Chapter 1

“Mr. Hayes, once you sign this adoption agreement, you'll officially become Madam Kingston's son. She has no direct heirs and is placing all her faith in you. Don't disappoint her.”

Mr. Peterson finished his instruction and handed me what I needed: proof of my faked death. It was a terminal illness diagnosis for stage three leukemia, stating the patient had only one month left to live.

I nodded. “Please tell Madam Kingston that in one month, Asher Hayes will no longer exist. Only her son, Asher Kingston.”

My car drove home, bathed in the lingering glow of the sunset.

In the back seat, I watched out the window, a faint sadness hidden behind my handsome features.

No one knew I had been reborn three days ago.

### In my past life, when I was seven, I was kidnapped and taken to a remote rural town. Devastated, my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, adopted Caleb, who was the same age as me.

Ten years later, I was found, but my parents had already grown attached to their adopted son. They barely showed affection for their biological child.

Fortunately, I was exceptionally capable. In five years, I successfully took Hayes Industries public, rocketing our family's status in Montrose.

However, shortly after, Caleb committed arson, injuring someone and facing a ten-year prison sentence.

To protect him, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes actually knelt and begged me to take the fall.

“Asher, you grew up in that remote town, you're tough, you can handle hardship. Your brother isn't like you; he's been pampered his whole life. A place like prison... it would kill him.”

My wife, Seraphina, swore to me again and again: “Asher, no matter what happens, Daisy and I will always love you. We'll be here waiting for you to come home and reunite with us.”

I endured ten years in prison. On the day of my release, my fellow inmates were picked up by their families one by one, but I waited from dawn till dusk. Not a single car from the Hayes or Davis families appeared.

During my decade of imprisonment, Caleb stepped into my old position, becoming the acclaimed CEO.

The woman who had solemnly promised to wait for my release married Caleb in my second year of prison, and my daughter started calling Caleb ‘Dad’.

The truth turned my hair white overnight. At the end of my life, as I lay dying in a grimy alley, my daughter, Daisy Hayes, stepped out of a luxury car, clad in opulent clothes. She covered her nose and mouth, her face a mask of utter disgust.

“Dad, why did you bring me here? I don't want to see this homeless man.”

Under a black umbrella, Mrs. and Mr. Hayes stood, arms linked with Caleb, their eyes cold: “How could we have raised a son like this? He's completely shamed the Hayes family.”

Seraphina stood the furthest away. When I shakily reached out to her, she turned her face away.

I was reborn back to the year Caleb got into trouble.

This time, I decided to abandon everyone first.

The moment I opened the front door, I heard my daughter, Daisy, crying in the living room.

“I don’t want Dad! I want Uncle Caleb! Uncle Caleb buys me toys and takes me for ice cream. Dad always forces me to do things I don’t like. I hate him!”

Listening quietly, I bit my lower lip. A sharp pang pierced my chest.

Daisy had a sensitive stomach, and even managing thousands of people at the company, I never forgot to make sure she ate properly.

Unlike Caleb, who indulged her every whim, making them closer than a biological father and daughter.

Years of care had only earned me my daughter's hatred. Reborn, I decided I would no longer bother with her.

I walked into the living room, not even glancing at Daisy, and calmly instructed the housekeeper:

“Open the freezer. Bring all the ice cream. From now on, Miss Daisy can eat whatever she wants, do whatever she wants. No one is to stop her.”

Daisy looked utterly disbelieving. “...Really?”

“Really.”

I looked at her, my eyes devoid of any warmth. “Don't you want to see your Uncle Caleb? I'll take you there later. You can stay at the old mansion for as long as you want this time.”

Even if it was forever.

Daisy cheered and immediately ran off to pack her little backpack.

I glanced at the elegant and graceful Seraphina. This was the face that had once persuaded me to take the fall for Caleb. Now, knowing how truly cold-hearted she was, I only felt a dull emptiness.

Seraphina shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. “You're not yourself today. What happened?”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “Nothing. I just realized I'm tired of living so exhaustingly.”

I was about to fake my death and disappear from all records. The future of Hayes Industries would have nothing to do with me.

As for Seraphina and Daisy, they would no longer be my wife and daughter.

Why should I exert myself, only to do all the work for someone else's gain?

A slender hand rested on my shoulder. Seraphina squeezed my shoulder, her voice as melodious as a flowing stream. “Then when can you spend more time with Daisy and me? Asher, even if you stopped working, my assets are enough for you and Daisy to live comfortably for the rest of your lives. Why push yourself so hard?”

My body stiffened. Remembering how she had tricked me into taking the blame in my past life, I pulled away from her embrace and stared at her intently for a long moment.

Just as Seraphina grew uncomfortable, I suddenly smiled, as if the distant look in my eyes had been an illusion.

“Come back to the old mansion with me. I have something to announce.”

###