He Murdered Me, I Quit & Inherited Wealth

During the startup competition, Shawn Blevin's childhood sweetheart demanded to be the team leader so she could secure direct admission to graduate school. Prioritizing the team's success, I firmly refused her request. Defeated, she dropped out of the competition, only to be dragged back to a poor rural town by her parents and forced into marriage. Meanwhile, I led our team to victory. We became rising stars in the business world, and every member secured a spot in graduate school. Later, I married Shawn. During our cruise celebration for our company's IPO, Shawn caught me off guard and shoved me overboard—six months pregnant—watching coldly as I drowned. I desperately demanded to know why. Shawn replied with an icy glare, "If you hadn't selfishly hogged the team leader position, Hannah wouldn't have been forced into an abusive marriage and died." When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the needy student insisted on becoming our team leader. "Lilly, I'm just a few credits short of qualifying for graduate school. The team leader position in this startup competition gives extra credits. Could you give it to me?" Hearing those familiar words, a shudder ran through my entire body. I glanced at the clock on the wall and instantly realized I had been reborn. I was back at the exact moment Hannah Mckee demanded to be our startup team leader. In my past life, considering Hannah was not a finance major and my parents had promised to invest in our team while hiring top business elites to mentor us, I had firmly turned her down, explaining that she wasn't a suitable fit. I had also reassured her that if our team excelled, every member would likely secure a spot in graduate school, so she should wait and see. Yet, she felt I was intentionally humiliating her. She dropped out of school of her own accord, followed her parents back to their poor rural town, and got married. Later, leveraging my parents' connections, I pulled in resources for our team. We won first place, all members secured direct admission to graduate school, and we became the rising stars of the business world. Three years later, I married Shawn. While I was pregnant, Shawn inherited my family's company, and the startup we founded successfully went public. Overnight, Shawn became a prominent figure in the business world, enjoying infinite glory. Under the guise of a celebration, Shawn invited me onto a yacht. Caught off guard, I was kicked into the ocean while six months pregnant, watching the sea turn red with my unborn child's blood. I begged him to save our baby, but he threw a heavy stone down at me, sneering coldly. "If you hadn't selfishly forced Hannah away back then, she wouldn't have been beaten to death in an abusive marriage while pregnant! You owe her this!" Only at that moment did I realize Shawn had harbored deep resentment against me for all those years because of his childhood sweetheart. Seeing that I remained silent, Shawn knitted his brows and tugged at me with an annoyed expression. "Lilly, did you hear us? Hannah needs this team leader spot way more than you do. Just hand it over to her." Hearing Shawn's impatient voice, I snapped back to reality. I looked at Hannah, who was acting pitiable beside him, and let out a cold sneer. "When we picked the team leader, didn't you all agree that whoever secured the investment and made the biggest contribution would get the role? Now that I've brought in the investment, you want to kick me to the curb?" Upon hearing my words, tears gushed down Hannah's face. "Lilly, that's not what I meant. I just want to complete my studies. I came from a poor rural town, and if I don't get directly admitted to graduate school, my parents will force me to go back home and get married. Please, I beg you, have some mercy on me." As she spoke, Hannah dropped to her knees right in front of me. Her sudden gesture instantly drew the attention of the entire classroom, and classmates began crowding around us. Hannah sobbed even more piteously. "Lilly, I really don't want to go back to the poor rural town to marry an old bachelor. Please, I beg you, don't force me to drop out!"