Chapter 2My Wife Back From the Dead

Rosa let out a dismissive scoff. “At least you know your place. If you hadn’t been so obsessed with marrying me back then, I wouldn’t have had to flee the country and hide for seven years.”

So that was it. I always wondered how, with so many people there, she was the only one who died. It was a vanishing act. She hadn't changed at all—still willing to do anything to get her way.

When the news of her "death" arrived, her mother fainted on the spot and was sick for months, nearly following her daughter to the grave.

The family butler, who had just arrived, overheard her words. “Miss Rosa, please don’t say such things.” He bowed his head slightly. “Mr. Sean is now the Vice President of Crestwood Industries.”

“Vice President?”

Gavin’s eyes darkened beside her. He asked, seemingly casually, “Rosa, didn’t you say your grandfather would only pass the position of President to you?”

Rosa froze for a second, looking at me with confusion. “My father only has one daughter. Who else is qualified to inherit the presidency besides me?”

I stared back at her, my expression unreadable. Did she leave her brain overseas? Did she have any idea how foolish she sounded?

The butler was sweating, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. “Miss Rosa, what are you saying? Mr. Sean is married to Miss Victoria. She is the President of the company now. Don't you remember? Your aunt.”

The day Rosa ran out on our wedding, I was left standing on the road, surrounded by the pitying and mocking stares of onlookers.

That was when Victoria stepped forward.

She said she would marry me.

At that moment, I was lost and powerless. Everyone knew it was my wedding day, but my bride had died on the way to the ceremony. "Wife-killer," "bad luck," "jinx"—those words nailed me to a pillar of shame.

Then suddenly, someone offered to marry me, to prove to the world that I wasn't what they said I was. She would save my family’s honor and pull me out of the abyss.

Why wouldn't I say yes?

Victoria hadn't planned on attending her niece's wedding; she only came back to the country because her father, the family patriarch, had insisted. Yet, she ended up becoming my wife.

Rosa looked at me with a mocking laugh. “Everyone knows my Aunt Victoria is a powerhouse, that she only cares about her career. She wouldn't even glance at a doormat like Sean.”

Victoria was a legendary figure in the city's business world. Half of the Crestwood family's assets were her personal property. Within the family, she was treated like an empress. To this day, I still didn't fully understand why she married me. There were so many men more handsome and wealthier than me.

The butler was still trying to reason with Rosa. “It’s true, Miss Rosa. You can check the news online, or ask anyone in the family.”

Rosa just curled her lip in disdain. She randomly pointed to a gardener, then a maid. Both gave her the same answer.

Her composure finally cracked. Her face went cold as she stared at me. “Well done, Sean. What a master manipulator. I’ve only been gone a few years, and you’ve already turned everyone in this house against me, making them all lie for you.”

I remained calm, unwilling to argue. I was married to Victoria. That was a fact. Whether Rosa believed it or not was irrelevant to me. She had been spoiled her entire life. Fearing she would continue to cause a scene, the butler quickly sent someone to call Victoria.

“Quick, call the President’s secretary. Ask her to come home immediately.”

Victoria was in a meeting for a major aerospace project today and had left for the office early. My father-in-law and Rosa's mother were also out. Otherwise, Rosa would never have had the chance to torment me like this.

During the standoff, my daughter, Zoe, suddenly ran into the room.

“Daddy, why didn’t you come back to play with me?”