After Her Devoted Husband Faked His Death, the Cold Female CEO Went MaChapter 1

Everyone in our social circle knew the truth: I was crazy about Jade Henson. The loyal dog kneeling at the hem of her skirt, desperate for a scrap of affection.

But reality was far colder. While I drank myself into a stomach hemorrhage to secure contracts for the Henson Group, she was out celebrating a new intern's birthday.

That night, something inside me finally snapped. I paid a doctor to forge a terminal stomach cancer diagnosis, faked my death, and vanished abroad.

Jade went insane. She hired countless mystics and mediums, trying to summon my soul, begging to see me just one more time.

She didn't get her wish until three years later.

I returned to the country—not as her dog, but as a tycoon looking to expand my empire alongside my new wife. At the banquet, I ran into Jade. Haggard. A shadow of her former self.

Her eyes went wide. Shock first, then a glimmer of desperate hope. "Andrew? Andrew Mason, you finally came back to see me." Her voice cracked. "You've forgiven me, haven't you?"

A cold smile tugged at my lips. "Of course I came to see you, Jade." I straightened my cufflinks. "After all, I'm here to acquire the Henson Group. It's a birthday gift for my wife."

——

*Three years earlier.*

The glow of my phone screen cut through the darkness of the hospital room. Jade's latest social media post. Another photo. Another smile that wasn't for me.

A sharp pain gnawed at my gut. Beside my bed, the doctor clutched his clipboard like a shield.

"Mr. Mason, I cannot stress this enough." He adjusted his glasses, his tone grave. "No matter the reason, you cannot drink another drop of alcohol. If you continue down this path, your ulcers will deteriorate into stomach cancer."

I nodded. Feigned remorse. "I understand."

But beneath the guilt, a twisted sense of satisfaction curled in my chest. Another massive order secured for the Henson Group.

In the business world, they called me a "mad dog." I didn't care about my life—only the deal. Jade had used her love as a leash, binding me to her, making me a willing martyr for her family's company.

Three years of marriage. Three years of destroying my health with alcohol. Three years of dragging the Henson Group from the brink of bankruptcy back to its throne as an industry leader.

I believed, with absolute certainty, that Jade loved me.