The CEO's Vengeful Wife

My head felt like it was about to burst. I jerked my eyes open, squinting against the glare of the crystal chandelier. This isn't a hospital morgue. It's the top banquet hall in J City's most luxurious hotel. The electronic screen on the wall was scrolling the date, and my pupils instantly contracted—today was my engagement banquet with Mark Lynn. There's still a whole year left before they shove me into the river. I've been reborn. My heart races—not out of excitement, but from furious hatred. In my past life, I gave everything to Mark Lynn—my heart, my soul, even all the company shares my mother left me—only to be betrayed by him and my stepsister, Ruby Collins, who plotted together. The day after I signed the share transfer, they tied me up by the riverbank. "Sister, Mark loves me. What's yours was always meant to be mine." Ruby smiled like a blooming flower, but she kicked me mercilessly into the river. Mark Lynn stood beside her, his gaze as cold as a blade dipped in poison. When the bone-chilling river water flooded my nose and mouth, I swore that if there was a next life, this treacherous couple would pay their blood debts in full. The MC's voice snapped me back: "Now, let's invite the soon-to-be newlyweds to exchange rings!" Mark Lynn walked over, a fake smile plastered on his face, reaching out to take my hand. I jerked back sharply, dodging his touch. A stunned silence rippled through the entire room. Mark Lynn's smile froze on his face: "Stella, what's wrong?" "What's wrong?" I sneered coldly, grabbed the mic, and my voice echoed across the whole banquet hall, "Mark Lynn, what do you think?" I raised my hand and pressed the remote; the large screen behind me lit up instantly. On the screen, Mark Lynn and Ruby Collins were caught in a storm of passion inside a hotel room. The angle was ruthless, the image crystal clear, and even Ruby's coquettish whisper of "Brother-in-law" rang out loud and clear. "Whoosh—" The guests erupted into an uproar. Ruby's face went deathly pale as she screamed and lunged forward, "It's not true! It's fake! You forged it!" I sidestepped her, my eyes ice-cold as I glared, "Forged? Want me to play the hotel surveillance footage? Or should I have the doctor check if you still have last night's marks on you?" Ruby's legs went weak with fear, and she collapsed to the floor. Mark Lynn, both shocked and furious, yelled, "Stella Collins! You've lost your mind!" "I've lost my mind?" I stepped right up to him, my eyes cutting into him like knives. "Mark Lynn, you used me, lied to me, hooked up with my stepsister, and you've got the nerve to call me crazy?" I snatched the engagement ring off the table and slammed it hard against his face. "I'm not going through with this wedding!" I turned and, under the stunned gazes of everyone, walked straight over to the man quietly sipping his drink in the corner. Thomas Lewis. The real power in J City, the Lewis family's heir rumored to be poisoned by a rare toxin and not long for this world. In my past life, he was the only one who tried to uncover the truth after I died, but because of that, he was crushed by Mark Lynn and Ruby Collins working together, and eventually vanished without a trace. This time, I'm not just seeking revenge—I'm going to protect him too. I planted myself firmly before him and took a deep breath: "Thomas Lewis, I know you need a wife." He lifted his eyes, his deep gaze unreadable: "So?" "I'll marry you." Holding his gaze steady, I said each word clearly, "I'll help you get revenge, help you detox. You help me take down Mark Lynn and the Collins Family. Deal?" The entire room fell completely silent. Everyone thought I was insane. I turned down a talented young man like Mark Lynn and instead proposed to a frail, sickly guy rumored never to live beyond thirty? Thomas Lewis stared at me for a long moment, then his thin lips barely parted: "Alright." One simple word, but it exploded like thunder across the Banquet Hall. He stood up, nearly two meters tall; even with his pale face, his powerful presence was impossible to miss. He naturally took my hand. "Let's go, Mrs. Lewis." I gripped his hand in return; his palm was cool, yet it gave me an inexplicable sense of security. We walked side by side out of the banquet hall, leaving the gasps and murmurs far behind us.