Adrian seemed to think for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I went. A few people from the company were there too. Why do you ask?"
Evan held his breath. "I… I went too, didn't I?"
Adrian looked at him, a bit puzzled. "As far as I know, no. You did ask about the funeral, but you didn't attend. You even said it had nothing to do with us, and that we should just focus on work."
Evan froze.
He remembered standing at the burial site. Remembered the sound of soil hitting the coffin. Remembered seeing Sienna from a distance. Remembered handing her his business card.
But now, his father was saying he was never there.
As if all of it was just… a shadow.
His heart pounded.
What was happening?
—
Evan slumped into his chair, staring at the desk that no longer felt like it belonged to him. This desk… he should've left it behind a year ago when he was promoted and began handling the company's major projects.
But now, everything was back the way it was.
His hand reached out, touching the pen holder beside the monitor. It was still exactly the same—pens and mechanical pencils lined up in the same order they had been a year ago. He looked around. The workspace hadn't changed. It was as if time had reversed itself. As if the entire past year's worth of accomplishments had evaporated.
But the people around him weren't affected. Their work continued, clients came and went, the business ran as usual.
Only his position had reset.
Evan clenched his fist on the desk.
What was this?
Was it all just a coincidence? Or… was the curse real?
He tried to calm his thoughts. No. It didn't make sense. It had to be a system error, or maybe some political move within the company that had quietly edged him out.
He took a deep breath and opened the project files he had once led—or at least, the ones he should have.
E3.
His eyes scanned the screen rapidly, searching for his name among the cooperation documents with major clients. But…
Nothing.
Every project he remembered managing was now listed under someone else. Some were still handled by people he had worked with—but under 'Project Manager' or 'Lead', his name never appeared.
Evan felt his throat go dry.
His hands opened another folder, another file, desperate to find at least one document that still credited him as the person responsible.
But the more he searched, the clearer it became:
To this world, he had never led those projects.
As if the past year of his life had been erased.
Evan straightened up, then turned toward his father's office. If anyone could explain what was happening, it would be the man who built this company from the ground up.
He walked quickly to the office and stepped inside after getting permission.
"Dad," he said, trying to keep his tone steady. "I need to ask you something."
His father looked up from behind his desk, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Evan fixed his eyes on the older man. "It's about Hendra Wijaya."
His father looked mildly surprised, then sighed. "What about him?"
Evan leaned his hands on the desk, watching his father's face closely. "I just want to know… who played the biggest role in acquiring Hendra's company?"
His father frowned. "Why are you asking that?"
"I'm just curious, Dad."
Adrian sighed again and leaned back in his chair. "It was a team effort, of course. But if we're talking about who played the biggest role… well, it wasn't you."
Evan's heartbeat quickened.
"Not me?" he repeated quietly.
His father nodded, seemingly unaware that his answer contradicted Evan's memories entirely.
"You weren't senior enough to handle a deal of that scale. At the time, the person who really led the negotiations was Mr. Leonard. He and his team crafted the entire acquisition strategy."
Evan stood frozen.
Mr. Leonard?
That man was part of the strategy team—but in Evan's memory, he was the one at the forefront. He had orchestrated the entire process, he had cornered Hendra until he had no way out.
But now, in everyone else's version of reality, Evan's name wasn't even mentioned.
Evan clenched his fists.
"So… I wasn't involved at all?" he asked, trying to stay composed.
His father shrugged. "Of course you learned a lot from the process, but no—you weren't one of the key players in that deal."
Evan went silent.
This world had changed. Not just the documents—but people's memories, too.
The curse… was real.
Evan turned back to his computer screen, opening the remaining cooperation documents.
If his name had truly been erased from all the major projects, there had to be at least some documents left that still mentioned him.
And yes, his name was still there.
But only in the small projects—the ones you'd expect someone in his current position to handle.
The position he should've outgrown a year ago.
Evan clenched his jaw.
One year. One full year of hard work—gone.
He closed his eyes, trying to recall every moment that had led to his former role. Every meeting he had led, every major decision he had made, every deal he had signed.
But now, none of it existed.
And even worse…
No one remembered it.
Evan gripped the mouse tightly, his hand trembling slightly. He took a deep breath, trying to contain the storm inside him.
No. This had to be a nightmare.
There had to be something—concrete proof that his former self still existed.
He opened the company's internal system, searching through old emails.
But when he typed his name into the search bar…
Nothing.
All emails related to major projects had no trace of him. Not one had been sent from his account. Even in threads where he clearly remembered being involved—his name was absent.
Evan felt the hairs on his neck stand on end.
As if the version of him who had worked there… had never existed.
He wiped his face, swallowing hard.
What was really happening?
Was this the curse?
Was this the price he had to pay?
In the midst of his spiraling thoughts, a knock sounded at the door.
"Mr. Evan?" his secretary's voice came from outside.
Evan jumped slightly, quickly minimizing the screen. "Come in."
A neatly dressed woman entered, carrying a folder in her hands. "These are the documents you need to sign."
Evan glanced at her. She was the same secretary from a year ago. But something in her demeanor had changed.
Back then, people spoke to him with an extra layer of respect—he was the number two in the company, second only to his father.
But now…
Her tone was more formal, more distant. More suited to someone in a mid-level position.
As if he was no longer the heir to the company.
Evan took the folder, his hand slightly shaking. His eyes skimmed the contents.
A small project. An amount so minor it wouldn't have caught his attention before.
He looked up at her.
"I want to ask you something," he said quietly.
She nodded. "Yes, sir?"
"In your opinion… who am I in this company?"
She hesitated, slightly confused, but answered politely. "You are the financial division manager, sir. You're in charge of several internal projects."
Financial division manager.
Evan swallowed hard. That was his position—a year ago.
But by now, he should've been far above that. He should've been in a seat closer to his father's.
But now… everything had reverted.
He cleared his throat, trying to keep his composure. "Thank you."
She nodded and turned to leave.
Once the door shut, Evan gripped his hair with both hands.
This wasn't a coincidence. This wasn't just some administrative error.