My CEO Husband: Triumphant Return To Love

The city lights were brighter than the stars above them, especially in an international metropolis like H City.

In a presidential suite of the Hilton Hotel.

Soothing music echoed across the large room. The moonlight sprinkled across the king-sized bed through a floor-to-ceiling windows.

Vivien Pei felt like she was floating in dream-like clouds. It was something she had never felt before. She never had such an experience.

Although it was just a dream, she could feel everything happening around her. It was as if it had actually happened. Strange.

Vivian Pei slowly opened her eyes in confusion as she thought back to what had happened.

Before Jeffrey Shen could speak, Vivian Pei quickly interrupted him,

"I can't believe this! I thought you were nice when we had our blind date. I must've been on drugs!"

Vivian Pei was the eldest daughter of the Pei Family. Normally, she wouldn't usually go on blind dates, but this was considered an exception. The Pei Group had been suffering from financial difficulties recently. Now, they needed a sum of money to get them out of their predicament. She had no choice but to follow her father's wishes in going on a blind date.

Her blind date was none other than Jeffrey Shen, the eldest son of the most powerful family in the city.

"There must've been some misunderstanding."

During their blind date, he actually had a good time with Vivian Pei. Being a traveling reporter, she had traveled almost all over the globe. She had so many stories hidden in that little head of hers, and she was also extremely funny. Not only was she an avid talker, but she was also smart. She could give him an advice or two about his company. That was for sure.

If things had gone out like the way it was, they would've been married in a span of two months.

But now, everything had changed.

She had slept with him!

"How could you, Jeffrey? It seems that I was wrong about you!" she sputtered out, not really knowing what else to say.

He frowned when she stood up from bed.

He didn't expect that things would turn out the way it did.

It was Riley Zheng. She handed him that glass of wind and told him that Vivian Pei was upstairs. She had also added how the woman had been satisfied with their date. Then Jeffrey Shen had gone up there with good intentions.

It seemed that Riley Zheng had lied to him.

"You're so screwed, Riley,"

Jeffrey murmured. His face was as cold as ice.

He wouldn't allow anyone to hurt Vivian Pei. In fact, he wouldn't allow anyone to lay a hand on the Pei Family.

After changing her clothes, she shot him a glare.

At the sight of her cold gaze, Jeffrey Shen had something bad stirred in his stomach.

"Vivian, let me explain!"

He stood up. Her eyes gleamed with unshed tears, but she wasn't going to cry in front of him. She wouldn't dare.

"Let me make this clear. I would never marry you! I would rather die alone in this world than be tied to you. I don't want to see you again!"

After saying that, she turned on her heel and strutted out of the room.

His heart ached at her words. Before Vivian could leave, Jeffrey grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"Before I went upstairs, Riley gave me a glass of wine and..."

"Jeffrey! You have the guts to do what you did, but you don't even want to admit what you've done? Do you really want to blame Riley? Are you even a man?"

She struggled under his grip, snarling,

"Let me go! Maybe then, I'll remember one good thing about you."

Hearing this, the man loosened his grip.

She stared at him helplessly.

Putting aside what had happened between them, Vivian had to admit that the guy was incredibly handsome. But after what he did, there was no way she was going to forgive him.

"We'll talk about this later."

After giving him a hard kick, she stalked out of the room.

It was not until she returned home did she finally cry. The tears that she held back for so long rushed down her cheeks as she sniffled.

Fortunately, it was already late at night, and all the servants had gone to bed.

Although she didn't believe Jeffrey's words, Vivian still wanted to ask her sister why the man was in her room.

In order not to wake anyone up, she tiptoed up the third floor and towards her sister's room.

The door was already ajar. But before she could knock, her sister's voice echoed out the corridor. Vivian froze.

"Vivian and I are daughters of the Pei Family, but why do I have to be Zheng? It's not like I'm uglier than her. Hell, I'm in much better shape than that bitch. But as long as she's here, it's as if no one wanted to pay attention to me," she snarled. "They would forever see me as some daughter of one of his mistresses. I hate her! Mom, you're already the official wife now, right? Yet everyone still thinks of her as the real daughter of the Pei Family. It's ridiculous!"

Kelly Zheng, or Mrs. Pei, felt heartbroken when she heard her daughter's words. Her beautiful face was distorted into one that was similar to a fire-breathing beast.

Suddenly, a vicious smile slipped into her lips. "Don't worry. If I could get rid of Claire, then Vivian's going to be a piece of cake. You won't be seeing her once I'm done."

