying to drag me away.

Desperate, I clung to a herder’s leg and pleaded, “I’m not crazy! They’re really trying to hurt me. Please, please don’t let them take me!”

Seeing how terrified and helpless I looked, the herders didn’t want to let me go so easily.

But just then, the old widow came stumbling out of the yurt, clutching her chest and shouting, “That lunatic nearly kicked me to death!”

Seizing the opportunity, Jefferson jumped in, “See? I told you he’s violent. You all better stay away before he hurts someone else.”

The herders looked at the bruised, pale-faced widow and backed off nervously.

Even the man I was clinging to shook me off like I was a plague.

Seconds later, my parents dragged me back into the yurt.

“You didn’t drink the wine? And how the hell do you speak their language?” my dad growled. “You must have a death wish!”

“I knew you wouldn’t give the company to Jefferson so easily,” my mom hissed. “Doesn’t matter. Tonight’s your funeral.”

I struggled against them, but Jefferson just laughed. “It’s no use. One word from me, and no one will believe anything you say.”

At his signal, the old widow stormed in holding a rock.

“You kicked me? Let’s see which is tougher. Your foot or this stone!”

In my past life, she used that very rock to crush both of my legs until they were nothing but shattered bones.

The memory slammed into me, so I panicked and tried to break free. But my parents pinned me down.

“Do it,” my dad ordered. “Break his legs so he can never run again!”

“Smash them good,” my mom added. “Make sure he never gets the chance to compete with Jeff ever again!”

Their faces twisted into something monstrous, and the widow raised the stone.

Just when I thought it was over, a voice cut through the chaos.

“Stop! Don’t you dare touch Kenn!”

Lorelei burst in like a storm, shoved the widow aside, and rushed to my side.

She helped me up, her hands trembling as she checked me for injuries.

“Kenn, are you hurt?” she asked, her voice thick with concern. Then she turned sharply to my parents. “Uncle, Auntie. Weren’t you supposed to be on vacation? How could you let something like this happen to him? I need an explanation. Right now.”