NshedRana

In his first life, Damien Sterling was nothing but a fool. Naïve, trusting, and constantly manipulated by those around him, he lived his life as a tool—used, discarded, and ultimately forgotten. His kindness was repaid with betrayal, his trust exploited, and his life ended in the most humiliating way: alone, broken, and filled with regret.

But fate had a cruel twist in store.

One evening, as Damien wandered the cold streets in a daze, he saw an old woman trying to cross the road. She had always been kind to him—the only person who showed him any genuine warmth. When a truck came speeding toward him, she shoved him aside and took the hit herself.

She died.

Yet, the moment her body hit the pavement, something impossible happened. Time rewound.

Damien woke up years earlier, in his younger body—but with all the knowledge, pain, and betrayal of his past life intact. And that day, everything changed.

The Devil..

Richard Vaughn had always been arrogant.

He thought himself clever, untouchable.

That was why, as he sat in his penthouse office, swirling an expensive glass of whiskey, he had no idea that his entire life was already over.

Richard smirked. "What problem? The deal is secured, and—"

The voice on the other end was shaking. "All our accounts—everything—it's been emptied. The investment? It's worthless. We've lost everything."

Richard's glass slipped from his fingers, shattering against the marble floor.

Damien's Perspective – The Art of Destruction

From a quiet, dimly lit apartment, Damien leaned back in his chair, watching the numbers on his screen drop to zero.

Richard Vaughn's entire fortune—the same one he had built by betraying Damien in their past life—was now nothing but dust.

A few keystrokes. A few well-placed investments. A few whispers in the right ears.

That was all it took to ruin a man who had thought himself invincible.

Richard, now drenched in sweat, scrambled to make calls—investors, bankers, anyone who could save him.

But every call ended the same way:

"Mr. Vaughn, we're cutting ties. Your accounts are frozen due to fraud allegations."

"Mr. Vaughn, our company cannot associate with you any longer."

The people who once flattered him, obeyed him, admired him?

They were the first to abandon him.

Richard had always thought loyalty was built on friendship.

Damien knew better—loyalty was built on leverage.

Face to Face – The Moment of Realization

Richard stormed out of his office, desperate, furious, lost.

Standing in the corner of the lobby, dressed in a black suit, was Damien Sterling.

Damien simply smiled. "Hello, Richard. You seem… troubled."

Richard stumbled back. "It was you… you did this!"

Damien tilted his head slightly, eyes devoid of warmth. "Me? Richard, you wound me. We're friends, aren't we?"

This wasn't the same Damien Sterling he had once tricked.

That Damien was naïve. Weak. A tool.

Richard, now desperate, fell to his knees.

"Damien, listen—we can fix this. I'll give you anything—"

Damien knelt slightly, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"Richard… you have nothing to give."

And then Damien walked away, leaving behind the ruins of a man who had once thought himself untouchable.

The Collapse of a Fool