Part 3After Rebirth, I Won't Be a Scapegoat Anymore

I quietly returned to my room, packing only a few changes of clothes and an external hard drive containing the project’s core files.

The next morning, an internal email announced the new personnel appointment.

Liam Hayes was named Head of the Velocity Project, accompanied by a photo of him looking radiant and confident.

I placed the hard drive in my backpack, my face expressionless.

Just before noon, loud shouting erupted from the office downstairs.

Standing at the end of the hallway, I heard Liam’s furious roar.

“Chloe! You promised me! The second I became project lead, you’d hand the German partnership over to me! Why is Ryan’s name still attached to it?!”

Chloe spoke helplessly. “Liam, Ryan handled all the initial technical discussions for that partnership. If we switch now, the Germans will have serious concerns!”

“I don’t care!” Liam snapped, clearly displeased. “I’m the future of Henderson Motors! Chloe, are you really going to trust an outsider over me?!”

The partnership with the German company was crucial for Henderson Motors to acquire the latest generation of Battery Management Systems.

In my past life, I secured this partnership, and my optimizations based on it were what made Henderson’s new car an instant success.

Chloe knew this full well.

A few minutes later, my phone rang. It was Mr. Henderson.

He sat in his office, his face etched with weariness.

“Ryan, about this… I’m truly sorry.”

It dawned on me then: Chloe had still managed to get Liam the lead position on the German partnership.

I spoke calmly. “Mr. Henderson, you don’t need to say anything. I understand.”

Mr. Henderson looked up at me, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He had always treated me like his own grandson.

But faced with his granddaughter’s demands on one side and his chosen successor on the other, he had ultimately given in to Chloe.

From my backpack, I pulled out the hard drive containing my life’s work and placed it before him.

“This hard drive has all the data and technical solutions for the Velocity project, including all the documentation for the German partnership.”

Every file on this drive was the culmination of countless days and nights of my effort.

Watching my composed face, Mr. Henderson’s lips moved, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

I stood up and bowed deeply to him.

“Mr. Henderson, I’ll never forget your guidance these past years.”

Just then, Chloe and Liam pushed the door open and walked in.

“Did he agree?”

Chloe didn’t even glance at me, asking Mr. Henderson directly.

He nodded, and Liam immediately reached out to grab the hard drive.

But I spoke up suddenly.

“Wait.”

Liam instantly glared at me, his eyes wary.

“Ryan, what now? What do you want?”

I shook my head and pulled a document from my pocket.

“This is the most critical Battery Safety Agreement for the German partnership. I just finalized it yesterday and haven’t uploaded it to the hard drive yet.”

Liam took the document. His face changed as he looked at the stringent terms and data.

“These standards are extremely high. If even one item isn’t met, the Germans will revoke their technical authorization, and the tens of millions we’ve invested will all go down the drain.”

My tone was flat.

“With your proposed solution, meeting these standards shouldn’t be an issue, right?”

Liam’s face flushed red, but he still stubbornly scoffed.

“Don’t be so dramatic! It’s just a safety protocol. I can handle it in minutes.”

I didn’t say anything more.

Liam’s approach—sacrificing safety for performance—was nothing short of a ticking time bomb.