Chapter 2

Five years ago, Jordan’s company had only five employees, including me, working out of an apartment building.

He said he wanted to change the world and do something revolutionary.

I said I was getting married and Olivia needed me.

Jordan had tried to convince me. “Ethan, think carefully. Some opportunities only come once in a lifetime.”

Without hesitation, I replied, “A family only comes once in a lifetime too.”

He was silent for a long time before saying, “All right. I’ll always keep a position open for you. If you ever want to come back, you can come anytime.”

Later, his company, Abyss Technologies, became a titan of the industry, while I became the hunched figure scrubbing a toilet in Olivia’s presentation.

After hesitating for a moment, I pressed the call button.

The phone was answered after only one ring.

“Hello?” Jordan’s voice came through the receiver, carrying a trace of sleepiness from being disturbed.

“It’s me, Ethan.”

The other end fell silent instantly. A few seconds later, Jordan’s voice shot up in disbelief and excitement. “Ethan? Is that really you?”

“It’s me.”

“Ethan, you finally came to your senses!”

His voice exploded like a string of firecrackers.

“I’ve kept the shares I promised you all these years. Where are you? Tomorrow? No, I’ll send someone to pick you up right now. We’re stuck on a vulnerability in a core security protocol, and your timing is perfect…”

He spoke incredibly fast, and his familiar enthusiasm washed over me. My eyes grew hot.

“Jordan, I can’t come over just yet.”

I cut him off, my voice slightly hoarse.

“Why?” Jordan’s excitement came to an abrupt stop, replaced by confusion.

“I’ll tell you after I deal with things at home. But you can send me the vulnerability you mentioned. I’ll take a look first.”

“Sure!” Jordan didn’t ask any more questions and agreed without hesitation. “Ethan, if you’re willing to handle it, we’re already halfway there!”

A few minutes later, the files finished transferring.

The dense data and intricate architecture diagrams felt both unfamiliar and familiar.

For the next three days, life seemed to continue as usual.

I took Ellie to preschool, bought groceries, cooked, and cleaned.

Olivia still left early and came home late, busy beyond belief.

We barely spoke. The atmosphere at home was colder than it would have been between strangers sharing an apartment.

The difference was that every late night after Ellie fell asleep and every spare moment between chores, my mind kept racing.

Late on the third night, I sent Jordan a repair patch and a detailed analysis report.

A few minutes later, Jordan called, his voice so excited it was almost distorted.

“Holy crap, Ethan! You’re a freaking genius! You didn’t just patch the hole. You optimized the entire defense architecture. The whole team is gathered around your code, shouting that the master has descended to save us!”

Listening to his incoherent praise, I managed to pull the corners of my mouth upward, but my heart remained strangely calm, as if I had only done something incredibly simple.

“Send me your account details. I’ll transfer your payment.”

I hesitated, but I didn’t refuse. I genuinely needed the money now, not to prove anything, but to reclaim the life I had lost.

Soon, my banking app notified me that the money had arrived: five million dollars.

I froze and called him. “Jordan, that’s too much. It was only a vulnerability patch.”

“Too much?” Jordan shouted from the other end. “Ethan, do you know how much we would have lost in a single day if our competitors had exploited that vulnerability? Five million is nothing. I even worry you’ll think I’m insulting your skills by offering so little. You have to take the money, or I’m seriously going to be angry!”

After hanging up, I stared at the long string of digits.

For the first time, I realized how laughable the so-called “sacrifice” and “support” of the past five years had been.

Olivia had spent five years climbing to her current position and earning seven figures a year.

I had needed only three days, squeezed between childcare and housework, to earn three times her annual salary.

With money in hand, I began to change.

First, I went to the best department store and had a well-fitted suit made.

Then I joined a gym, hired a personal trainer, and picked up the exercise routine I had abandoned years ago.

I also bought a watch, a low-key brand whose value only someone knowledgeable would recognize.

When I came home looking completely transformed, Olivia clearly froze.

She looked me up and down, her gaze lingering on my watch for a moment before she pulled out a mocking smile.

“When did you start playing this game too, Ethan? Wearing a fake watch out in public? Aren’t you afraid people will laugh at you? What is this, a midlife crisis? Are you trying to make yourself feel important?”

Her words were cold needles, but they could no longer pierce the psychological defenses I had slowly built.

Still, the real pain arrived without warning.

That day, I stayed at the neighborhood playground with Ellie until rather late.

When we returned, I saw a Mercedes-Maybach parked outside the building.

Olivia got out of the passenger seat, followed by a distinguished middle-aged man from the driver’s side.

The man naturally reached out and smoothed Olivia’s hair.

Then the two of them shared a light embrace, their movements practiced and intimate, clearly not something they were doing for the first time.

The man got back into the car and drove away. Olivia turned around with a smile still lingering on her face, until she saw me standing quietly nearby.

A flicker of panic crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced by righteous confidence.

“Our company is competing for a major contract worth more than a billion dollars. That was Mr. Reed, who’s in charge of a crucial part of the bidding process. Sometimes business requires a little social performance.”

I ignored her and simply watched the Maybach disappear into the distance.

At the same time, the last trace of hesitation in my heart went out completely.

If that was how things were, Olivia, then I would use my abilities to show you exactly what you had abandoned and trampled on.

The “negative asset” in your eyes, the man who only knew how to serve a toilet, would become the one mountain you could never climb on the road to the project you were determined to win.