With a sly smile, Riley snorted. "Right? Did she really think that she could hook up with Jeffrey? Do you think I could let go of her that easily? After what would happen tonight, he wouldn't even look at her. He'd just think of that bitch as someone we'd exchange for money. Who would fall in love with such a cheap thing?"

Kelly Zheng nodded in approval. "The Shen Family is not just any ordinary family. If they know that Vivian and Jeffrey shared a bed before marriage, he would definitely reject the marriage."

"Exactly!"

Hearing their conversation, Vivian couldn't take it anymore.

She pushed the door open. "How could you do this to me?" she demanded. "What the hell did I do to make you hate me this much?"

Kelly hurriedly stood up. Her smug face immediately turned to one filled with sadness and innocence. "Vivian, it's not what you think-"

"Cut the act, Mom. You don't need to explain it to her." Riley waved her hand

before strutting up to her so-called 'sister'. She had to admit that Vivian was a true beauty. Vivian had a small oval face with delicate features that heightened her bright eyes. However, there was something about her that made Riley want to cut her face.

"Well? What if we did set you up? What do you care? Aren't you a daughter of the Pei Family? Shouldn't you do something to help us? As long as you have sex, then Jeffrey would give everything to us."

Vivian clenched her fists. "And driving my brother away? Did you also do that for the sake of the Pei Family?"

"You shouldn't say such awful things..." Kelly covered her mouth. "It was the servant who lost him. We have nothing to do with it."

"Drop the act. I've heard what you just said," Vivian snapped.

The old woman smiled innocently. "You must've heard it wrong. How could I have done such a thing? I've always treated you like my own children."

"I never knew that you'd sell your children like they're objects," Vivian snarled.

It was then when she saw their true colors. It seemed that they weren't good as she had thought. They were actually hiding their disgusting and hideous souls.

"It's late at night. Why are you so noisy?" Albert Pei walked over, wondering what the noise was all about. "Why are you being so thoughtless? Kelly was just thinking about your date, and you treat her like this? Apologize to her!"

"Dad! Don't let them convince you. They were planning to sell me!" Vivian exclaimed, pointing at them. "In fact, they set me up to have sex with Jeffrey."

"Albert, Vivian just didn't want to go to her date, so she came back with a bad temper," Kelly murmured innocently, making a long face. "Don't yell at her. Just let her vent her anger at me. Maybe she'll better."

"Do you hear that? Do you see how nice your stepmother is?"

Vivian clenched her fists. "Dad, why can't you stop being so oblivious? Do you even see what that woman is doing to you? She already tried to sell me. In fact, she's also the one who lost my brother, your son! She even said it herself!"

Albert Pei pointed at her. His hand was trembling. "You-You..."

Suddenly, he slumped back and lost consciousness.

"Albert!" Kelly rushed towards him as her arms flailed in different directions.

"Vivian! How dare you?" she shrieked. "Riley, go and call an ambulance."

"Doctor, how's my father? Is he still critical?"

As soon as the doctor came out of the emergency room, Vivian rushed to him anxiously. The vicious mother and daughter couldn't help but gaze at him questioningly as well. The doctor waved his hand up in the air, indicating that they should let him speak. Once it was silent, he started,

"Mr. Pei had a stroke. Fortunately, he was sent just in time, so he's not in critical condition now. You must be careful in the future. Strokes can get worse over time."

"Thank you, doctor. We'll be careful," Riley said politely, even if her insides were shaken up after her father's collapse.

Vivian stared at the resuscitation room and said nothing.

She knew that her father had been worrying about the Pei Group, and at this point, she knew for a fact that the financial difficulties they had to overcome was incredibly large. Otherwise, he wouldn't have wanted to marry her off.

She didn't expect that the fight would cause his stroke. Her heart was filled with guilt.

The nurse pushed the unconscious Mr. Pei into the VIP ward. He was later followed by Vivian, Kelly, and Riley.

After entering the ward, Riley quickly stopped Vivian outside the bedroom. She sneered,

"You don't deserve to see Dad. If it hadn't been for your brashness, he wouldn't have had a stroke!"

"Get out of my way. I just want to see him."

Vivian was in no mood to quarrel with her, but as much as she tried to convince her, Riley still refused to budge. Her mocking glare was enough to tell Vivian that she was never going to budge as long as she was there.

"You're feeling sorry for him after you've caused his stroke?" Riley snorted. "Don't pretend to be so innocent."

