Reborn, I Refuse to Rescue You

Start Reading

When the engineering structure collapsed, I happened to catch my wife and her first love in a heated, illicit embrace in the office.

I didn't have time for them. I rushed to the accident site to start the rescue work.

But I never expected my wife, arriving late, would push me under a crumbling wall to be crushed alive.

Afterward, she wanted to clear her lover's name for buying substandard construction materials.

She personally testified that I was the one who signed off on those materials, causing the tragedy.

With my massive life insurance payout, the two of them bought a villa and lived a life of luxury and lust.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the scene of the disaster.

This time, I chose to watch from the sidelines.

Even when my wife urged me to go in and help, I refused without hesitation.

"I am the project manager, not a rescue worker. You two made this mess, you solve it!"

In this life, I won't let this pathetic couple have a single happy moment.

My wife, Vanessa Vance, kept pushing me from behind.

"Leo Sterling, why aren't you going in to save them? Are you just going to watch the workers die?"

I stood my ground, having no intention of moving a single inch.

I sneered inwardly. She didn't want me to save anyone. She wanted to push me into the gates of hell.

She needed a scapegoat to clear the name of her precious Shawn York.

In my previous life, Shawn, the procurement manager, suddenly changed suppliers and brought me the paperwork to sign.

After I personally checked the quality of those materials, I strictly refused him.

I demanded he switch back to our original, trusted supplier immediately.

I didn't expect Vanessa to come home that night and start a massive screaming match.

She accused me of being jealous of her close relationship with Shawn and said I was intentionally making his life difficult.

Then, she forged my signature. Using her power as the CFO, she quickly released the funds to Shawn.

I only found out about this ten minutes before the collapse. I happened to overhear them whispering about it while they were tangled together in the finance office.

Seeing that I wasn't moving, Vanessa continued to nag.

"You're the project manager. If you don't go in, who will? I'm a woman and I'm willing to face the danger with you. What are you afraid of?"

"Do you want everyone to know their leader is a coward who watches people die?"

Shawn, who had been hiding silently to the side, stepped up to join the act.

"Mr. Sterling, those workers have lives too. Maybe their lives aren't as precious as yours, but they are still human beings. How will you lead anyone after this?"

His words immediately sparked anger among the bystanders.

"Mr. Sterling, Shawn is right. This place could have a secondary collapse at any moment. If we go in now, we can save a few more people."

"Please, lead us in there! This is no time to be a coward."

I ignored the others and looked straight at Shawn. I spoke calmly.

"Oh, since Mr. York and Mrs. Vance are so eager to help, why don't you two lead the way?"

Vanessa immediately stepped in front of him, shielding him. She shouted at me with total disgust.

"He was raised in comfort! He doesn't have the strength for rescue work. If something happens to him, will you take responsibility?"

"Oh? So he'd rather watch you go in and die with me? It seems your bond isn't as strong as I thought."

"Shut up! I'm only going in because I'm your wife. This has nothing to do with him!"

Thinking about what those two were just doing in the office, I clenched my fists until they shook.

"Let me be clear. I am the project manager, not a rescue worker. You two created this disaster. You solve it!"

"Don't even dream of dragging me in there to die with you!"

Shawn and Vanessa both froze. They clearly didn't expect me to know about the building materials.

Then, a flash of cruelty crossed Vanessa's eyes. She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"You're the manager, fine! But as your wife, is it a crime for me to want to clean up your mess? Why are you throwing dirt on us like a mad dog?"

"I must have been blind to marry such a cold-blooded man!"

I was about to fire back when my assistant suddenly stood up. He looked at me with deep disappointment.

"Mr. Sterling, I've looked up to you since I was a kid. I thought you were a responsible leader. How did you become so heartless?"

"I can't believe that in a crisis, your first thought is to shift blame! I can't follow a leader like this anymore!"

"Mrs. Vance, I'll go in with you!"

Vanessa's eyes flickered. She quickly agreed and grabbed the assistant's arm to head toward the rubble.

I cursed her in my heart. She knew exactly what she was doing.

That assistant was the younger brother of my old army buddy. I had watched him grow up.

She knew if he went in, I would follow just to keep him safe. She was hell-bent on seeing me dead.

I moved quickly and grabbed the assistant's arm. I barked a command.

"Nobody moves an inch without my direct orders!"

Suddenly, someone shoved me from the side. I turned and saw it was the site foreman.

"My brothers are in there! If you won't save them, I will! Anyone with a spine, follow me! These big bosses don't give a damn about our lives!"

His shout resonated with the crowd. Even my assistant ripped his arm away from me to follow them.

I yelled desperately, "The situation is unstable! You aren't professional rescuers. You might cause a secondary collapse and kill the survivors!"

The foreman spat back, "Just say you're scared of dying! Stop making up excuses!"

