The CEO's Woman Chapter 1 Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

The woman depicted in the photograph possessed sorrowful eyes.

Jiang Yue certainly hadn't recognized this three years prior. It was the final photograph of her mother, taken weeks before she perished in a devastating car accident. Jiang Yue had deliberately avoided confronting that horrific day, the day her life irrevocably changed. And no, she wasn't merely referring to her mother's passing, but rather her own rebirth, her reincarnation.

You see, Jiang Yue was present with her mother during the collision. While everyone else considered her fortunate to have survived that fatal incident, they remained unaware that the original Jiang Yue had indeed died. The current Jiang Yue hailed from the future. She couldn't fathom why she had returned to her past self; perhaps the heavens had taken pity and granted her another opportunity for happiness. Even then, she didn't quite grasp the reason for her reincarnation. After all, she hadn't died due to a meticulously planned murder. Her demise was a consequence of her own actions, of poor choices. She hadn't departed with any lingering grievances or regrets. Well, who was she attempting to fool? She *had* died with regrets, but she didn't believe they were substantial enough to warrant being reincarnated into her younger self.

It had been three years since that accident, and to be perfectly candid, she felt no inclination to reconnect with her family. Three years ago, upon realizing her reincarnation, the very first action she took was to request her maternal grandfather to send her abroad. She was acutely aware that her father would remarry, not just any woman, but his mistress, an event that would precipitate her own downfall.

Her father, Jiang Chanming, harbored no genuine love for her mother. His marriage to her was purely a matter of convenience. Her mother, Wang Rou, conversely, adored Jiang Chanming with the devotion of a sunflower to the sun, virtually worshipping her husband. Consequently, when she unearthed the truth of her husband's extramarital affair, her heart was shattered.

Wang Rou was the sole heiress of the esteemed Wang family. Her pride could not withstand the humiliation of her husband's infidelity. However, diverging from typical novel tropes, her mother was an astute woman. She didn't resort to harming the mistress or her husband's illegitimate child. No, her intelligence led her to a more strategic approach: transferring all her properties and company shares into her daughter's name. As the saying goes, hell possesses no fury like a woman scorned.

This action ignited her father's wrath. Since direct retribution against his wife was impossible due to her influential family, he channeled his rage toward his only daughter, Jiang Yue. He began to neglect and berate her, initiating a pattern of emotional and psychological abuse. This, in turn, fostered within her a profound longing for paternal affection, a deep yearning for her father's love and attention.

In her previous existence, her sole ambition was to bring happiness to her father; she desperately sought his approval. Merely two months after her mother's demise, Jiang Chanming brought Lu Shi into their home, subsequently announcing his intention to marry her within a month. Jiang Yue was utterly devastated, especially upon learning she would gain a stepsister, Jiang Mian, born just two months after her own birthday. Witnessing her father's excessive doting on Jiang Mian, jealousy consumed her, rendering her unreasonable. She began a relentless competition for his attention, desiring whatever Jiang Mian possessed. She initiated acts of bullying and hurled insults at her stepsister. Upon discovering Jiang Mian harbored a crush on Yu Chen, a celebrated heartthrob at their university, she impulsively implored her maternal grandfather to arrange an engagement, without even familiarizing herself with the man.

Yu Chen, while from a prosperous family, did not originate from a lineage as prestigious as the Wang family. Her grandfather voiced his objections, but Jiang Yue, throwing a monumental tantrum, threatened to sever all ties with the Wang lineage. Her actions grew increasingly irrational, defying her grandfather at every turn. When her grandfather proposed a prenuptial agreement, her fury knew no bounds. She feared Yu Chen would perceive her lack of love and wished to flaunt their supposed affection to the world, particularly to Jiang Mian.

Jiang Yue felt an urge to laugh at the sheer foolishness of her former self. How could she have ever harbored feelings for a man like Yu Chen? Yet, in her past life, she had chosen to marry him. She believed she had triumphed, oblivious to the fact that Jiang Mian and Yu Chen had been clandestine lovers long before her own wedding. Indeed! She had inadvertently positioned herself as the antagonist in her stepsister's idyllic love story, the sole impediment to their profound love and devotion.

Following three years of marriage, he initiated divorce proceedings, ostensibly to marry her younger sister. To her utter dismay, he managed to claim half of all her assets during the divorce settlement. Reflecting on it now, she couldn't contain her anger towards her past self. How could she have been so incredibly obtuse? She had squandered her youth on individuals like them.

In this current lifetime, she vowed to dedicate not a single moment to associating with toxic individuals. Furthermore, she would not expend even a shred of emotion on such people. She harbored no desire for vengeance, nor would she permit anger to consume her, for they were undeserving of such attention. They did not merit her focus – not her obtuse father, not her manipulative stepmother, not her duplicitous stepsister, and most certainly not the arrogant and dim-witted Yu Chen.

"Young Miss, the evening is drawing near; the old master inquired about your accommodation for the night." A deferential voice interrupted her reflections. She turned her gaze towards the man in his forties standing beside her, his short, cropped hair framing amicable black eyes. This was Wang Bolin, her steadfast bodyguard and personal chauffeur, personally selected by her grandfather to attend to her. Wang Bolin, though handsome for his years, had remained unmarried. He had previously served as a guard for her mother before her marriage. Whispers suggested his bachelorhood stemmed from a hidden love for her mother.

"I shall be staying at my mother's residence. Inform Grandfather that I will visit him tomorrow," she replied. It had been approximately two hours since her arrival in Xin City, the very place of her birth.

Her gaze drifted back to the photograph clutched in her hand, then to the gravestone before her. With a prolonged sigh, she granted herself a brief moment for her grief.

"I have returned, Mother! I am back," she whispered, turning her back on her mother's tomb and walking away.