Ethan Hayes stumbled through the dark Brooklyn alley, his hand pressed against the gunshot wound in his side. Blood seeped through his fingers, warm and sticky, soaking into his cheap dress shirt. The mugger had disappeared into the night with his wallet not that there was anything in it worth taking.2:00am. Dying alone behind a dumpster.He collapsed against the grimy metal, his legs giving out. The pavement was cold beneath him, littered with broken glass and garbage. His phone lay shattered three feet away, screen cracked beyond repair. Even if he could reach it, who would he call?Not Sophia. She was probably with Derek right now - in the apartment Ethan still paid rent because breaking the lease would've cost more than he had.The memory hit him like a second bullet walking in early from his shift at the warehouse, hearing her laughter from the bedroom. He'd pushed open the door to find his girlfriend of years beneath his best friend, both of them freezing mid-motion. Derek's smu

"I said no. I'm not sharing my research notes." Ethan closed his laptop with a soft click, meeting Derek's gaze directly. His voice was calm, almost bored. "I've spent months on this research. It's proprietary work that I'm planning to develop further. So no, you can't borrow it."For the first time in all the years Ethan had known him, Derek looked genuinely surprised. The smooth confidence faltered, replaced by confusion and a flicker of irritation."Come on, man. It's just for a paper. I'm not going to steal your ideas or something." Derek laughed, but it sounded forced. "We're friends, right? Friends help each other out."Friends, The word tasted like poison in Ethan's mouth, but he kept his expression blank, channeling every ounce of control he'd learned in his previous timeline's years of swallowing humiliation."If we're friends, you should understand why I can't share work I plan to monetize," Ethan said. Each word was measured, precise. "Plenty of economics papers don't requi

She was younger than Ethan remembered, thirty-six instead of forty-eight, but she carried the same predatory confidence. Tailored black suit, designer heels, dark hair pulled into a severe bun. She moved through the park like she owned it, her gaze finding Ethan immediately."Ethan Hayes." Amanda sat down beside him without invitation, crossing her legs and studying him with unnerving intensity. "You're harder to track down than I expected for a college senior.""Should I be flattered or concerned?" Ethan kept his voice neutral, his posture relaxed despite the tension coiling in his muscles."Depends on how smart you are." Amanda smiled, and it didn't reach her eyes. "I work for Titanium Capital Management. We identify promising talent early, before they graduate into the market. I've been watching you." Lies, Titanium didn't recruit college students, they poached established traders. Amanda was fishing, testing him and Ethan's Enhanced Perception caught the slight tell in her body la

They finished dinner with lighter conversation, Chloe telling terrible art school jokes and Ethan actually relaxing for the first time since waking up in 2014. He paid the bill over her protests, leaving a generous tip that made her give him a suspicious look."Since when do you tip 30%?" she asked as they walked toward the subway."Since I realized money is just a tool," Ethan said. "And that waiter worked his ass off for minimum wage. He earned it."Chloe looped her arm through his as they walked, the gesture They finished dinner with lighter conversation, Chloe telling terrible art school jokes and Ethan actually relaxing for the first time since waking up in 2014. He paid the bill over her protests, leaving a generous tip that made her give him a suspicious look.Chloe looped her arm through his as they walked, the gesture casual and comfortable. "I like this version of you. Less stressed, more... present.""I'm working on it," Ethan said, and meant it. They took the train back to

Few days after rejecting Sophia at the coffee shop, Ethan sat in Professor Henderson's marketing lecture and felt her eyes boring into the back of his head.She'd been staring at him for the entire class period; he didn't need to turn around to know it. Enhanced Perception tracked the weight of her gaze like a physical pressure, cataloging every shift in her attention, every time she glanced away and then back.The old Ethan would have been flattered.The reborn Ethan knew exactly what it meant: confusion had transformed into challenge, and Sophia Chen didn't like being dismissed."Someone's persistent," the System observed as the lecture ended. "She's looked at you forty-seven times in the past ninety minutes. That's obsessive territory."Ethan packed his laptop slowly, deliberately taking his time while the classroom emptied around him. Through his peripheral vision, he watched Sophia hesitate by the door, saw her grip tighten on her Prada bag (the fake one she thought no one could