I tried to block them again. "The structure is compromised. Even a loud noise could bring it down. If you go in, you're dead, and so are the men inside. Who's going to answer for that?"

Before anyone could answer, Vanessa stepped forward with a righteous look.

"I'll take responsibility!" she shouted.

The foreman nodded. "Look at that! A woman has more guts than you!"

Vanessa looked at me, her eyes turning red as if she were heartbroken.

"Leo, please. Just go in with them. Consider it an act of penance for your sins."

"I'm doing this for your own good. Even though I'm your wife, I can't watch you keep going down this criminal path."

The crowd's eyes turned toward her, filled with suspicion.

"Mrs. Vance, what do you mean by that?"

Vanessa sighed deeply, wiping away fake tears.

"I didn't want to say anything. We're married, after all. But people are dying. I can't be an accomplice anymore."

"The truth is, this accident happened because Leo approved the use of cheap, low-grade materials. He's refusing to let you save people because he wants to frame Shawn York for it."

"He figures the more people die, the heavier the sentence for Shawn will be."

The assistant asked, confused, "Why would he frame Shawn?"

Vanessa looked at him with watery eyes. "Because he's convinced Shawn and I are having an affair. We're just childhood friends! He's so blinded by jealousy that he's willing to sacrifice lives to get revenge."

The men in the crowd began to crack their knuckles, looking at me with pure hatred.

"How did a man this petty become a manager? Leo Sterling, you're a monster!"

I backed away, taking a defensive stance. "I didn't do it! Shawn was the one who bought those materials. I rejected them!"

Vanessa cut me off. "Then why is your signature on the approval forms? Leo, stop lying. Saving people is what matters now. If you save them, your sentence might be lighter. Please!"

"If you go in now, I'll even tell them I forged your signature. I'll go to jail for you, Leo. Just save them!"

Her words moved the men to tears.

"Leo, you have such a good wife, and you're trying to ruin her! You're lower than a dog!"

"Since you caused this, you're going in with us!"

Several large men grabbed me and started dragging me toward the ruins.

I struggled wildly, screaming for them to stop.

"Don't believe her! This is a trap! Once we're inside, they just have to nudge a support beam and we'll all be buried!"

"Shut your mouth! Your wife is a saint. She'd never do that!"

They didn't listen. They tore at my clothes, pulling me toward the dark opening.

In a desperate move, I stripped out of my jacket and rolled away on the ground.

The men didn't bother chasing me. They charged into the accident site on their own.

A second later, a deafening boom echoed through the air.

The secondary collapse was massive. Steel beams and concrete rained down, creating a thick cloud of dust that swallowed everyone.

Just then, the professional rescue teams arrived.

The company executives and an investigation team arrived shortly after.

The three of us were taken into separate offices for questioning.

"Initial findings show the collapse was caused by substandard materials. What's your explanation?" the investigator asked.

"I have one! I strictly rejected those materials when Shawn York proposed them. I never signed that approval."

"He brought me a contract for the original supplier later, which I did sign. I had no idea the supplier was swapped. I believe Vanessa Vance forged my signature."

"Is there anyone who can prove you rejected the first proposal?"

"Yes. My secretary, Lily Shaw, was in the office the whole time."

An hour later, a tired-looking Lily Shaw sat before the investigation team.

"Lily, is what Leo Sterling said true?"

I looked at her with confidence. In my last life, I died before I could prove anything. This time, the truth would come out.

But Lily looked terrified, as if I were a monster.

"It's okay, Lily. Just tell the truth. No one will hurt you here," the investigator urged.

Lily finally spoke, her voice trembling.

"Sir... it's the opposite. Mr. Sterling forced Shawn to buy from that supplier. Shawn refused, and Mr. Sterling screamed at him. He threatened to fire Shawn if he didn't comply."

I stared at her, unable to believe my ears.

I was the one who promoted Lily. Why was she lying through her teeth?

I tried to speak, but the investigators pinned me down and let Lily leave.

"Leo, what else is there to say? We'll be reporting this. Get ready for a long time behind bars."

"I'm being framed! She's lying! Check the original documents. Check the handwriting. You'll see the truth!"

"We don't need you to tell us how to do our jobs. We will verify everything."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

The rescue captain and several police officers walked in.

"Leo Sterling? Vanessa Vance has filed a report against you for inciting people to enter a dangerous site. Everyone who went in is dead. You're coming with us."

My heart skipped a beat, but I forced myself to stay calm.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.

"Officers, I recorded everything that happened at the site. She's lying. I have proof!"

I had been prepared since I woke up outside the office where they were cheating. I had started recording the moment I got to the site.

But when I pressed the screen, my blood ran cold.

The phone had been smashed during the struggle with the workers.

A wave of despair washed over me.

Was I really destined to repeat this tragedy, even with a second chance?