The CEO's Ex-wife Has Multiple Identities
Anna Hendrick experienced the devastating loss of a pregnancy.
Her decade-long devotion to Ethan Smith led her to abandon her university studies in her second year to become his wife. For three years, she dedicated herself to their marriage, working tirelessly. Only the discovery of a clandestine document revealed the painful truth: she was simply a pawn in Ethan's elaborate game with his first love, his cherished Becca Drew.
In the sterile confines of a hospital room, after hearing of Ethan's romantic getaway with Becca, Anna initiated divorce proceedings.
The formerly underestimated housewife underwent a dramatic metamorphosis.
She blossomed into a sought-after designer for a prestigious jewelry house; the exclusive tutor of a globally renowned pianist; a formidable racing champion; the esteemed daughter of the Minister of Foreign Affairs; and the powerful CEO of a publicly traded company valued at billions...
As Anna's admirers multiplied, Ethan began to pursue her with persistent and unwanted attention.
Exasperated and seeking respite, Anna simply disappeared from his reach.
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Chapter 1
Three years into her marriage, Anna Hendrick found herself, for the first time, opening Ethan Smith's study computer.
Had it not been for the urgent need to transfer a document, she might never have stumbled upon the cryptic spreadsheet that awaited her.
Ethan's computer files were meticulously labeled, each one clearly related to company projects. All, except for one peculiar folder:
BD.
Driven by an irresistible curiosity, Anna double-clicked the folder.
Inside, a single Excel spreadsheet was titled simply: "Revenge."
Anna, raised in a single-parent household with her mother often hospitalized, considered marrying the son of the publicly listed Smith Group to be a significant stroke of luck.
Her initial encounter with Ethan Smith felt straight out of a romantic drama, and their relationship progressed in much the same way.
When Ethan was involved in a car accident and the driver fled the scene, it was Anna who rushed him to the hospital, effectively saving his life.
Then, seemingly out of the blue, Ethan appeared at her university gates one day.
It was Valentine's Day, and he presented her with a breathtaking bouquet of 999 pink roses, declaring his love.
That year, with flower prices soaring due to the holiday, such an extravagant display would have cost a small fortune, creating a campus-wide sensation.
Anna treasured the bouquet, placing it beside her bed, even though it ultimately landed her in the hospital.
Anna was allergic to pollen.
She had never disclosed this allergy to Ethan, which resulted in him consistently gifting her bouquets of pink roses on every date.
Before even finishing her degree, Anna married Ethan, embracing the role of a stay-at-home wife.
Ethan, consumed by his work, needed a partner who could wholeheartedly manage the household.
Her mother-in-law had emphasized that Ethan suffered from stomach issues and that home-cooked meals were far healthier. She insisted a nanny could never replace a wife, and that a wife's true purpose was managing the home, taking care of the children, and so on.
During the day, Anna devoted herself to cooking, laundry, and housework, and at night, she spent time with Ethan.
Their interactions, however, remained limited.
The spreadsheet now open on the screen felt like a window into Ethan's hidden world. With a click, a series of photos appeared.
The spreadsheet was simply laid out with only two columns, minimal text, and primarily consisted of photos.
The top of the left column was labeled "BD," matching the folder name.
Anna couldn't decipher the meaning of the characters, no matter how much she pondered them.
Thankfully, the letters in the right column were easily recognizable-
AH-
Anna Hendrick.
The hand gripping the mouse trembled slightly.
Both columns recorded the date and time alongside the corresponding photos.
The photographs in the BD column all featured the same girl.
In the first photo, the girl was surrounded by a massive bouquet of vibrant pink roses, clearly numbering at least 999. In the second, she seemed to be flaunting a dazzling diamond necklace, while still clutching a bouquet of pink roses. In the third, she proudly displayed an Hermès bag, her smile radiant, a bouquet of pink roses adorning the dining table.
Her mind flooded with images of pink roses, Anna shifted her gaze to the column on the right.
The photos here were all of herself.
In the first photo, Anna, too, stood before a large bouquet of pink roses, identical to the one held by the girl in the left column.
In the second photo, she wore the same diamond necklace, accompanied by the same pink roses.
In the third photo, she carried the same Hermès bag, a bouquet of pink roses nearby.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth photos continued the pattern...
...until the girl in the left photo embraced a pink rose, a pink diamond ring sparkling on her left ring finger. On the very same day, Ethan had proposed to Anna, presenting her with a pink diamond ring attached to a pink rose. The chart ended there.
Anna silently shut down the computer, a chilling realization dawning on her.
She had always believed that Ethan favored pink roses, explaining his constant gifts of them.
