"Elena…" Aaron mumbled in agony.The memories of their past crashed over him, leaving him unable to think about why he wasn't in the hospital upon waking up. He didn't wonder why he was in a strange yet vaguely familiar room.As the nostalgia took charge, he slowly approached the wind chime, his heart throbbing painfully. Before he could touch it, he heard the door open.He turned to see a woman identical to Elena—only much younger.Aaron's breathing hitched. "Elena… Elena!"His voice wasn't hushed, but the tinkling of the wind chime seemed to be the only sound in the room. His voice seemed to go unheard.Elena didn't spare him a glance as she made a beeline for the wind chime."Why are you ignoring me, Elena? Have you forgotten about me when we've only been apart for such a short time?" Aaron cried. He ran to her anxiously and reached for her hand.Then, he watched as his hand passed through her clothes and body. It was as if he was colorless, transparent, and intangible.He
The young man was handsome. He could give a younger Aaron a run for his money.It would've been fine if he'd only looked good, but he also exuded warmth and vitality. He carried himself with a spirited demeanor that only came when someone had grown up with parents who loved and doted on him.Aaron had only seen a face like that in his dreams. No, that wasn't the only time—he'd seen Elena staring dazedly at a face like that during a livestream.At the time, he'd been so jealous that he hadn't even eaten. How had she coaxed him out of it?She'd said, "Don't be angry, Aaron. I was just thinking that if I hadn't transferred to another school during high school, if I'd been by your side when your parents passed away… Would I have been able to ensure you would always have a smile on your face? Would I have helped you stay happy forever?"She'd easily appeased him. Her words had quickly alleviated his jealousy. He'd never once thought of the possibility that she would lie to him or betra
"The original host had already been reborn for the third time when I was brought to her world. Her bad luck from her first life continued after her rebirth, and she failed to save Mr. Cannon Fodder, falling into a cycle of torment worse than death."The second time she was reborn, she helped Mr. Cannon Fodder avoid the dangers they'd faced in her second life. Things went well for a period after they successfully established a business together, but they ultimately went bad because she and Mr. Cannon Fodder couldn't escape the fate of a couple who could suffer together but not prosper together."When she was reborn a third time, she used her life as bait to bring my soul to her world. I thought that with my upbringing, good looks, and brains, it would be a worthy exchange to use a few years of hardship to get another chance at life. I didn't expect to also fail," Elena said.She sighed and continued, "I suppose cannon fodder will always be cannon fodder. He inherently possesses the f
The people from Quilton Group soon arrived with Damien in the lead.He and Aaron had been sworn rivals even before their births—their ancestors had always been business rivals, and they'd fought to declare leadership over Halston City's business world.Aaron's parents had died when he was young. His father had jumped off a building after making a wrong investment and not having the funds to pay his debts. His mother had died of a heart attack after her family had failed to help her get through the crisis.If not for that, Reed Corporation would've long since expanded out of Halston City and reached national or even global recognition, thanks to Aaron's ruthless leadership.It wouldn't have taken ten years for him to get the company back to equal footing with Quilton Group.Had things turned out the way they were because the heavens wanted to stop the Reed family from growing too powerful? Was it the heavens' will that Reed Corporation could only ever be at par with Quilton Group
Eight years passed in the blink of an eye. Elena graduated early with excellent grades from the National Defense and Technology University, earning her doctorate in military intelligence.On her graduation day, Noah, who had become the CEO of Prestige Corporation, a multinational corporation, appeared at the campus gates to pick her up. He held a bouquet and ring."Being able to grow up with you and get to know you before the rest of the world is the biggest honor of my life, Elena. Now that I'm the CEO of Prestige Corporation, I'm willing to spend the rest of my life supporting your dreams and career. Will you give me the chance to take you as my wife and stay by my side through the good and the bad?"It was June in Dendron City, and the sweltering sun shone brightly. It lit up Noah's face and blinded Elena's eyes.She squinted in the sunlight, suddenly able to recall how she'd felt the last time someone had proposed to her and promised her a lifetime together.Whatever it was, i
Miles—no, Aaron—was much calmer and more mature than he'd been eight years ago. Elena's words would've been enough to make him fly off the handle in the past, but he listened calmly and patiently waited for her to finish before speaking. "You're not married yet, are you?" he asked."Does it make a difference?" Elena pointed at him before looking at Noah. "It's been eight years. You might have aged well, but that doesn't change the fact that you're now 37 and getting closer to being middle-aged. I'm only 26—I've just graduated with a doctorate and have a bright future."Why would I leave my fiancé, the CEO of a multinational corporation whom I know like the back of my hand, for someone like you? You show up unnecessarily and spout nonsense."Eight years had passed. Aaron had grown older, but Elena had become younger. She was only 26 and had plenty for others to be jealous of. She was young, beautiful, outstanding, and rich. Meanwhile, Aaron had nothing—not even identification.The
