Seriously, young people have endless energy. Ryan was super disciplined—no bad habits, no smoking, no drinking. His only hobby was playing sports and staying active.

Even if he didn’t come from some fancy background, he was still fresh-faced and seriously easy on the eyes.

But today, Ryan was different—clingier, wilder, like he was blowing off some steam, and I was just taking it all in. Whenever I frowned, he’d lean down and kiss me until I just gave in to him all over again.

After going at it a couple of times, Ryan was finally satisfied. He held me tight and whispered in my ear, “Vic, I’m sorry.”

I just waved it off, letting him know I got it. Who hasn’t been a little reckless when they were young?

“It won’t happen again,” he promised.

I gave him a small smile, meeting his gaze. “I’m not blaming you.”

Ryan finally relaxed, his voice soft as he asked what I wanted to eat, saying he’d get it sent over.

I really was starving, so I listed a few things I was craving, and Ryan went off to make the call.

At 9:30 that night, my parents came back with Yvonne, and Jared was with them.

I’d already come back from Ryan’s place, lounging on the couch in my comfy clothes, just zoning out.

When I saw them all walk in together, I stood up and went over to help my parents with their stuff.

Jared glanced my way and asked quietly, “Why didn’t you come over tonight?”

“I had stuff to do,” I replied.

Yvonne let out a mischievous giggle. “I know what Mom was up to—bet she went to see Ryan again.”

I replied calmly, “Yeah, just grabbed dinner with him.”

Jared just went quiet, his expression dark. He muttered a few things and then took off.

After I closed the door, my parents looked at me with that worried look again. I could tell they still thought Jared was a decent choice, but come on—once you’ve moved on, there’s no going back.

I cut them off before they could say anything. “Mom, Dad, did you see the photos my brother sent?”

My mom nodded. “Yeah, saw them. His Instagram’s full of Sophia’s pictures.”

My dad chimed in, “Looks like her family’s pretty average.”

My mom forced a smile. “Sure, her family’s nothing special, but Sophia’s got some real talent. She scored a legit job at a bank right after graduation, and it’s in Braylin—so that’s pretty impressive.”

My dad added, “Why didn’t she mention she had two brothers before?”

That’s exactly why I brought it up. This girl had been hiding something.

Mom just went quiet, looking kind of awkward, not sure what to say.

It’s not like I have anything against girls with brothers, but Sophia definitely seemed like she was hiding something. When my brother asked her before, she only said her family was average, that school was tough, and she worked her butt off to get good grades—like she was all about working hard to change her fate.

“It’s up to them now. We can’t really meddle,” my mom sighed, sounding pretty resigned.

I nodded. “Yeah, let’s leave it to fate.”

The next day, the three-day New Year’s break was almost over, and everyone was getting ready to head back to work.

Around ten in the morning, my parents caught a flight home because they were worried their dog wouldn’t get used to staying at the pet hotel—they wanted to hurry home and bring him back.

I couldn’t help but find it funny. Looks like these days, my brother and I don’t even get as much love as the family dog.

Oh well, as long as they’ve got the dog to keep them company, their lives won’t be too dull.

I had a flight in the afternoon, and Yvonne had been glued to my side for the past three days. Now that we were about to say goodbye, she was quietly wiping away tears on the way to the airport.

Jared was sitting on the other side, looking pretty down too.

‘Was he imagining what things would be like if we’d never split up? What would our marriage look like now?’ I wondered.

When we got to the airport, Yvonne insisted on coming in with me to pick up my ticket, so Jared had to tell the driver to park and came in with us.

“Victoria, Yvonne just can’t bear to see you leave,” Jared said quietly.

“Yeah, I know. Make sure to comfort her later,” I replied. Seeing her cry tugged at my heart, and I realized I was starting to care about her again.

“I will,” Jared said, his voice heavy. “You keep moving forward, flying farther away, while we’re just standing still.”

I raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Mr. Holcomb, you sure sound sentimental today. Ever think about how, in your previous life, Tracy aborted a child for you—but it wasn’t even yours? And you were there, fussing over her, gifting her property and shares, running yourself ragged. Doesn’t that just eat you up inside now?”

Jared’s face turned ashen, his lips pressed tight. He clenched his fist and slammed it against the armrest. “Don’t bring it up. She totally played me.”

I laughed outright, not holding back. “That’s your love-hate mess with her. I’m just the audience now, but you can bet I won’t miss a second of this drama.”

Jared looked at me, completely at a loss. “You must be feeling pretty satisfied, huh? Think I had this coming?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s that sweet taste of revenge. Honestly, the payback came way too late, so it doesn’t hit as hard. If this had happened in my previous life, maybe I could’ve died with my eyes closed.”

Jared flinched, his gaze complicated as he looked at me. “I’m sorry, Victoria. I never thought you’d leave like that.”

‘Yeah, me neither. Hopefully, I’ll get a little more time in this life,’ I thought, then went over to say goodbye to Yvonne—my flight was about to board.

Jared just sat there, looking lost. After Yvonne waved goodbye, she buried herself in his arms and started sobbing.

I took one last look at the father and daughter, then strode off to board my flight.

Back in Braylin, I got right back to work, sharpening my management skills at full speed.

I was gradually learning the ropes of how capital operates, and the more I understood about the world and how to handle money, the more secure and confident I felt.

Ryan was back at his job too.

That night, my brother and Sophia invited me out for dinner. I had already made plans with Ryan, and since he wanted to meet my brother, we all decided to get together.

When Ryan and I arrived, Aiden and Sophia were already there, flirting and having a great time at the table. “Hey sis,