The years that followed passed in a blur.
What started as a lucky win at the casino turned into something much bigger. I treated that money like a seed and forced it to grow.
I worked like a madman.
Days blurred into nights. Nights into mornings. Deals, meetings, negotiations, investments. I chased every opportunity like my life depended on it.
Maybe it did.
Slowly, the numbers in my accounts began climbing.
Then climbing faster.
Until one day I realized I had more capital than I had ever imagined when I was lying drunk in that bar.
I had made it.
Or at least… that's what I thought.
Because the past wasn't done with me yet.
It happened during a major business conference.
One of the biggest opportunities of my career.
A room full of investors. Wealthy men and women sitting behind polished tables, listening carefully as I presented my proposal.
Everything was going perfectly.
Then a voice cut through the room.
"Heh."
The quiet chuckle was sharp enough to slice through the air.
"A gambler who built his fortune on pure luck?"
The voice continued.
"And that's the man we're supposed to trust with our investments?"
My hand froze on the remote.
My jaw tightened so hard it hurt.
I knew that voice.
Slowly, I turned my head.
Ethan.
The same man who had stolen my fiancé.
The same bastard who destroyed my life.
"Stay calm," I told myself.
"Stay professional."
But the damage had already started.
The investors began murmuring among themselves.
"A gambler?"
"Wait… is that true?"
"How can we trust someone like that with our money?"
I forced a smile.
"No, there's been some kind of misunderstanding. I—"
"Misunderstanding?"
Ethan cut me off.
He was smiling.
Not a friendly smile.
The kind of smile someone wears when they're enjoying a private joke.
Before I could react, he walked over to the projector and tapped a key.
The slide changed.
My stomach dropped.
On the screen was a photo.
Me.
Sitting at a casino table.
Eyes bloodshot.
Hands gripping a stack of chips like a desperate man clinging to his last hope.
The picture looked exactly like what it was.
Pathetic.
"How do you explain this?" Ethan asked casually.
The room went silent.
Then chairs began sliding back.
One by one, the investors stood up.
No arguments.
No questions.
Just quiet disappointment.
Within minutes, the entire room was empty.
Except for the two of us.
Ethan burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Wow, that was even easier than I expected."
He strolled toward me casually, hands in his pockets.
"First you lose your girl," he continued, grinning.
"Now you lose your future."
He stopped a few steps away from me.
"You really are the most pathetic man I've ever met."
My vision blurred with rage.
"Why, Ethan?"
The words came out through clenched teeth.
"Why go this far?"
He tilted his head slightly, as if the question genuinely amused him.
Then he shrugged.
"I enjoy it."
His tone was light.
Casual.
Like he was talking about a hobby.
"I like watching happy people fall into despair," he continued.
"It's entertaining."
"You're insane," I spat.
"A complete psychopath."
He waved a hand dismissively as he turned to leave.
"How boring."
And just like that, he walked out of the room.
Leaving me standing there alone.
My fists tightened slowly.
My nails dug into my palms until I felt something warm running down my fingers.
Blood.
"That bastard…"
My voice trembled with fury.
"I'll return this humiliation a hundred times over."
After that day, I disappeared.
Not from the world.
Just from the spotlight.
For five years, I worked in the shadows.
Building connections.
Moving money.
Acquiring companies through proxies.
Expanding quietly.
Carefully.
I wasn't just chasing wealth anymore.
I wanted power.
Enough power that no one could ever touch me again.
And eventually…
I got it.
Five years later, I had become one of the ten richest business tycoons in the world.
The media loved giving me a nickname.
"The Anonymous Billionaire."
No one knew much about me.
But everyone knew the name.
I leaned back in my office chair, staring at the news articles displayed on my tablet.
"Finally…"
A small smile formed on my lips.
"I can enjoy the life I built."
But even after everything…
The fire inside me hadn't cooled.
The humiliation from that day still burned in my chest.
It was time to settle the score.
I pressed the intercom button.
"Come in."
A moment later, my secretary entered the office.
"Sir?"
I slid a document across the desk.
"Find this man."
The file contained everything I remembered about him.
Name.
Background.
History.
"Ethan Jones," I said coldly.
"Find him. I want everything."
"Yes, sir."
I waited.
One day later, my assistant returned.
But something about his expression was… strange.
Pale.
Uneasy.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Sir…"
He hesitated.
"We couldn't find him."
My brow furrowed.
"What do you mean you couldn't find him?"
"We searched government records. Tax databases. Social media. Employment history."
He swallowed.
"There is no one named Ethan Jones matching the information you gave us."
My irritation flared immediately.
"That's impossible."
"He was my coworker."
"Search again."
"We already did, sir."
His voice was cautious.
"There's no record of him existing."
For a moment, my heart skipped a beat.
Then I shook my head.
"Fine."
I pulled out another photo.
"Then find this woman."
I placed it on the desk.
Emily.
The next day, my assistant brought her to my office.
He clearly sensed the tension and quickly left the room after escorting her inside.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Emily stood there quietly.
Then her eyes widened.
"Chris?"
Her voice trembled.
Tears began forming in her eyes almost immediately.
"I finally found you," she said.
"Where did you go?"
"Why did you leave me like that?"
My mind went blank.
"What…?"
My voice rose before I could stop it.
"What are you talking about?"
The words exploded out of me.
"You got pregnant with Ethan's child and dumped me!"
My voice echoed against the glass walls of the office.
"And now you're standing there acting like the victim?!"
Emily flinched as if I'd struck her.
"Chris… what are you talking about?" Her voice trembled.
"Don't lie to me!" I shouted. "I saw your belly! You told me Ethan was the father!"
She looked at me with confusion—no guilt, no anger. Only concern.
"Chris… are you okay?" she asked softly. "I don't know anyone named Ethan. I've never been pregnant."
She slowly pulled several documents from her bag and placed them on the desk.
Her ID.
Medical records.
Relationship status: Single.
No pregnancy records. No hospital visits.
Nothing.
My hands trembled as I flipped through the pages.
Impossible.
Five years of memories surged through my mind—Ethan's mocking smile, Emily's betrayal, the humiliation at the conference. Every moment was as vivid as yesterday.
Yet the evidence in front of me denied everything.
My throat went dry.
"Then… where is Ethan?" I muttered.
Emily shook her head slowly.
"I've never heard that name before."
The room fell silent.
For the first time in years, the revenge that had fueled my entire life suddenly felt… hollow.
If Ethan didn't exist—
Then who had destroyed my life?
A cold chill crept up my spine.
"What the hell… is going on?"