Rebirth Of The Tycoon: I Shall Dominate The World

The first day of second year arrived, and as the sun dipped low, casting a golden haze over the campus, I found myself standing at the threshold of what would be our biggest test yet. Summer has been a time of expansion, innovation, and, above all, tension. With the operation growing at an alarming rate, the next chapter of our lives promised to be anything but ordinary.

As I walked through the school gates with Todd, the air seemed thicker than usual. I could feel it in the way the teachers watched us, their eyes narrowing as we passed by. They were already on to us, I could sense it. Despite the layers of security we'd put in place, there was something in the way they moved—like wolves circling their prey, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Inside the school building, the students bustled around, reuniting with friends and gossiping about the summer. But something else lingered in the air—an undercurrent of suspicion that none of us could ignore.

"We're going to need to be extra careful this year," Janet texted us in the group chat, as we passed through the hallway. "The teachers know. They're planning something."

I nodded, keeping my eyes peeled. "They'll try something, but we'll be ready. Just like we discussed."

But nothing could have prepared me for what would come next.

As the bell rang, signaling the start of first period, I found myself seated in Mr. Harris's class, a stern teacher who had always been suspicious of us. I had just settled into my seat when the door swung open, and a tall, broad-shouldered student walked in, catching everyone's attention.

"This," Mr. Harris announced, with an odd gleam in his eye, "is John King. He's a transfer student from Lincoln High, and he'll be joining our class this year."

I froze. My mind raced. John King.

The name hit me like a bolt of lightning. In my previous life, I'd met John during my first year of college. He was a quiet, calculating individual—someone who played his cards close to the chest. I had never suspected that he could be anything more than an ordinary student, but now I understood the truth. The Butterfly Effect had reared its ugly head. John King shouldn't have been here.

John's eyes scanned the room, briefly locking with mine before he took a seat in the back. There was no sign of recognition on his face, but the look in his eyes—cold, assessing—told me everything. This wasn't just a new student; this was the teachers' secret weapon. He had been planted here to spy on us.

The tension in the room was thick as the team gathered in Todd's garage—our unofficial headquarters. The cluttered space, with papers scattered everywhere and whiteboards filled with diagrams, barely contained the anxiety that had been building since the new school year began. I had to tell them what I knew about John King—why his presence was so much more than just an ordinary transfer student.

Janet and Todd sat across from me, clearly waiting for some kind of plan, some form of action. I could feel their eyes on me, expecting something strategic, but instead, I was about to drop a bombshell.

"Alright," I said, my voice uncharacteristically calm. "There's something you both need to know about John King."

Janet raised an eyebrow, a half-smile forming. "Uh-oh. Sounds like you've got a story."

I stared at them both, then took a deep breath. "John King wasn't just some random guy who transferred here. In my previous life, he was... my best friend and business partner."

Todd blinked. "Wait, what? Previous life? Like, what are we talking about, reincarnation or something? You are a wizard now, William?"

I shot him a serious look, trying to convey the gravity of the situation. "I'm being serious here, Todd. In my previous life, John and I co-founded a tech company called Orthrus Inc. We were doing well—too well, actually. Then things went sideways."

Todd snorted, looking at me like I'd just said I could fly. "Wait, wait, hold up. Your previous life? Dude, are you telling me you've lived before? Are you, like, reincarnated? You gotta be kidding me."

I frowned, trying to hold onto the seriousness of the moment. "I'm not kidding. I've lived before. I—"

Todd lost it. He threw his head back and laughed, loud enough to make the whole garage shake. "Oh my god, you're serious! You can't be serious, William. You've lived before? So, what, you were like some... ancient philosopher in your past life, just waiting to get back to high school and sell study guides? I can't—" He cut off mid-laugh, trying to compose himself but failing miserably.

Janet rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small chuckle escaping her lips. "Okay, okay, so let me get this straight. You're telling me you've been reincarnated, and in this past life, you and John King—who, by the way, is now spying on us—were, what, tech moguls or something?"