Even though Ethan never wore anything pink himself, she felt as though she had unlocked a hidden secret, and was excited for days.
So...
...it was the girl in the chart who adored pink roses.
That night, sleep eluded Anna.
Ethan wouldn't be home, he was engaged in an all-night project discussion with the British team. He had assured her that it wouldn't interfere with their hospital appointment tomorrow. Anna had been experiencing a persistent dull ache in her lower abdomen for days, and he had arranged an appointment with a specialist for the following morning at nine.
Tonight's discovery felt profoundly significant.
Even if Ethan's pursuit of her was driven by a desire for revenge against another woman, that was all in the past, before their marriage.
Since their marriage, Ethan had not been particularly warm, but neither had he been cruel. He consistently provided her with household allowance and pocket money each month.
He also thoughtfully gifted her presents for holidays and birthdays. This year, she had received a pink Burberry suit, despite her distaste for the color.
As the president of the Smith Group, he was constantly surrounded by beautiful women, yet Ethan had remained untouched by scandal throughout their three years of marriage.
Only once did a gossip blog post a photo of him with a popular young actress, but Anna swiftly issued a public relations denial, and the post vanished overnight.
Anna tossed and turned, desperately trying to quiet her racing thoughts.
Ethan wasn't cheating; perhaps he simply didn't love her as deeply as she had imagined.
Her mother had often said that marriage was a compromise, and if one found love within it, it should be cherished.
Anna cherished her marriage deeply.
She loved Ethan.
She had loved him for a full decade, since the age of thirteen.
But Ethan remained unaware, and still didn't know.
Retrieving her phone, Anna unlocked a password-protected private photo album, one she hadn't opened since her wedding day.
The album contained a single photograph, seemingly taken in a cafeteria, its drab setting and lighting evoking the atmosphere of a prison.
The subject was a young girl, perhaps a teenager, with braces adorning her teeth and a voluminous, unfashionable perm of gray hair.
While few would likely recognize the girl as Anna, they would undoubtedly recognize the spirited young man in the background corner: Ethan Smith.
This was the only photo of Anna and Ethan together-
-if it could even be considered a photo *together*.
Anna finally drifted off to sleep just before dawn, only to be jolted awake by her alarm less than three hours later.
Sporting dark circles under her eyes, she stood at the entrance of the City Central Hospital, waiting for Ethan. The early spring morning air was still crisp, causing her nose to run.
At 8:59, Anna received a message from Ethan: "The company has an urgent project, and I have to go on a business trip to New Jersey. I can't accompany you. You can go in by yourself. I've already spoken to the experts, and I'll be home tonight."
Anna tightened her coat around herself and entered the hospital. When she emerged, she clutched a B-ultrasound report in her hand.
It stated that she was two months pregnant, but experiencing a threatened miscarriage.
This was Anna's first pregnancy, their first child together.
Anna gently touched her belly, her face illuminated with joy beyond description.
Although the doctor had assured her that the threatened miscarriage wasn't critical, precautions were necessary to protect the fetus.
She took out her cell phone, eager to share the news with Ethan.
The call connected after several rings, and Anna felt a surge of excitement and nervousness.
Ethan... should be happy, right?
Before last night, Anna wouldn't have hesitated for a second.
Finally, the call connected.
"Hello, husband, I..."
"I'm in a meeting, don't bother me if you have nothing important to say."
The phone disconnected abruptly, leaving only the monotonous dial tone echoing in Anna's ear.
The cool breeze seemed to seep into her heart, leaving it feeling hollow. Anna lowered the phone, and a news alert flashed across the screen.
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7.4
Helena woke up in a sheer silk slip, trapped inside the romance novel she had read the night before.
She was the doomed villainess.
And she had just executed the most pathetic plot in the book: hiding in the closet to seduce her cold, ruthless legal guardian, Hayward.
It was the exact move that got the original Helena thrown out on the street to die.
"Helena, your time is up. Get out."
Hayward's freezing voice came from the other side of the door.
He didn't just reject her. He threatened to strip her of her trust fund and permanently lock her in a psychiatric ward.
Everyone in the massive estate despised her, treating her like trash.
To force her to break, Hayward exiled her to the company's worst design department, a graveyard for corporate failures.
At the same time, her innocent step-sister, the novel's female lead, was being cornered and harassed by a predatory manager.
Helena was suffocating under the original owner's ruined reputation.
She was surrounded by hostile eyes, everyone just waiting for her to throw a tantrum and completely self-destruct.
Why should she be forced to pay the ultimate price for the original villain's deadly mistakes?
Instead of screaming or begging, Helena wrapped herself in an oversized coat and played the perfect, submissive lunatic to survive.
