2026-01-09 10:49:45Jael Frost stared at the phone like it was something poisonous. His hand hovered near it but didn’t touch it. The screen buzzed and lit up with her name again: Kira Ryder. The sound of the ringtone filled the room, but his ears were ringing for a different reason. His pulse pounded hard in his neck, in his wrists, even behind his eyes.
The last time he’d seen her, she was walking away with Paul Wilson. Her smile that day had been soft, but it burned like acid in his memories. Now she was calling him? Like nothing had ever happened? Like they hadn’t torn him apart?
The phone buzzed a second time. Jael flinched. It was strange, like the vibration shook the whole room.
He swallowed thickly, jaw clenched. His fingers grabbed the phone faster than he expected. A mix of anger and dread burned in his chest as he pressed the button to answer.
“Hello?” he said. His voice came out sharp and dry.
“Hey, you.” Her voice was smooth. Warm. Almost sweet enough to make his stomach turn. Jael sat stiffly, that familiar tone dragging up memories he didn’t want.
“Where are you?” Kira asked with a hint of laughter. “Your boss—my dad—is looking for you. You’re not going to disappear during your first internship month again, right? Third time this week, Jael. You’re pushing it.”
He blinked slowly. The words barely registered.
“Jael?” she said again, softer this time.
The system chimed inside his mind.
┏Nexus System has detected emotional instability┛
┏Trigger: Kira Ryder┛
┏Recommendation: Sever all ties with Kira Ryder due to betrayal risk and direct association with Caden Ryder, CEO of Ryder Financial Corp┛
Jael stared at the floating message. It pulsed calmly, clinically—as if it understood him better than anyone else ever had.
It wasn’t wrong.
She hadn’t helped him then. She wouldn’t help him now.
Still, he hadn’t answered. Her voice came through the phone again. “Jael? Can you hear me?”
He forced himself back into the moment. “Yeah. I’m here.”
“You okay?” she asked. “I mean, with your mom still in the hospital and all… I get it if you’re not. I could talk to Dad. Maybe you just need the day off.”
Jael’s heart stopped.
His mother.
His throat tightened so fast he couldn’t breathe. Everything Kira said after that faded into static.
The hospital room.
The machines.
The beeping.
The surgery he couldn’t afford.
The way she slipped away while he stood there helpless.
But now—
Now she was alive.
Still alive.
Jael’s chest heaved. Hope, pain, rage—everything slammed into him at once.
“I’ll be there soon,” he muttered, ending the call before she could say another word.
He sat there, unmoving. His knuckles were white. His veins burned.
She was alive.
He could save her this time.
No hesitation.
No delay.
Jael jumped up, pulled on his clothes, grabbed his laptop, shoved books into his battered backpack, and ran outside.
The shed door creaked open.
There it was.
His rust-covered, squeaky bicycle—the one he rode when he was broke and stubborn and still believed effort alone was enough.
He mounted it and pedaled hard.
Wind tore at his face. Tires rattled over cracked pavement. His legs screamed, but he didn’t slow down. Buildings rushed past—shops that hadn’t closed yet, streets that still felt young. The city felt different now.
Alive.
Then he saw it.
Morrison Hospital.
A towering glass structure that gleamed under the sun. Too clean. Too perfect. A place built for people with money.
Jael parked his bike near the curb. It looked small and pathetic beside the black sedans and luxury cars.
He didn’t care.
He walked in.
Cold air hit him. Lemon and bleach filled his nose. The floors shined like mirrors. Nurses moved smoothly, confidently. Everyone belonged.
Except him.
He approached the front desk. The receptionist didn’t look up at first. When she did, her eyes skimmed over him, dismissive.
“Name?” she asked flatly.
“Jael Frost.”
“Here to see?”
“My mother. She’s been admitted.”
The receptionist scoffed and shoved a clipboard at him. “Sign.”
He wrote his name. She didn’t even glance at it.
“I’ll buzz the doctor,” she said lazily. “But make it quick. That room? It’s meant for people who can afford to be here.”
Jael froze.
She didn’t care.
Not about his mother.
Not about him.
Anger burned in his chest—but he swallowed it.
Not yet.
He turned and walked down the hallway. His footsteps echoed off polished floors. Eyes followed him. Judging. Measuring.
He didn’t slow.
Room 407.
His hand hovered over the handle.
His breathing was loud in his ears.
He reached out and pushed the door open.
Inside—
She was there.
The woman who raised him.
Who sang while cooking.
Who held him when his father left.
Who believed in him when
no one else did.
Alive.
Jael’s vision blurred.
Tears fell freely.
He had been given a second chance.
And this time—
He would not waste it.
