Seraphina could not help but feel a sense of gratitude for having been the first to secure the person she sought. She was impressed by Ronald. It wasn't just the fact that he had kept his word, rejecting Andrew as she had asked, but the courage it had taken to do so. In a world where opportunities like those were rare, few people would have dared to turn down a collaboration with someone of Andrew's caliber—a financial giant whose influence could open many doors. "I'm glad that you trust me this much," she had said. "As for the financing, I don't need it for now. I'll figure out a way to raise the money myself." Once they parted ways, Seraphina wasted no time. She made her way into the mall, quickly changed into a more suitable outfit, and headed toward the stock exchange. Upon entering, the atmosphere was far from chaotic. The trading hall was quiet, the hum of conversations soft and intermittent. Everyone around her was focused on the central screen, their attention split between the prices and occasional murmurs exchanged with nearby traders. She stood under the screen for a moment, her gaze scanning the long list of company names. She searched carefully, and finally, in a small corner of the board, she found it: "Cloud Auto Parts." If her memory served her correctly, this company was about to experience a dramatic and tumultuous rollercoaster ride in the stock market over the next six months. In her previous life, Seraphina had dabbled in stocks a few times, usually tagging along with her cousin, Rowan. Though she had made a small profit from following Rowan's lead, she wasn't particularly interested in the stock market. In the end, she had handed all the money over to him, trusting him to manage it. But her trust had been misplaced—Rowan had lost it all. Now, she never expected that she would find herself back in the stock exchange in this life. Her knowledge of Cloud Auto Parts came from Rowan. He had always been fascinated by finance, and because the two of them spent a lot of time together, he had shared his insights with her. One of those insights was about Cloud Inc.—one of the so-called "legendary stocks." The company's stock had been notoriously volatile. When it first went public, its price soared above thirty dollars, but soon after, it began a steep decline, dropping all the way down to just over eight dollars. No one dared to invest in it anymore, and interest in the company dried up completely. Then, as if out of nowhere, the stock price began to rise again, quietly climbing back up to nine dollars, still unnoticed by most investors. It didn't stop there, though. It soared to twenty dollars, and finally, the market started to take notice. More and more buyers entered the market, and the stock seemed set for a steady rise. But, as expected in the world of volatile stocks, the next day, it crashed, falling hard and fast. The price dropped to its limit, and many investors were left with nothing, their pockets emptied. After reaching its peak at over twenty dollars, the stock plummeted back to seven dollars, and it stayed there for a week. But then, against all expectations, the price started to climb again—this time, even more rapidly. It reached over fifty dollars, and once again, buyers flooded in, eager to grab a piece of the action. But just as quickly as it had risen, it began to plummet once more, leaving many investors reeling. The stock price of Cloud Auto Parts was notorious for these ups and downs, and it had made and broken many people in its wake. Some savvy investors had grown rich from it, but many others had lost everything in the blink of an eye. It just so happened that the stock price of Cloud Auto Parts would shoot up the very next day. Seraphina wasted no time. She registered an account and invested every last cent she had in the company's stock. Just as she was about to confirm her investment, a voice broke through her thoughts. A man approached her and leaned in slightly, speaking in a low tone. "This stock isn't a good one. Though it's cheap, it's been dropping for a while. If you buy it now, you'll just end up trapped."Seraphina looked up at him, surprised. The man was handsome, with a gentle, scholarly air about him. His voice was warm and refined, and his demeanor gave off an undeniable charm—something that seemed to make everyone around him feel at ease. It wasn't the first time Seraphina had encountered that voice, that calm presence, and that smooth, eloquent tone. In her previous life, she had been deceived by it, swept up in the false sense of security it created, and had ended up in a situation she deeply regretted. And now, here he was again. Rowan. Her cousin, her once trusted confidant, the very man who had deceived her for eight long years. The same man who had eventually taken his own life after all the damage had been done.