The night at that private beachfront villa in Long Island was supposed to be a perfect night. The sound of crashing waves could be heard softly from a distance, while the scent of the sea mixed with the fragrance of aromatherapy candles filled the corridors of the luxury villa Julian Vance had recently rented for a weekend getaway with his family and his fiancée.In Julian's hand hung a small bag containing strawberry ice cream, Amber Miller's favorite. The woman had always said that the flavor reminded her of her simple childhood. It was for that melancholic reason that Julian was willing to drive nearly thirty minutes to the nearest convenience store just to fulfill his fiancée's small request.A faint smile briefly formed on his lips. In two months, they would be married. After years of working hard to build the Vance Corporation, Julian finally felt alive, and his sacrifices were nearing the definition of perfect.However, that entire replica of happiness shattered in a matter of

Morning in the lower district of New York always began with the noisy roar of the subway and plumes of smoke rising from the cracks in the streets. Inside Chloe's studio apartment, however, the silence felt suffocating. Julian Vance, who was now using the alias Ian, sat quietly in front of Chloe's old laptop. His fingers, which were moving deftly over the keyboard, suddenly halted when a browser window displayed the main page of the New York Post cyber news.A massive headline in bold red letters immediately struck his retinas."VACATION TRAGEDY: VANCE CORPORATION HEIR DECLARED DEAD IN LONG ISLAND CAR ACCIDENT"Julian clicked on the news. There, a live broadcast video displayed the charred, unrecognisable wreckage of his black sports car at the bottom of a steep cliff. The reporter, with a tone of voice engineered for condolence, began speaking in front of the camera."The evacuation of the young billionaire's body, Julian Vance, has been declared impossible due to the extreme terrain

Behind the tightly closed mahogany door in the private office of the main Vance family residence, the atmosphere felt much colder than the most extreme New York winter. Ryan Vance stood stiffly in front of his father's large desk with a deathly pale face. For the first time in his life, he truly felt fear choking his own throat.Arthur Vance sat calmly in his black leather chair. The old man was not angry, did not shout, and did not even slam anything on the table. However, it was precisely that cold calmness that made Ryan feel the oxygen supply in the room thinning, making it difficult for him to breathe."Do you think I'm stupid, Ryan?" Arthur finally asked, breaking the silence with a low, intimidating voice.Ryan swallowed hard. "Father, someone hacked our company's system. I'm a victim here, too."Arthur raised one eyebrow, looking at his son with an assessing gaze. "A victim?" His tone was flat, yet Ryan felt as if he were being judged in the cruelest court. "Do you think I don

David felt all the joints of his body freeze instantly. His hands trembled violently as he read page after page of the documents presented by Richard Coleman. His eyes moved rapidly, scanning the lines of sentences from one page to the next, then returning to the first page as if hoping all the writing was merely a manifestation of a nightmare.However, reality refused to compromise. Every signature on the stamped paper, every official seal of the district court, down to the entirety of those absolute acquisition files—all of them were valid. David's face slowly lost its color, leaving behind pale skin wet with cold sweat."No... this can't be happening..." David muttered in a hoarse voice that was nearly gone.Richard adjusted his gold glasses with a casual, graceful movement. "Five minutes ago, the ownership of this restaurant officially changed hands under Manhattan law." Richard's voice sounded incredibly calm, yet it was precisely that calmness that made the atmosphere inside the

Night began to fall, enveloping the lower district of New York. Inside the narrow studio apartment, Julian Vance sat alone in front of Chloe's old laptop. The blue light from the monitor screen illuminated his handsome face, which was stiff and as cold as ice. Displayed on the screen was a secret audio file with static sound waves.Julian’s fingers stopped right over the play button. After a moment of hesitation, he pressed it, and Arthur Vance’s baritone voice was heard once again, breaking the silence."Increase the dosage a little more on her daily medication. We must not allow Rose to live long enough to alter or revise her family wealth inheritance will."Julian’s bodily muscles tightened as the recording continued to play, leaving a hiss of anger clogging his throat. The lie he had swallowed all this time about his mother’s death was completely shattered. The woman who gave birth to him did not pass away due to an illness; his mother was deliberately eliminated in silence. And t