—
—
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 11: FIRST CAPITAL MOVES
Jael lugged the heavy briefcase up the uneven steps of his tiny apartment. The strap of his backpack dug into his shoulder, and a faint ache had started in his jaw from clenching it so tightly. He placed the case on the floor, letting it thud against the tile, and paused. The faint smell of damp carpet and stale smoke filled the room.He knelt and unlatched the case, the crisp scent of fresh bills almost shocking against the grit of the apartment. He counted once, then twice, just to make sure. Two hundred thousand. Every single bill exactly as it should be.His hands trembled just slightly—not from fear, but from the strange surge of possibility that rolled through him like water breaking a dam. Two hundred thousand dollars. He could feel it in his bones: this was the first move of everything he was about to build.Jael sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by the soft hum of the apartment’s single fluorescent light. Dust clung to the corners like forgotten memories, and the old
CHAPTER 10: MORE DEBTS, MORE LOANS
Jael Frost parked his battered old bicycle a full block away from Crane Street. The familiar creak of the bike’s frame echoed in the quiet air as he locked the briefcase tightly to the seat. His eyes swept the street with a cautious sharpness, trying to drink in every detail around him.This part of the city was nothing like the busy, shining downtown where glass towers caught the sunlight. Here, the street was quieter. Too quiet. The flickering streetlights sputtered on and off like tired candles about to die. The storefronts were boarded up with splintered wood nailed crookedly over glass that had long since shattered. The air felt thick and heavy, almost like it was soaked in fear and desperation.Jael shivered a little, not just from the cold but from the heaviness that pressed down on his chest. This was the kind of place people avoided at all costs. Not just because crime thrived here, but because it sucked the hope right out of the air, like a black hole of lost dreams and brok
CHAPTER 9: WHAT THE HELL IS A CHARACTER BONUS? WELL YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO FIND OUT
The afternoon sun dipped low, casting gold across the city’s skyline. Streets hummed with life—cars weaving, pedestrians moving, conversations drifting on the breeze.Jael sat on a worn bench, the rusty metal creaking beneath him. A cigarette rested loosely between his fingers, tip glowing faintly as he inhaled, smoke curling upward. His eyes stared into empty space, where the faint flicker of the Nexus System interface hovered only for him to see.A sudden notification cut through the haze.┏**Character Bonus Earned!**┛Jael’s eyes widened, cigarette paused mid-air. *Character Bonus? What’s this about?*The system continued, calm and clear.┏**Character Bonuses are awarded for demonstrating exceptional composure and strategy under pressure. Your conduct with Caden Ryder has granted your first Character Bonus.**┛A slow, calculating smile spread across Jael’s face. *So that’s what it’s for. Because of how I handled the meeting. Interesting.*Another alert chimed.┏**New Feature Unlock
CHAPTER 8: HELL HATH NO FURY THAN A DEFEATED NARCISSIST
The air inside Caden Ryder’s spacious office felt thick, charged, like the breathless pause before a storm broke. Jael Frost sat across from him, the two men locked in a silent contest of will. It felt like a fight had already begun—no fists, no weapons—just sharp eyes and unspoken challenge.Jael could feel Caden’s gaze pressing down on him, heavy and deliberate. It was the kind of stare meant to crush confidence, to remind people of their place. But Jael didn’t shrink.He sat straight, shoulders relaxed, hands tucked calmly into his jacket pockets. His face was unreadable. He was no longer the anxious graduate who bowed his head and swallowed humiliation. That version of him was gone.Between them, on the polished mahogany desk, lay the resignation letter.Still. Untouched. Almost mocking.Jael had expected an outburst—anger, shouting, maybe even threats. Instead, silence stretched between them, long and uncomfortable. Caden Ryder was clearly more shocked than furious.Interns didn’
CHAPTER 7: A REBORN FROST
JAEL stood still for a brief moment, frozen in place. Kira Ryder’s arms were still around him, her familiar scent lingering like a memory he no longer wanted. Sweet. Soft. False.He didn’t want it anymore.He didn’t want her anymore.Slowly, he lifted his hands and gently pried her arms away from his neck, careful—not because he cared, but because he didn’t want a scene. His eyes never met hers.“I’m fine,” he muttered as he stepped past her, brushing her warmth away like something toxic. “Just caught off guard.”Kira tilted her head, confusion clouding her expression. “Are you sure? You look pale.”He nodded once and turned away, setting his briefcase down on Sandy’s desk without ceremony. “Thanks for letting me know.”She stared at him. “That’s it?” Her voice wavered. “Jael… are you mad at me?”He exhaled quietly.She still didn’t know. Of course she didn’t. The Kira who betrayed him hadn’t existed yet—not in this timeline. That version of her was still years away. Right now, she wa
CHAPTER 6:THE FACE OF BETRAYAL
Jael rolled into the underground parking lot of Ryder Financial Corp, the wheels of his bike screeching against concrete as the sound echoed through the cavernous space. His chest rose and fell as he removed his helmet and looked up.There it was.Again.Ten years younger, yet unchanged.The company emblem rested proudly on the polished stone wall—a minimalist merge of the letters R and F. Not creative. Just expensive. Cold.Jael climbed off his bike and secured his helmet in the rear compartment. He brushed down the sleeves of his faded blazer. His fingers paused at the frayed cuff. It was the same jacket from before, still carrying the weight of struggle.He didn’t rush inside. He stood there, letting the memories wash over him.In his previous life, by the time of his death, Ryder Financial had rebranded everything. The logo had become a silver phoenix tearing through a digital sigil. The tower itself had been rebuilt—taller, sharper, wrapped in glass and sensors, voice-activated d
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