"You know that your father has been so stressed with what's happening over the Pei Group, and you still went ahead to make him this mad. Are you trying to kill him?" Of course, Kelly was going to use this opportunity to blame her.

Vivian gritted her teeth. They were the ones who caused the fight. Why did they make it seem as if nothing had happened?

When did she become the cause of her father's collapse?

However, it only made her understand one thing. Her stepmother and stepsister had only pretended to be nice to her before, and the loss of her brother must've something to do with them. She was sure of it.

"Well, since we're already here, we might as well make it clear. You were the ones who made my brother disappear so that Alex remains as the only son of the Pei Family. You want him to inherit the fortune of the Pei Family, right?"

Kelly was flustered after hearing her words. Before she could say anything, Riley snapped,

"You think you're so smart in thinking this, but you still need to find evidence for that. Do you? If you don't have any evidence right now, then I suggest you don't speak. Otherwise, we're going to sue you."

"Riley, we're a family. How could we go to court? Consider your sister's feelings,"

Kelly said guiltily. Honestly, she didn't want to make this a big deal, so she held her daughter back.

However, Riley was unafraid as she stepped forward.

"What you said is nonsense. But do you know what's real? Dad was hospitalized because of you!"

"Because of Vivian? What the hell is going on?"

Alex Pei had just arrived at the hospital ward, and he couldn't help but overhear Riley's words.

"Alex, listen to me. It's not like that..."

"Vivian, Dad's in the hospital now. What else do you want to say? I know you're not satisfied with the arrangement, but it's the only thing that could keep this afloat. Vivian, you've gone too far!"

Hearing her own beloved brother say that, Vivian stared at him in disbelief. Although they weren't born of the same mother, she had always regarded him as her real brother.

She couldn't believe that he would automatically side with them without even bothering to hear her explanation.

"Alex, I'm not angry with Dad–"

"Vivian, I know that you don't like my sister and mother's proposal to let you go on a date, but you can't vent your anger on Dad because of this. She may not be your biological mother, but she loved and protected you all these years. How could you have done this?"

Alex Pei rushed out angrily, not even bothering to hear Vivian out.

Staring at his retreating figure and the smug faces of Riley and Kelly, she knew for a fact that she couldn't enter the ward today. She might as well go home and cook up a bowl of porridge for her father than be bullied like this.

Shaking her head helplessly, she left without saying another word.

"I... I don't know how he's going to be after this."

No matter how hard she tried to set Albert's wife and daughter up, Kelly still loved him. It was impossible for her to stay indifferent towards his health.

"Don't worry, Mom. As long as you pay more attention, Dad will recover soon,"

Riley comforted her innocently.

However, Kelly still wasn't soothed. Instead, she leaned against the sofa and sighed.

"After planning Adam's disappearance and seeing how he loves the both of you, I always felt a little–"

"Mom, stop it! Don't mention it again. You have to think that none of it leads back to you. Do you want to get us killed?"

Riley sighed, hating how her mother had always been so softhearted. It seemed that at every bad thing she had done, she would always feel guilty about it afterward. At this point, she should know that there was no turning back. She was either evil or she would die a useless death.

"Well, I just wanted to talk..." At the thought of losing everything, Kelly sighed and held herself together. She had already sacrificed so much to be here today, and she wasn't going to lose one bit.

"Fine, let's stop talking about it. Anyways, how's Jay Du? Is he reliable? Do you think he'll be able to follow you?" Kelly decided to change the topic.

"Don't worry about it, Mom. I'll have a way to make him obedient to me."

Riley was smug. Not only did she liked this man, but she also stole him from Vivian's grasp. Now, Vivian's Prince Charming was her fiance. That obviously meant that she was more beautiful than that bitch.

"Now that you've got Jay and Vivian had slept with Jeffrey, her life would be ruined. Now, you and Alex are the only ones left in this family. Alas, as long as the two of you remain good, I'll do anything to keep it that way."

Suddenly, the door was swung open. It was Alex Pei.

Alex Pei stared at the two people sitting in the room. He gritted his teeth.

"Are you telling the truth?" he demanded.

Kelly scrambled up as she waved her hands helplessly. "Honey, you should know that I did all of this for you."

"How could you have done that? Vivian's my sister! She's supposed to be your daughter! If Dad finds out about this... You make me sick!"

After saying that, he rushed out of the ward without turning back.

Kelly was about to chase after him, but Riley held her back.

"Mom, leave him alone. He's a lost cause. You know how close he is to Vivian ever since they were kids," she sneered.

Kelly sighed. "Give him time then. I'm sure he'll understand."

