Chapter 1
After my husband faked his death and ran off with my stepsister, I didn't listen to my bestie's advice to remarry. Instead, I stayed in the Clark family, held a grand memorial service for him, and raised his illegitimate son as my own.
On the son's eighteenth birthday, my husband, who had faked his death for years, appeared before me holding my stepsister's hand. Seeing me calmly accept that he was alive, he said with a smile, "Charlotte, you did a good job raising the child that Evelyn and I had together.
I only faked my death back then because you were so overbearing. You flat‑out refused to let me keep Evelyn by my side.
Now, the son that Evelyn and I have has come of age. You've been Mrs. Clark for eighteen years. It's time to step aside and let Evelyn take her place."
The buzz of voices around me drowned out my cold laugh.
Anthony Clark seemed dead sure I would meekly step down as Mrs. Clark. He smiled and stepped forward, trying to take my arm.
"If you'd just behave, sign the divorce agreement, and step aside for Evelyn. For old times' sake, I can still set aside some alimony for you."
But seeing that smug, entitled look on his face, I slapped him hard.
"Where did this con artist come from? Anthony died in a car accident eighteen years ago, and everyone knows that. How dare you show up here and try to scam me?"
*****
The slap landed on Anthony's face, and he froze in place. "Charlotte Miller, have you lost your mind? You don't even recognize your own husband anymore?"
I wiped my hand as if it were dirty. Did I not recognize him? I'd know that face anywhere—even if he were nothing but dust. But I still said coldly, "Security, throw this impostor out."
Seeing the security guards about to come and drag him away, Anthony panicked. He pulled a watch from the inner pocket of his suit and said, "Charlotte, this Patek Philippe is what you gave me before Clark Group went public. I know you're angry about me faking my death, but you can't say such things in anger."
He threw the watch in front of me. "As long as you behave, everything except the position of Mrs. Clark will still be yours."
Looking at the watch with its cracked face, I snorted in derision. Back then, before Clark Group went public, I had had it custom-made as a respectable gift for him.
But when the watch was handed to him, he didn't even look at it and casually tossed it onto the sofa and said, "Evelyn at least knew to introduce me to a few investors. All you know how to do is buy useless junk."
With one word, "useless," he dismissed all my affection.
Later, news came of his death in a car accident. I was so frightened that I had a hemorrhage and was rushed to the hospital, and I lost the baby. Everyone said that Anthony had died before his time.
But I discovered that the money in the Clark family accounts had vanished along with my stepsister. That was when I knew that his death in the car accident was fake. The truth was that he had run off with my stepsister after cleaning out the accounts.
Recalling everything from the past, I scoffed and said, "Ridiculous. Mr. Clark despised these luxury goods the most. Why would he keep a Patek Philippe? Besides, when did I ever buy Mr. Clark a watch?"
My nanny stepped forward with a scornful laugh and said, "Today is Mr. Steven Clark's eighteenth coming-of-age ceremony. If you dare spread any more rumors about the late Mr. Clark and Mrs. Clark, I'll call the police immediately and report you for disturbing the peace."
These words left Anthony momentarily stunned. When he came back to his senses, his face flushed with anger, and he said, "Charlotte, don't push your luck. How dare you let your nanny humiliate me like this? If you hadn't been so overbearing back then, why would I have faked my death and left with Evelyn?"
This commotion quickly attracted quite a few onlookers.
"Didn't Mr. Clark die in a car accident ten years ago?"
"The memorial service back then was so grand, it was all over the news. Mrs. Clark cried so hard that day she couldn't even stand, and the nanny supported her through the whole service."
"Could this person be part of a fraud ring, running over here claiming to be the Clark family's head?"
