A Childhood Sweetheart's Crocodile Tears

To pull off her vanishing act, Monica had even secured an official death certificate from the hospital. The staff verified everything and stamped the document as I'd instructed without delay.

"Mr. Bryant, I'm sorry for your loss. Here is your wife's death certificate."

I gave a quiet nod and casually tucked the paper into my bag. I had only taken a few steps when Clarissa's phone started buzzing like crazy. She glanced at me nervously and then stepped into a corner to answer it.

Though she tried to keep her voice down, I still caught bits of the conversation.

"How was I supposed to know Orlando would be so heartless?"

"Your ID got flagged in the system, and now you're stuck at the gate? You can't even board the flight?"

"Just calm down. We'll figure it out. Take care of Liam. Make sure he's not upset."

Jocelyn and Clarissa both looked visibly shaken. After the call, they marched up to me with clenched fists.

Just as they opened their mouths, I said first, "Put out a public statement that I've lost my wife and am now accepting applications for a new one."

Their eyes went red with fury.

"Orlando, Monica just died, and you're already trying to remarry someone else? She's going to be furious if she ever finds out! You may come from money, but even our family's driver has more character than you. You think anyone out there would actually want to marry you besides us?"

I suppressed the disgust rising in my chest and looked coldly at the two enraged women. "What I say goes—do it immediately!"

Clarissa and Jocelyn exchanged glances, both filled with disdain. "If you think you can use this method to pressure us into marrying you, that's just pathetic. To us, even Liam is worth more than you! But sure, go ahead and make your announcement. Don't come crawling back to us later."

Dad found out about this and immediately called me home. Clarissa and Jocelyn tried to follow, but I raised my hand to stop them.

"Whatever happens in the Bryant family is none of your business."

Both of them were left humiliated once again and stormed off in frustration.

...

When I arrived, Dad let out a long sigh and asked, "Orlando, you loved Monica so deeply back then. Are you sure you want to take this step?"

When I nodded, he pulled out an envelope from his desk. "If you're serious, then I actually have someone in mind."

I agreed without looking at it. "If she's someone you approve of, then she's good enough for me."

Dad was pleasantly surprised by how decisive I was. A smile broke across his weary face for the first time, and he said he would get Keira Webber to return as soon as possible to be my right-hand woman.

The moment I heard that name, my heart skipped a beat. I could not believe that the person Dad had chosen was actually Keira.

Dad said Keira had urgent matters to handle but could return within a week at the earliest. I suppressed my excitement and decided to give myself a proper break, spending the week at home recovering.

Clarissa and Jocelyn never came around, and whatever schemes they were brewing, I couldn't care less. I was just enjoying the peace.

Finally, the day came when I received news of Keira's return to the country. Just as I was about to rush to the airport, I saw my supposedly dead wife, Monica, standing stiffly at the villa's entrance. She was no longer wearing the designer clothes I bought her. Instead, she had on a cheap T-shirt from a roadside stall.

The stunning woman I married had now blended into the crowd, dull and ordinary.

Beside her stood Liam, looking pitiful, while Clarissa and Jocelyn hovered around, trying to comfort him.

What a dramatic act of resurrection from the dead. Since they couldn't leave the country, they came crawling back in shame.

I took a deep breath, stepped forward, and asked coldly, "Monica, you're alive?"

Before Monica could speak, Liam jumped in front of her. "Mr. Bryant, what's with your tone? She's your wife—do you really wish she were dead?"

I raised a brow at the man who had lived lavishly off my money in my last life. "And who the hell are you to speak to me like that?"

Realizing he'd gone too far, Liam lowered his head.

Monica instantly stood between us. "This man saved my life. Who do you think you are, talking to my savior like that?"

Clarissa and Jocelyn immediately jumped in, talking over each other. They claimed Monica had fallen down a cliff while hiking for my project. She survived but hit her head on a rock and lost her memory.

Then, they said Liam just happened to pass by and rescue her. He was no longer the Bryant family's driver, they added—he was the man who saved my wife and should be treated as a hero by our entire family.

Once they finished that ridiculous story, he smugly shoved a backpack into Monica's arms and looked straight at me.

"I'm exhausted. Mr. Bryant, can you please arrange a room for my lifesaver to rest?"

Monica clung protectively to him and started heading toward the house. However, I snapped my fingers, and Alfie Thorne, the butler, closed the front door right in their faces.

Monica turned, glaring at me. "They said you're my husband. If that's true, then my savior is your savior. How can you be so disrespectful?"

I chuckled softly at her convincing performance. If I hadn't been reborn, I probably would have treated Liam as an honored guest!

"Monica, yes, you were my wife. But in the Bryant family, I'm the only one in charge."