She decided to go back to the bedroom and stand beside Albert's bed. Not wanting to go in, Riley played with her phone.

Suddenly, someone called her.

Riley picked it up. After hearing what the other person had said, she paled almost immediately.

"Mom!" she shrieked. "Alex! It's Alex...he..."

"What? What happened to Alex?"

Kelly rushed out of the bedroom and held Riley's arms. She was frozen into place as if somebody had placed her into the freezer before pulling her out.

"Alex was hit by a car," Riley stuttered out, shaking. "He's been sent to the hospital."

"What?" Kelly's eyes widened. "No. I want to see him! Stay and accompany your father and–"

"Mom, I'll go. What's more, if Dad wakes up, you can tell him that Alex was hit because he tried to chase after Vivian. Do you understand?"

Riley hurried out with her bag, leaving Kelly alone with Albert. She nodded in a daze.

The next morning, Vivian came to see her father with the bird's nest porridge she had cooked for him. However, as soon as she opened the door, a tea cup flung towards her.

"How dare you? You brat! What the hell are you doing here? If anything happens to your brother, I would never forgive you!"

Albert glared at his daughter.

"Alex? What happened?"

Vivian furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding why his father was so angry.

Kelly sighed. "When you stormed off, Alex tried chasing you because he was afraid that something could happen to you. As he was crossing the road, he was hit by a car. I–I didn't want to tell you these things. It's all my fault."

"How could he have chased me? That's impossible!" Vivian sputtered out. "When I left yesterday, Alex was–"

"That's enough of that. Don't say anything more." Albert rubbed his forehead tiredly. "I've already asked Jay to arrange for your trip abroad. As of this point, you should focus on your studies."

"But, Dad, this really has nothing to do with–"

"Enough! You brat! After what you've done, you have the nerve to refuse? Get out and do as I say!"

Seeing her father's cold attitude, Vivian slouched in defeat. She placed her lunch box on the table and left without saying another word.

Eight days later, she was already in the airport, waiting for her flight.

"I didn't hurt my father or Alex. Do you believe me?"

Vivian stared at Jay Du with expectation gleaming in her eyes, but he simply avoided her gaze. He crossed his arms and stared at the signage.

"Look, your father had only asked you to go on a blind date because of the circumstances with the company. Alex has always been nice to you, you know?" Jay Du shook his head.

"Let's just sit down and get some rest." Vivian couldn't help but burst into laughter as she looked into his eyes. His words were like knives piercing through her heart.

As she stared at the man she had fallen in love with for so many years, she couldn't help but feel disgusted. She sneered. It seemed that her stepsister had really taken it all.

"Are you saying this because you're with Riley now?" she snapped.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm only talking about the facts. As his junior, I could only respect your father's decision,"

Jay stated as if he was talking to another one of his co-workers. There was no affection embedded in his gaze.

With a snort, Vivian turned away. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Jeffrey had arrived at the airport hurriedly. Upon seeing this scene, he couldn't help but sneer.

"What an emotional scene," he said snidely. "It seemed that I came at a bad time."

"Jeffrey, none of this is any of your business."

Vivian glared at him spitefully. If looks could kill, there would've been laser shooting out of her eyes.

Jeffrey felt a sharp pain in his heart, but he shrugged indifferently as he shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. He stared into her watery eyes.

"Don't worry. All of this is purely coincidence. I just happened to see you, so I came by to say hello."

She bit back her harsh laughter. "Well, I have no need of your fake courtesy. At this point, the only good thing about this is that I never have to see you again!" she snapped.

"Vivian!" Jay glanced warily at the man before him. He tugged the hem of her sleeves, wanting nothing more than to tape her mouth. "What the hell are you saying? Shut up!"

However, Jeffrey didn't seem all too bothered by her demeanor. He looked at her as if he was gazing at another employee. At one look at his hardened gaze, anyone could tell why he was one of the most powerful man in the city. "It's no big deal. You can tell that she's just flirting with me. Am I right, sweetheart?"

Vivian snorted in disbelief as she turned away from him.

Jay was just about to say something to ease their temper when his phone rang.

He answered it only to hear his fiance's billowing voice. "Why the hell are you still with that bitch? Come back now."

"Why?"

Jay glanced at Vivian subconsciously before frowning.

"Nothing special... I miss you! Dad and Mom are already waiting for you back home."

"Fine, I'll be right there." Jay sighed, hanging up the phone. He turned to Vivian.

"Don't give me such a hard time, okay?