Aaron looked down at his left wrist, which had a white ring of light identical to the one that had formed around the time-space tunnel from which he'd emerged.Before entering the tunnel, the professor in charge of the project solemnly reminded him that time-traveling technology wasn't yet advanced enough. He could only guarantee that Aaron could travel in one direction—he had yet to find a way for Aaron to return.If Aaron couldn't obtain Elena's forgiveness and win her heart again, that would mean he couldn't stay by her side. If that happened… death would probably be his only alternative, similar to Elena's situation all those years ago.He was reaping what he'd sown eight years ago, and the consequences of his actions were coming back to bite him in the ass. He didn't know how to describe how he felt. All he could do was follow Noah and Elena robotically from the villa to a mall.He watched as they had lunch together before buying clothes, shoes, bags, and cosmetics. Once they
It had been days since Elena had last mentioned Aaron. It turned out he'd only imagined her forgetting him—she hadn't.He didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. She knew of his existence but had never tried to speak to him—not even once. His emotions welled up, but he quickly suppressed them.It was Elena's big day, and he wanted to be a part of it. He couldn't allow himself to feel sad, nor did he want their last meeting to be filled with regrets.The seconds ticked. Finally, Noah carried Elena out of the villa. She looked gorgeous—even more so than when she'd married Aaron.He watched her from amid the crowd of guests, staring dazedly until she got into the car. Then, he followed her to the hotel where the reception was being held.He watched as she smiled sweetly while she and Noah went through every step of the process together. She'd mentioned him, yet she'd also forgotten about him almost immediately. His presence wouldn't affect her—she could deal with them whether or no
It had been days since Elena had last mentioned Aaron. It turned out he'd only imagined her forgetting him—she hadn't.He didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. She knew of his existence but had never tried to speak to him—not even once. His emotions welled up, but he quickly suppressed them.It was Elena's big day, and he wanted to be a part of it. He couldn't allow himself to feel sad, nor did he want their last meeting to be filled with regrets.The seconds ticked. Finally, Noah carried Elena out of the villa. She looked gorgeous—even more so than when she'd married Aaron.He watched her from amid the crowd of guests, staring dazedly until she got into the car. Then, he followed her to the hotel where the reception was being held.He watched as she smiled sweetly while she and Noah went through every step of the process together. She'd mentioned him, yet she'd also forgotten about him almost immediately. His presence wouldn't affect her—she could deal with them whether or no
Aaron looked down at his left wrist, which had a white ring of light identical to the one that had formed around the time-space tunnel from which he'd emerged.Before entering the tunnel, the professor in charge of the project solemnly reminded him that time-traveling technology wasn't yet advanced enough. He could only guarantee that Aaron could travel in one direction—he had yet to find a way for Aaron to return.If Aaron couldn't obtain Elena's forgiveness and win her heart again, that would mean he couldn't stay by her side. If that happened… death would probably be his only alternative, similar to Elena's situation all those years ago.He was reaping what he'd sown eight years ago, and the consequences of his actions were coming back to bite him in the ass. He didn't know how to describe how he felt. All he could do was follow Noah and Elena robotically from the villa to a mall.He watched as they had lunch together before buying clothes, shoes, bags, and cosmetics. Once they
Miles—no, Aaron—was much calmer and more mature than he'd been eight years ago. Elena's words would've been enough to make him fly off the handle in the past, but he listened calmly and patiently waited for her to finish before speaking. "You're not married yet, are you?" he asked."Does it make a difference?" Elena pointed at him before looking at Noah. "It's been eight years. You might have aged well, but that doesn't change the fact that you're now 37 and getting closer to being middle-aged. I'm only 26—I've just graduated with a doctorate and have a bright future."Why would I leave my fiancé, the CEO of a multinational corporation whom I know like the back of my hand, for someone like you? You show up unnecessarily and spout nonsense."Eight years had passed. Aaron had grown older, but Elena had become younger. She was only 26 and had plenty for others to be jealous of. She was young, beautiful, outstanding, and rich. Meanwhile, Aaron had nothing—not even identification.The
