Chapter 5

Jason's POV

For the next week, I worked like a madman.

During the day, I worked myself to death at other construction sites earning money. At night, I lurked near Cloudcrest Villa.

I had to find a way to get in and retrieve that hard drive.

Susan and Ethan's wedding preparations were in full swing. Their wedding photos were advertised all over the city, stabbing my eyes.

I heard that to showcase his "talent," Ethan had specially invited Professor Harrison, a titan in architecture, to attend the wedding and planned to publicly release that "Homecoming" design at the ceremony, announcing his entry into real estate design.

Professor Harrison was once my professor, the one who had no choice but to expel me over the "plagiarism" scandal.

Ethan really wanted to destroy me completely.

Finally, an opportunity came.

The day before the wedding, the villa needed final lighting adjustments and soft furnishing arrangements.

The foreman called me.

"Jason, they're short-handed for moving stuff. You going? Even though things ended badly last time, this time it's cash on completion-five hundred dollars."

"I'll go."

I put on a mask and cap, changed into inconspicuous work clothes, and mixed into the moving crew.

The villa was filled with flowers and balloons everywhere, dreamy like a fairy tale.

Susan was in the hall directing workers to arrange champagne towers, her face glowing with happiness.

That smile. I'd seen it countless times in my dreams.

Ethan was surrounded by people flattering him.

"Mr. Ethan is so accomplished for his age. This design is a masterpiece!"

"Yes! I heard even Professor Harrison praised it highly."

Ethan waved modestly.

"Not at all. Just drew it casually."

I kept my cap low, carried a case of wine, bypassed the crowd, and quietly slipped toward the basement storage room.

The storage room door was unlocked.

My heart pounded like thunder. I turned on my phone flashlight and searched through mountains of junk.

Found it!

The box labeled "Cloudcrest Club Archive 2018" was still in the corner!

I was so excited my hands shook. Just as I was about to stuff the box inside my jacket-

"What are you doing?"

A cold voice suddenly rang out at the door.

I froze, then slowly turned around.

Susan stood in the doorway, arms crossed, looking at me coldly.

"Jason, you really never change. Stealing things five years ago, still stealing now?"

I removed my mask and took a deep breath.

"I'm not stealing. I'm looking for the truth."

"Truth?"

Susan walked in, her gaze falling on the hard drive box in my hands.

"What is this?"

"This is surveillance footage from your birthday five years ago."

I held up the box.

"Susan, if you have even a shred of trust left in me, look at what's in here. See who drugged the drinks that night, who took those photos from behind."

Susan's expression wavered for an instant.

"Give it here."

She extended her hand.

I hesitated, then handed it to her.

This was my last chance.

Susan took the box and was just about to open it when urgent footsteps suddenly came from behind.

"Susan! Don't listen to his nonsense!"

Ethan rushed in, snatched the box from Susan's hands, and smashed it hard on the ground!

Crash!

The hard drive box shattered into pieces, the disk sliding out.

Still not satisfied, Ethan raised his foot and stomped on that disk several times until it was nothing but fragments.

"You..."

Eyes red, I rushed forward to punch him.

Several security guards immediately rushed in and pinned me to the ground.

"Jason!"

Ethan straightened his tie, grinning viciously.

"You think you can slander me with some random broken box? This is my home! You trespassed and attempted theft. I can call the police right now and have you arrested!"

Susan looked at the fragments on the ground, her expression complex.

"Ethan, why are you so agitated?"

She asked.

Ethan's face stiffened, then he put on a wronged expression.

"Susan, I'm just too angry. We're about to get married, and he keeps coming to cause trouble, trying to use this fake stuff to destroy our relationship. I just can't take it anymore!"

He grabbed Susan's hand.

"Darling, don't pay attention to this lunatic. Just kick him out. Calling the police would be bad luck."

Susan looked at me, then at Ethan. Finally, she sighed.

"Throw him out."

The security guards dragged me out like a dead dog and dumped me at the villa gate.

Rain poured down.

I lay in the mud, looking at that brightly lit villa, listening to the laughter and chatter inside.

The hard drive was destroyed.

The last piece of evidence was gone.

Had I lost?

No.

I climbed up from the mud and wiped the filth from my face.

The moment Ethan crushed that hard drive under his heel, the panic in his eyes had already given him away.

But more importantly, he never knew.

That hard drive was just a decoy.

The real ace had never been the surveillance footage.

It was the "Homecoming" design he planned to unveil at tomorrow's wedding.

Since you want to steal my life's work and flaunt it as your own, I will make that dream the tomb that buries you.

I pulled the USB drive, sealed inside a waterproof bag, from inside my jacket.

It contained all the original design data I had compiled over the past few days, along with the digital evidence tracking that post back to its source.

That's right. I had spent the last of my savings to hire an expert hacker.

Ethan, see you tomorrow. I'll send you a gift you will never forget.