Frozen Rebirth: I Will Outlive You All

Sign Here

"Are you completely out of your mind?"

​Madison’s voice cracked through the tension of the room.

​"Terminate the adoption?" Madison gasped loudly. She pressed a hand to her chest. Her face twisted into a mask of pure devastation.

​"Do you truly no longer want to be my child, Logan?" she cried out. "Please, do not do this!"

​Outwardly, she looked like a heartbroken mother desperate to make her son stay. In reality, her heart soared with absolute ecstasy.

​For fifteen years, she had viewed him as a stain on her perfect public image. She could not just throw him out without high society whispering.

​Now, Logan was handing her the exact excuse she needed to discard him guilt free.

​"I am sure you can spin it, Madison," Logan said. His voice was completely devoid of emotion.

​"Tell them I was ungrateful. Tell them I could not handle Mason and his brilliance. I am just giving you the ending you wanted."

​Madison stared at him. The fake maternal shock melted away instantly.

​"I will call Preston," she said, turning on her heel. "We go to City Hall in an hour."

​They arrived at City Hall and bypassed the lines straight to a private office.

​Wyatt Sullivan, the assigned clerk, reviewed the thick stack of paperwork. He looked at the wealthy couple in their designer coats, then back at Logan.

​"I just want to clarify," Wyatt said. His brow furrowed in confusion. "This is a voluntary termination of adoption? By the adoptee?"

​"Yes," Logan said clearly.

​"Mr. Carter," Wyatt corrected himself, looking at the provided ID. "This permanently severs all legal ties. Inheritance rights, medical proxy, everything."

​Wyatt hesitated. He looked directly at the expensive designer clothes of the older couple.

​"Your adoptive parents are incredibly wealthy," Wyatt stated carefully. "Are you absolutely certain you want to walk away from that kind of massive financial support?"

​"It is necessary," Preston spoke up. His voice was deep and completely bored. "The boy wants independence. We are just respecting his wishes."

​"Is there a specific reason you wish to sever ties completely?" Wyatt asked Logan directly. "For the record?"

Madison stiffened. Her eyes darted to Logan with a severe, silent warning.

​Logan leaned forward.

​"My brother is sleeping with my girlfriend," he stated perfectly clearly.

​Wyatt choked on his coffee. He grabbed a tissue, his eyes wide as he looked directly at the perfect Bennett parents.

​"I see," Wyatt said softly. His professional demeanor softened into genuine pity.

​He did not ask any more questions. He simply pulled the heavy metal stamp from his drawer.

​"It is done," Wyatt said. He handed Logan a copy of the official document. "You are no longer a Bennett, son. Good luck."

​Logan took the paper. A massive weight lifted off his chest. He felt entirely clean for the first time in his life.

​Preston stopped by their parked luxury SUV and pulled a leather checkbook from his jacket. He scribbled quickly and practically shoved the paper at Logan's chest.

​"Here," Preston spat. "Five thousand dollars."

​Preston glared at him venomously. "Consider it hush money. Take it and disappear completely."

​Madison adjusted her designer sunglasses to hide her glaring eyes.

​"If you dare slander our family in front of others again, we will cast aside all past sentiment," Madison threatened coldly.

​"We will teach you a lesson you will never forget," she added. "Take the money, Logan. Without our support, you will be starving on the street in a month."

​Severance pay. As if fifteen years of sonhood was just a failed corporate internship.

​In his past life, Logan would have taken it. He would have cried and thanked them for their final scrap of kindness.

​But now? Five thousand dollars would not even buy a decent thermal generator on the black market once the global panic started.

​Logan kept his hands securely in his pockets.

​"I do not want it," he said calmly.

​Preston frowned deeply. His hand was still extended. "Do not be dramatic. You have absolutely nothing."

​"I will soon be far wealthier than you could ever imagine," Logan declared. His voice dropped to a freezing chill. "I will be richer than the entire Bennett family."

​Madison let out a sharp, derisive laugh. She shook her head in utter disbelief.

​"You have gone completely insane," Madison mocked him. "A billionaire beggar? What a pathetic, embarrassing delusion."

​Preston tore the check in half, shaking his head at Logan's perceived insanity. "Let us go, Madison. He is dead to us."

​They got into their heavy vehicle and drove away without looking back once.

​Logan watched their red taillights disappear into the busy city traffic. A chilling, victorious smile touched his lips.

​He turned and walked three blocks to a grimy corner convenience store.

​The television mounted above the cash register was playing the local news station.

​The weatherman was pointing at a colorful radar map. He was talking about an unexpected atmospheric anomaly developing far up north.

​It was the only subtle warning the world would get before the apocalyptic freeze began.

​Logan walked up to the counter. "Mega Millions. One ticket. Manual pick."

​The cashier sighed and tapped the digital screen. "Numbers?"

​Logan closed his eyes. The memory was burned permanently into his retinas.

​In his previous life, this massive unclaimed jackpot had dominated the final days of normal news. A poor survivor had won it, only for the world to end days later.

​That fortune became useless paper overnight. But for Logan today, it was the absolute key to his new empire.

​"Zero four," Logan said clearly. "Seventeen. Twenty three. Forty two. Fifty eight."

​He paused. "And the Mega Ball is twelve."

​The machine whirred loudly. A small slip of paper printed out from the register.

​Logan paid two dollars. Two dollars for absolute, undeniable power.

​He took the ticket and looked at the freshly printed numbers. Two hundred million dollars.

​The drawing was tonight. In less than twelve hours, he would be richer than Preston Bennett could ever dream of being.