Eight years passed in the blink of an eye. Elena graduated early with excellent grades from the National Defense and Technology University, earning her doctorate in military intelligence.On her graduation day, Noah, who had become the CEO of Prestige Corporation, a multinational corporation, appeared at the campus gates to pick her up. He held a bouquet and ring."Being able to grow up with you and get to know you before the rest of the world is the biggest honor of my life, Elena. Now that I'm the CEO of Prestige Corporation, I'm willing to spend the rest of my life supporting your dreams and career. Will you give me the chance to take you as my wife and stay by my side through the good and the bad?"It was June in Dendron City, and the sweltering sun shone brightly. It lit up Noah's face and blinded Elena's eyes.She squinted in the sunlight, suddenly able to recall how she'd felt the last time someone had proposed to her and promised her a lifetime together.Whatever it was, i
The people from Quilton Group soon arrived with Damien in the lead.He and Aaron had been sworn rivals even before their births—their ancestors had always been business rivals, and they'd fought to declare leadership over Halston City's business world.Aaron's parents had died when he was young. His father had jumped off a building after making a wrong investment and not having the funds to pay his debts. His mother had died of a heart attack after her family had failed to help her get through the crisis.If not for that, Reed Corporation would've long since expanded out of Halston City and reached national or even global recognition, thanks to Aaron's ruthless leadership.It wouldn't have taken ten years for him to get the company back to equal footing with Quilton Group.Had things turned out the way they were because the heavens wanted to stop the Reed family from growing too powerful? Was it the heavens' will that Reed Corporation could only ever be at par with Quilton Group
"The original host had already been reborn for the third time when I was brought to her world. Her bad luck from her first life continued after her rebirth, and she failed to save Mr. Cannon Fodder, falling into a cycle of torment worse than death."The second time she was reborn, she helped Mr. Cannon Fodder avoid the dangers they'd faced in her second life. Things went well for a period after they successfully established a business together, but they ultimately went bad because she and Mr. Cannon Fodder couldn't escape the fate of a couple who could suffer together but not prosper together."When she was reborn a third time, she used her life as bait to bring my soul to her world. I thought that with my upbringing, good looks, and brains, it would be a worthy exchange to use a few years of hardship to get another chance at life. I didn't expect to also fail," Elena said.She sighed and continued, "I suppose cannon fodder will always be cannon fodder. He inherently possesses the f
The young man was handsome. He could give a younger Aaron a run for his money.It would've been fine if he'd only looked good, but he also exuded warmth and vitality. He carried himself with a spirited demeanor that only came when someone had grown up with parents who loved and doted on him.Aaron had only seen a face like that in his dreams. No, that wasn't the only time—he'd seen Elena staring dazedly at a face like that during a livestream.At the time, he'd been so jealous that he hadn't even eaten. How had she coaxed him out of it?She'd said, "Don't be angry, Aaron. I was just thinking that if I hadn't transferred to another school during high school, if I'd been by your side when your parents passed away… Would I have been able to ensure you would always have a smile on your face? Would I have helped you stay happy forever?"She'd easily appeased him. Her words had quickly alleviated his jealousy. He'd never once thought of the possibility that she would lie to him or betra
"Elena…" Aaron mumbled in agony.The memories of their past crashed over him, leaving him unable to think about why he wasn't in the hospital upon waking up. He didn't wonder why he was in a strange yet vaguely familiar room.As the nostalgia took charge, he slowly approached the wind chime, his heart throbbing painfully. Before he could touch it, he heard the door open.He turned to see a woman identical to Elena—only much younger.Aaron's breathing hitched. "Elena… Elena!"His voice wasn't hushed, but the tinkling of the wind chime seemed to be the only sound in the room. His voice seemed to go unheard.Elena didn't spare him a glance as she made a beeline for the wind chime."Why are you ignoring me, Elena? Have you forgotten about me when we've only been apart for such a short time?" Aaron cried. He ran to her anxiously and reached for her hand.Then, he watched as his hand passed through her clothes and body. It was as if he was colorless, transparent, and intangible.He
"Will Elena come back to life if I shut up?" Mia sneered and bared her bloody teeth. She snarled cruelly, "In your dreams! She's dead, Aaron, and you were the one who killed her! You indulged in me and doted on me to the point that I thought I was better than her; you sneaked away to be with me, no matter how busy you were."You abandoned her time and time again for my sake—you didn't even finish climbing that dumb mountain with her! Do you think she would've taken such an extreme route if not for your actions? Would she have taken her life without giving you the chance to even mourn her?"Aaron felt like he was struck by lightning. Mia's words had rendered him speechless. He stood there, his face pale. He didn't know what to do."You can have the baby if you want him—think of it as raising him on my behalf." Mia curled her lip. "If not for you paying me enough and being cruel enough to your wife, do you think I would've taken such a huge risk to have your baby?"Do you honestly