2

"How could this be—" she muttered to herself, taking out her phone to dial my number.

"The number you dialed is currently switched off."

The cold, electronic sound was like a slap across her face.

Oliver slowly stood up from the sofa and walked to her side: "Selena, maybe he really is angry? Perhaps we—"

"Shut up!" Selena whirled around, her eyes blazing with fury. "What right does this good-for-nothing I support have to be angry? If he dares not come back, I'll make sure he can't survive in this city!"

But the next morning, Selena was sitting on the leather sofa in the living room with an urgent document faxed from the company spread out in front of her.

Oliver sat across from him, holding a coffee in his hand, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"The regulatory approvals for all the Asia-Pacific M&A deals are stalled," Selena said through gritted teeth, flipping through the documents. "The CFO says that without Arthur's risk analysis and signature, the entire project can't move forward."

She abruptly looked up, staring at Oliver: "I don't believe the company can't function without him! Oliver, you take over this project."

Oliver feigned surprise and put down his coffee cup. "Me? But I'm not very familiar with this project—and I'm afraid I don't know much about the risk management models Arthur designed—"

"Learn!" Selena's tone left no room for argument, her fists clenched. "Didn't you study finance in your past life? This is nothing for you. I refuse to believe we can't do anything without Arthur!"

A hint of smugness flashed in Oliver's eyes, but he still feigned difficulty: "Well... how about I go talk to Arthur first? See if I can get him to hand over the project data to me? After all, this stalemate isn't good for anyone."

Selena scoffed, "Go ahead, let him see reality. Without me, he's nothing."

Oliver nodded and started making phone calls to try and find me.

At 3 p.m., the doorbell rang in my penthouse suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

I opened the door, and Oliver stood there, his usual weakness gone, replaced by a smug and arrogant expression.

"Can we come in and talk, Arthur?" His tone was full of provocation.

I stepped aside to let him into the suite, then closed the door. Sunlight streamed into the living room through the floor-to-ceiling windows; my encrypted laptop was still open, its screen displaying various financial data.

"Speak, what is it?" I walked over to the sofa area and sat down.

Oliver sat down opposite him, crossed his legs, and completely abandoned the humble demeanor he had shown in front of Selena: "Stop pretending, Arthur. I know what you're thinking—thinking that withdrawing will make Selena come back? How naive."

"Oh?" I picked up my coffee, my expression indifferent.

"In your past life, you secured the Asia-Pacific project and became a hero of the Selena family." Oliver's eyes gleamed with malice. "But in this life, everything you have, and Selena, belongs only to me."

In my previous life.

These three words stirred up a storm within me, but I remained outwardly expressionless.

So that's how it is; this green tea was also reborn.

" What the hell is this about my past life? What are you trying to say?" I pretended not to understand and asked casually .

"Hand over all data and permissions for the Asia-Pacific project." Oliver realized he'd let something slip, abruptly stood up, and looked down at me condescendingly. "Since you're already out of the game, you might as well do me a favor. Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I can put in a good word for you with Selena."

He thought that by mastering the memories of my past life, he could easily replicate my path to success.

if I hadn't been in charge of that project from start to finish, it would have been a ticking time bomb.

I pretended to think for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Okay, you're right. Since we're no longer related, there's no point in keeping these things."

A smug glint flashed in Oliver's eyes: "That's right. A wise person knows when to yield."

I walked to my desk and took out a thick folder and several encrypted USB drives from the safe: "This contains all the information about the Asia-Pacific project, including risk control models, funding chain designs, regulatory networks, and even backup plans. A project worth ten billion is now yours."

Oliver took the documents, his greed undisguised. "Arthur, you're smarter than I thought. Oh, I forgot to tell you—I talked to Selena for a long time last night, and she said a petty man like you doesn't deserve her at all. Once I win this project and prove my abilities, Selena will completely forget about you."

I signed the power of attorney and handed it to him, saying, "Pleasure doing business with you."

Oliver, holding the documents, practically beamed with smugness: "By then, forget about begging us for a job; you'll have a hard time even making a living in Manhattan."

After the door closed, I walked back to the French windows, opened the encrypted notebook, and entered a complex password.

The screen displayed the actual financial structure of the Asia-Pacific project—what Oliver thought was a "money printing machine" was actually a giant bubble built on seventeen layers of agency companies and shell funds.

With a click of the mouse, I deleted the three most important backup fund pools that I had filled in myself .

In an instant, the entire project's funding chain completely collapsed.

Oliver thought he had gotten a weapon, but he didn't know it was a grenade, and I had already pulled the fuse back .

Half an hour later, Oliver walked into the living room beaming, waving a thick folder in his hand: "Selena, I got it done!"

Selena looked up from the sofa, a glimmer of hope in her eyes: "What, it's all sorted out?"

"The Asia-Pacific project." Oliver placed the folder on the coffee table, beaming with pride. "Arthur has transferred all control to me. From now on, this multi-billion dollar project is entirely ours."

Selena took the documents and opened them. Seeing the complex financial models and cash flow diagrams, the unease in her eyes lessened slightly: "He just handed them over like that?"

"Of course!" Oliver sat down beside her, a sinister glint in his eyes. "Without you, he's nothing. Now he can only obediently hand over everything, hoping we can leave him a way out."

Selena looked at the documents in her hand, her vanity greatly satisfied: "Excellent. This proves that we can succeed without him."

Oliver, out of her sight, curled a cold smile at the corner of his mouth.

Once this project helps him gain a foothold in the group, that will be the time for him to completely kick Selena aside and take everything for himself.

Both of them thought they were the winners of the game, unaware that the real hunter was watching them from the Manhattan night sky, waiting for the right moment to close the net.

On the top floor of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, I held my coffee and gazed into the distance, a cold smile playing on my lips.

The game has only just begun.