Leong woke before dawn, a habit he had carried with him from his previous life. The sky outside his apartment window was painted in the faint gray of early morning, the world still silent except for the soft hum of streetlights. But inside his mind, there was no silence—only clarity. Precision. Purpose.
Today was the first real step of his revenge.
He sat up, breathing in slowly, grounding himself. Every thought, every memory of his past life played like a sealed recording. He remembered exactly how he used to be—soft-hearted, blindly loyal, easily manipulated, desperate for love in all the wrong places. And that weakness had cost him everything.
This time, weakness would not exist.
He reached for his phone, scrolling through the documents he had organized days ago: bank statements, business records, loan agreements, digital transfers—all linked to the two people who had betrayed him most bitterly.
Lily.
His ex. His past obsession. The woman who once pretended to love him while milking him dry behind his back.
Marcus.
Her new lover in this life, but also the same man who partnered with her to scam Leong in the previous timeline.
Both of them thought Leong was still the naive version of himself.
They had no idea the man they betrayed was already dead… replaced by someone who remembered every detail.
Leong smirked faintly.
"Yes," he whispered to himself. "It's time."
The First Move: Cutting the Lifeline
He went to his desk and opened his laptop. A blueprint of his revenge plan filled the screen. Everything was categorized, timed, calculated with zero hesitation.
Marcus's small business—an online electronics reseller—had always relied on one thing: Leong's quiet financial support. In the past life, Marcus manipulated him into "investing" repeatedly, claiming he needed help to grow the company.
Leong never saw a single return.
This time, Marcus would never grow anything.
Leong tapped into the financial account Marcus believed he still controlled alone. But thanks to Leong's intervention in Chapter 5—canceling an old auto-renew contract Marcus forgot—Leong now had full access.
He withdrew his remaining funds.
He canceled the payment gateway Marcus depended on.
He flagged the account for fraud review.
Within minutes, Marcus's business lifeline was bleeding.
Next was Lily.
Her luxurious lifestyle had always been funded by Leong's kindness. She pretended she needed money for "family emergencies," but the truth was uglier—cosmetic treatments, designer bags, hotel trips… all with Marcus.
Leong opened the shared wallet she thought he wouldn't touch. She believed he was still soft. Hesitant. Afraid to let her go.
He emptied the wallet with a calmness that bordered on icy.
"No more feeding parasites," he murmured.
Then he blocked her. Everywhere.
Phone.
Messaging apps.
Email.
Social media.
Lily would wake up to a locked world.
He leaned back in his chair, satisfied, though not joyous. Revenge, at this stage, wasn't about pleasure—it was about correction. Balance. The universe owed him justice, and he was simply collecting.
His phone buzzed.
Fatma:
Are you awake this early again?
A small smile softened his expression. She had started texting more often, but never in an annoying or clingy way. She always respected boundaries, always careful not to intrude.
Unlike Lily, who drained him.
Fatma wasn't perfect—she was shy, sometimes overly cautious, sometimes unsure of herself—but she was genuine. And she liked him. That was new, refreshing, unexpectedly warm.
Leong typed back.
Leong:
Couldn't sleep much. Got work to do.
How about you?
Her reply came instantly.
Fatma:
I woke up early to finish a side job. Are you eating breakfast? Don't skip meals again.
His chest tightened a little. Not romantically—yet. But because someone cared.
He hadn't felt that in two lifetimes.
Leong:
I'll grab something soon.
Thank you for checking on me.
Fatma sent a small smiling emoji—simple, soft, warm.
He pocketed his phone and stood. Breakfast could wait. Today needed more action.
Lily's World Starts Cracking
By 9:15 a.m., Leong's phone exploded with notifications—not from Lily directly, but from her tantrums echoing across social media.
Lily:
Who took all my savings??! Is this a scam?? Someone help!
Lily:
My card isn't working! What the hell is going on?!
Lily:
If someone is playing a joke, I swear—
Leong chuckled quietly. She behaved exactly as he expected: entitled, dramatic, loud.
He scrolled through the comments—people comforting her, some mocking her, some clueless. But Marcus's response came last.
Marcus:
Relax babe, let me check it later. Probably a bank glitch.
Leong leaned back, amused.
Marcus had no idea his business account was already under review and frozen. He'd probably discover it around noon.
Today was just beginning.
Fatma's Unexpected Visit
Around 11:00 a.m., Leong heard a knock at his apartment door. He wasn't expecting anyone, and he never entertained sudden visits—except maybe one person.
He opened the door.
Fatma stood there, slightly breathless, holding a paper bag with food inside.
"I… um… I thought you might not eat properly," she said, avoiding his eyes. "So I brought something."
Leong blinked. "You came all the way here?"
She nodded timidly. "Only because you've been helping me a lot. And because you work too hard."
Warmth spread through him again—slow, unfamiliar, dangerous in a sweet way.
"Come in," he said gently.
Fatma stepped inside, placing the food on the table. She smelled faintly of vanilla and soap—the kind of simple scent that wasn't trying to impress anyone.
"You didn't need to do this," Leong said.
"I know," she replied softly. "But I wanted to."
He watched her silently.
She wasn't calculating anything.
She wasn't expecting anything in return.
She simply cared.
It made him want to protect her—something he had never felt before.
A New Enemy Appears
After Fatma left, Leong headed to his co-working office to handle the next phase of his plan.
But as he entered the building, someone blocked his path.
A man in a suit, tall, confident, smirking like he owned the world.
"Leong, right?" the man said. "I've heard a lot about you."
Leong narrowed his gaze. "And you are?"
"Call me Adrian."
The name hit him like a shock—because in his past life, Adrian was the man who later crushed Marcus's business… and eventually targeted Leong himself.
This time, Adrian appeared ten chapters earlier.
"I hear you've been making interesting moves," Adrian said. "Marcus is panicking. Lily is screaming. And suddenly… your name shows up on my radar."
Leong remained unshaken.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Adrian smirked.
"To see what the new version of you is capable of."
So the rival had arrived.
Perfect.
Exactly according to his new timeline.
The Day Ends With a Warning
By evening, Leong walked home quietly, processing the confrontation. Adrian wasn't someone he could ignore. In his past life, Adrian was relentless, cunning, ruthless—a businessman who didn't tolerate anyone stepping into his territory.
But Leong wasn't the same man anymore.
His phone buzzed again.
Fatma.
Fatma:
Are you okay? You seem quieter today.
Leong exhaled slowly. She could sense his mood even through messages.
Leong:
I'm fine. Just preparing for something big.
Fatma:
Whatever it is… don't go through it alone.
That message stayed on his screen longer than he expected.
Maybe this time… he wouldn't have to.