Listen to your father and go abroad." She scoffed incredulously. "So you really don't believe me?"

Her voice was laced with disbelief and disgust. She couldn't believe that he would choose Riley over her. Even then, she knew for a fact that there must've been some reason behind his choice. Even if her former lover became her brother-in-law, she couldn't find it in herself to hate him. They were just victims of Riley's sick game.

"Look, it doesn't matter if I believe you or not. Right now, you have to go." Jay glanced at Jeffrey. "Do you have anything else you want to say?"

"What do you think?"

Jeffrey snickered. It was obvious that he wasn't going anywhere until he got to talk to Vivian.

Vivian tilted her head, not bothering to look at either of them.

"Just don't miss your flight, okay? It's scheduled at 11. Shoot me a message when you get there." Without another word, Jay left her behind. It seemed that their own love story had ended there.

Now that they were alone, Jeffrey gazed at her. "Do you really want to listen to them, Vivian?" he demanded. The mockery in his eyes had disappeared.

"We're not that close." She huffed. "I suggest you don't call me by my name."

"Not close? Are you sure about that? Is that how you define all the men who have seen you naked?"

Jeffrey knew exactly what had happened to her in the past few days, so he wasn't surprised to see that Vivian was going to be sent abroad.

"Well, I don't have the time to talk to you. Good bye."

Vivian pulled her suitcase and was just about to leave when he grabbed her wrist. Jeffrey pulled her aside to avoid the large groups of people.

"Are you really going to leave like this? Don't you want to know what happened with your brother's disappearance? Are you really going to give up when it comes to your stepmother and stepsister?"

he demanded. His eyes were ablaze with rage.

"Well? What the hell do you want me to do?" She threw her arms around exasperatedly.

"Look, you have to know that I was set up that night."

"Instead of clearing your name, you might as well say something of use to me."

Besides, she already knew the truth. The thought of them actually having the guts to hurt her like this made her heart ache. She never thought that they would be capable of all of this, yet here she was, tasting the result of their viciousness.

"Kelly must've something to do with your brother's disappearance. Not only that, but she also blamed you for Alex's car accident. What's more, Riley even stole your boyfriend. Are you going to let them get away with it?"

Vivian crossed her arms. "Even then, it still has nothing to do with you."

Jeffrey continued despite her incessant refusals. "Well? What about your mother's death? Don't you want to know what happened to her?"

Vivian froze, and her heart skipped a beat. After recalling what her stepmother had said regarding her mother, she could feel her hands start to shake. "And how are you going to help me?"

"Be my wife," he stated. "And I'll help you."

Vivian sneered. Was he serious? Did he really think all of this was some sort of game he could participate in? Without saying a word, she stomped away. She might as well head off to board the plane.

Seeing the expression on her face, his face fell just a bit. However, he still chased after her.

"Just get in the car and head back to the hotel," he stated. "Don't go."

"And why would I?"

"We'll be watching a show two days later."

Seeing that Jeffrey wouldn't allow for any sort of negotiation, Vivian decided to get in his car. At the sight of his satisfied look, she decided to turn around and gaze at the window.

Her mother had passed away. Her brother had gone missing. Alex got into a car accident. Although they didn't seem to have anything to do with each other, there seemed to be a fine line that connected them all. Kelly and Riley.

Vivian clenched her fists. It couldn't be. 'Are they really capable of such a thing?' she thought.

Although she wasn't sure about many things, she was a hundred percent sure that Jay didn't just change his mind right off the bat. He loved her. He wouldn't just leave her for Riley without a reason of his own.

Two days later, at eight o'clock in the evening,

The Pei's mansion was bright. In fact, the place was already bustling with hundreds of guests as the lively music echoed down the hillside.

"Mr. Pei, congratulations! Jay is a fine man to have as a son-in-law!" one of them congratulated. "Congratulations!" "Thank you all!"

Albert was so ecstatic that he had forgotten about his second daughter.

"Have a good time tonight."

Holding her fiance's arm, Riley stood behind her father. A small smile slid into her lips as she raised her glass to express her gratitude to all the people who decided to come.

However, Jay didn't look anywhere near happy.

"It's our engagement," she murmured.

"The least you can do is be happy." Jay simply sneered in reply. Even the bright lights reflected on the chandelier couldn't alleviate the darkness in his eyes.

However, Riley didn't get angry. Instead, she simply smiled.

"Look, I made a mistake, okay? But I only did it because I love you," she insisted. "That's why I did it. After all, I wanted to marry you."