She completely flipped the script and took the terrified female lead under her wing.
When that manager tried to lay a hand on her new sister, Helena didn't hesitate to crush his foot with her stiletto.
7.2
Ade had sacrificed the life she loved, the things she liked doing to please James. But it was never enough for him. Somehow, the one woman he just couldn't get, was the price, she was the gem.
And so once the opportunity presented itself, Ade became a past chapter of his life. A reject.
Betrayed and scorned, Ade is on a quest to reclaim her life back and face off adversaries.
But now what is she to do with the two men in front of her. One of them her ex James who can't seem to forget her and keeps stepping in her way, and the other, a billionaire who wants her at all costs.
8.6
I met him on a rainy afternoon when we were both young, uncertain, and standing on the edge of adulthood.
Adrian Cole wasn't rich then. He wasn't powerful. But from the moment his eyes found mine, something inside me knew my life would never be the same.
We fell in love slowly... then all at once.
He was my first kiss under streetlights, my safest place, my greatest heartbreak.
And the man who walked away.
Years later, Adrian returns - no longer the struggling boy I once knew, but a billionaire CEO with power, dominance, and a dangerous intensity that still makes my heart tremble.
He says I've always belonged to him.
But love isn't that simple.
Not after betrayal.
Not after loss.
Not after the night that shattered us both.
Now he wants a second chance.
And this time... he refuses to let me go.
7.1
My father sold me to a monster to settle a debt. One minute I was a debutante at a gala, and the next, I was being hunted through the service corridors by my own stepmother’s security.
I scrambled into a dark penthouse to hide, only to be pinned against the wall by a man whose body felt like a wall of searing heat. He smelled of rain and expensive cedar, his voice a low, pained growl as he gripped my wrist so hard the bone nearly ground together.
The next morning, the "Wall Street Monster" arrived at our estate to collect his prize. My father signed the contract without reading a single page, trading me for a wire transfer while my sister laughed at my impending doom.
"I heard he uses knives in bed," Kacy whispered, "Hope you have thick skin, sis."
A balding, cruel man claimed to be my husband, but it was the silent bodyguard standing in the shadows who caught my tray when I stumbled. His touch sent a jolt of electricity through my veins, and his voice was the same gravelly baritone from the dark room the night before.
I was terrified, caught in a web of lies about a disfigured beast who supposedly broke women for sport. I didn't understand why this "bodyguard" was looking at me with such predatory intensity, or why he was the only one who stepped in when my father tried to shove me.
Then, inside the car, the bodyguard took off his sunglasses to reveal piercing blue eyes and a face that was devastatingly handsome.
"I am Gideon Blackburn," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous rumble. "And in this house, there is only one rule: Never lie to me."
The monster wasn't who they said he was, and he was about to show my family exactly what happens when you try to destroy something that belongs to him.
8.4
I was the pack's lowest Omega, scrubbing floors by day, but secretly waiting for the night my Fated Mate, the Alpha Heir Desmond, would finally claim me.
Instead, he brought home a billionaire heiress and looked at me with cold, dead eyes.
"I choose power," he sneered, rejecting our soul-bond in front of everyone. "An Omega can never be my Luna."
To seal his business deal, he sold me off like cattle to Kennedy Simmons—the "Crippled Alpha" rumored to be a broken, rot-filled monster.
On my last night in the territory, his new fiancée pushed me off a yacht.
As I drowned in the freezing water, I watched Desmond dive in.
He swam right past me to save her.
That was the moment my heart finally stopped beating for him.
They thought sending me to Seattle was a punishment. They thought I would wither away and die in the hands of a beast.
But they didn't know two things.
First, Kennedy Simmons wasn't a monster; he was a King waiting to be healed.
Second, I wasn't a weak Omega. I was a White Wolf, a legend thought to be extinct, capable of miracles.
Three months later, Desmond stood outside my gates, bankrupt and desperate, begging for a second chance.
I looked down from my balcony, wrapped in the arms of my true Alpha, and smiled.
"Get off my property," I commanded, my eyes glowing white. "Or I'll finish what the ocean started."
8.8
"I've been through heartbreak, and I don't desire love. Even if I marry you, I won't give you love." Lisa stared pointedly at him, " Are you okay with this, President Joseph?"
"Then...Let's sign a one-year contract. If after one year we still don't find ourselves compatible, we break it off."
****
The Heiress, Lisa Morgan came back home after an ultimate betrayal from her husband of three years, but her father wouldn't let her into his home unless she agreed to his condition.
"Take over the company and marry Joseph Bronson, or leave and never come back again!"
As a woman who only cares about survival right now, her choice was obvious but she never expected the turbulence that came after.