I nodded solemnly. "Exactly. We co-founded Orthrus Inc. It was a major success—until it wasn't."

Todd wiped tears from his eyes, still chuckling. "Dude, you are too much." He wiped his face and leaned forward. "So, what? You two had some glorious business empire, and now you're all about study guides and being the king of high school?"

"Yes, Todd," I said, trying my best to stay calm, though my patience was wearing thin. "This isn't a joke. John and I were... partners in a multi-million-dollar company. We had everything—until we were murdered."

Todd stopped laughing instantly. His face dropped, and the humor quickly evaporated. "Wait, what? Murdered? You weren't kidding, huh?"

I nodded gravely. "I wasn't. It was no accident. John, Bella—his wife in my previous life—and I were killed. And the person who did it was someone we knew."

Janet sat up straight, her previous amusement replaced by curiosity. "Who?"

"David Lawrence," I replied, my voice hardening. "He was obsessed with Bella. He tried to break John and me up, and tried to sabotage our business. But when he couldn't get what he wanted, he made sure we all went down in a car crash. A crash that he set up to look like an accident."

There was a long pause. Janet's eyes widened, and Todd... Well, Todd just looked like he had eaten a ghost pepper.

"Wait. So, David Lawrence murdered you, John, and Bella because he had a crush on Bella?" Todd asked, his voice rising in disbelief. "That's your serious backstory? Dude, that's like some soap opera stuff right there."

I nodded again. "It's true. And what's worse is that he succeeded. He made it all look like an accident. I was supposed to die with them. But I survived. I woke up in the hospital, alone. And I knew—knew—what had really happened."

Todd blinked a few times, processing the information. Then he threw his head back and laughed again—this time in utter disbelief.

"Man, I gotta say, I never thought I'd be involved in a business of life or death... literally," he said, wiping his eyes. "I mean, this is wild."

I stared at him, my expression not changing. "It's not funny, Todd."

But he couldn't help it. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'll be serious now. Let's rewind: you—William—died, got reincarnated—but now you're back in high school, and John, who's clearly not so great at time travel, is spying on us? I'm just trying to wrap my head around this, man."

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. "Look, I know it sounds insane, but I'm telling you the truth. And now that John's here again, it's like all the pieces are falling into place. The teachers know something's up, and they've sent him to watch us. He doesn't even realize it, but he's part of their plan."

Janet looked at me, her tone softer now. "So, what now? What's the play? How do we stop this from happening again?"

I took a deep breath, finally feeling like I was getting through to them. "I'm going to stop David Lawrence before he even has a chance. And we're going to make sure John doesn't become a pawn in this mess. We've been through enough in my previous life. Not this time."

Todd nodded, finally becoming serious. "Alright, alright. No more laughing. We've got a mission to run, and I'm in. Just… maybe leave the whole reincarnation thing out of the briefings, okay?"

I grinned despite myself. "Agreed."

Janet smirked. "Yeah, let's not lead with that next time."

Todd stretched his arms out dramatically. "Alright, fine. No reincarnation talk. But seriously, William, you've got to admit: that was next-level crazy."

I sighed, trying not to smile. "Next-level crazy is exactly what we need to survive."

And with that, we all sat back and began to map out our next steps, knowing that the fight ahead was about to get even more bizarre—but at least we could laugh about it for a moment.

Later that day, after the meeting with Todd and Janet, I found myself walking the hallway outside the school's administration office. The weight of everything I'd just told the team—about John King, the past life, the deaths, and the conspiracy—still felt heavy. But something was nagging at me, a sense of deja vu every time I saw John.

I had to confront him. He was in this, too. He had to be.

As I walked down the hallway, I spotted John by the lockers, his expression unreadable as he fiddled with his phone. His eyes flickered up the moment he saw me, and he paused, setting the phone down slowly. The way he looked at me... it was as if he knew what was coming, like he'd been expecting this conversation.

I took a deep breath, walked up to him, and didn't waste time.

"John," I said quietly, keeping my voice low. "We need to talk."

He nodded, as if he'd been waiting for me to say that. "I figured as much."

We stepped aside from the flow of students moving through the halls, and I leaned against the lockers, trying to figure out how to break this to him. But I realized there was no subtle way to do it.

"I know who you are, John," I started. "I know who we are."

John's eyes locked onto mine, and I could see a brief flash of recognition in them, something more than just the usual curiosity.

"I think you do," he said, his voice calm but steady. "You're William, aren't you? From... from before."

I swallowed hard. "Yeah. From before. And you're John. You and I... we've been through this before, haven't we?"

John tilted his head, the tension in his jaw betraying his calm facade. "Before? You mean… you remember everything too?"

I nodded, feeling the words stick in my throat. "I do. I remember the company, Orthrus Inc. I remember you—us—building it together. And I remember the crash. The accident that killed us both, and Bella."

John stared at me for a moment, his face flickering with emotion. His lips parted, but no words came out at first. Then, after a long pause, he spoke again, quieter this time.

"I remember it all too," he said slowly. "Orthrus. You. Bella. And the crash. It's like... it never left me."

The words hung in the air between us like a weight, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched him, waiting for him to confirm what I already knew.

John continued, his voice a bit shaky now. "I remember everything, William. Every detail. The way the business grew, the way things felt—us—and how... it all ended. The crash. The betrayal. The way everything spiraled."

I could feel my stomach twist. He remembered, too. The same way I did. He wasn't just some random guy thrown into the mix—he was the John I knew. The John who helped me build something that once meant everything.

And now, here he was, standing in front of me like we were strangers, but with everything between us. Just like me, he had been pulled back into this world, with no explanation, no warning.

"So, you know what happened?" I asked quietly, my voice betraying my frustration. "You know about David Lawrence? How did he set us up?"

John nodded, his eyes narrowing. "I remember everything about him. I remember his obsession with Bella. The way he tried to come between us. The way he sabotaged us. And I remember the crash. The accident. The way it was all orchestrated—made to look like some horrible mistake." His voice shook. "But it wasn't an accident, was it?"

"No," I replied firmly. "It wasn't. And David Lawrence is the one who killed us. He got what he wanted. He must've still loved Bella, but couldn't get her so he tried to end all of us."

John clenched his fists, his jaw tight. "I... I don't understand. If we both remember, why are we here? Why did we come back? It doesn't make sense."

I swallowed hard, trying to put the pieces together in my mind. "I don't know. But I have to believe we're here to fix it. To make sure we don't let that happen again."

John stared at me for a long moment, then finally spoke, his voice steady but filled with something I hadn't expected—hope.

"Maybe that's why we're back," he said slowly. "Maybe it's not just a coincidence that we're in the same place, at the same time. Maybe... this time, we can stop it before it happens."

I nodded slowly, the weight of it sinking in. "I think we can. We just have to work together. We can't let David win again. We can't let him get close to Bella. We have to make sure we don't make the same mistakes we did before."

John glanced down at the floor, as if considering something. "And you think we can stop him? You think we can change things?"

I locked eyes with him. "I don't know, but we have to try. We've been given a second chance, John. And I won't let it slip away."

He looked at me for a long moment, as if weighing my words. Then, finally, he gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. "Alright, William. I'm in. Let's not let it happen again."

There was a silence between us, not uncomfortable, but heavy with the weight of what lay ahead. It was as if a mutual understanding had passed between us, something that neither of us had expected to find. But here we were, both of us with the memories of a past life that none of the others knew about, both of us with a singular purpose: to change the future.

"One thing's for sure," I said, breaking the silence with a small smirk. "This time, we're going to make sure we win."

John chuckled softly, a hint of dark humor in his voice. "Yeah. I've had enough of losing."

And with that, the tension lifted, just a little, as we both stood there, sharing a moment of understanding, knowing that our fates were tied together in ways neither of us could fully comprehend.

But this time, we would write our own story. And we wouldn't let it end the same way it did before.

We couldn't afford to.