The Sterling Hell, CEO’s Real Face

1.

When my sister and I came of age, our parents gave us a life-altering choice. One of us would inherit the family business, and the other would marry into the prestigious Sterling family of New York.

My sister, Wanda, was blinded by greed. She chose the company without a second thought.

But she was lazy and only cared about partying. She spent her days traveling and neglected the business entirely.

In just one year, she blew through the entire family fortune and ended up with nothing.

Meanwhile, I married into the Sterling family. I gave them two sons and secured my position as the most powerful socialite in the city.

Wanda went insane with jealousy. During a family reunion, she snapped and stabbed me to death in a fit of rage.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day we had to choose our fates.

Wanda spoke up before I could even open my mouth.

"I want to marry into the Sterling family. Let my sister have the family business."

I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. My foolish sister had no idea that the Sterling household was a literal living hell.

......

"I fell in love with Silas Sterling at first sight! I have to be with him!"

"Chloe is much smarter than me anyway. I'm sure she can manage the company perfectly!"

Wanda's face was flushed with desperation. She saw our parents leaning toward letting me marry Silas and panicked.

She wanted to marry Silas right this second just to secure her spot as a billionaire's wife.

A few days ago, she was bragging about being a modern-day girl boss. Today, she acted like a completely different person.

Our parents were stunned. They couldn't understand why she had suddenly changed her mind so drastically.

I sat quietly on the sofa, looking over the company's financial reports. I was cold and calculating on the inside.

In this new life, Wanda still couldn't control her impulsive nature.

My mother didn't say much, but my father had some reservations.

"Wanda, honey, it's always better to rely on yourself than a man. He might like you now, but what if he changes his mind later?"

"I've heard Silas's reputation isn't exactly great. Think about this carefully. I don't want to see you suffer."

Betraying your own future for a man is the stupidest thing a woman can do.

My father had seen too many men abandon their wives in the business world.

He didn't want us to end up like those women who built a life with a man only to be left with nothing.

But Wanda was obsessed.

She had seen how luxurious my life was in the previous timeline. I had private chauffeurs and a bank balance with nine zeros.

My two adorable sons were the envy of everyone.

She firmly believed that marrying Silas was the golden ticket. She thought it was much better than going bankrupt.

She ignored our father's advice and picked at her ear in annoyance.

"Oh, Dad! Those women were just incompetent! Your daughter is beautiful and charming. Silas will cherish me! Why would he ever leave me?"

"Besides, you've met him. He's a total gentleman. Those rumors are just lies!"

Her eyes were sparkling with greed. She truly believed she had won.

To her, this was a path paved with roses.

She wasn't built to be a businesswoman traveling and working late nights.

Being a trophy wife who listened to music and attended parties suited her much better.

I kept my head down so they wouldn't see the smirk on my face.

Silas Sterling acted like a gentleman in public, but only I knew he was a complete psychopath.

He was an illegitimate son who fought his way to the top. You don't do that without getting your hands dirty.

In my past life, he forced me to socialize and build connections for him. He didn't care when I drank until my stomach bled.

If anything annoyed him, he would hit me. I had to wear long sleeves in the middle of summer to hide the bruises.

The Sterling family was a shark tank. Every day was a battle for survival.

How could that be better than inheriting a stable family business?

Seeing that her mind was made up, our parents gave up.

They sighed and retreated to their room.

Before leaving, Wanda gave me a smug, arrogant look.

"Chloe, when the company goes bust, give me a call. I might let you be my personal assistant."

I smiled thinly at her.

"We'll see who ends up begging whom."

I almost felt jealous. She was so excited to be beaten by her dear husband and bullied by her in-laws.

Unlike her, I would be stuck in a multi-million dollar office, crying into my silk handkerchiefs.

Oh, and maybe I'd hire a few hot male models to cheer me up.

2..

Wanda and Silas's wedding was a massive affair held at a famous historic hotel.

The guest list was a who's who of the city's elite.

My sister was wearing a custom-made designer gown. She looked incredibly smug as she moved through the crowd.

She pulled Silas over to me to brag, holding her champagne glass high.

"Chloe, this is your first time meeting your brother-in-law, right? If your business ever fails, maybe he can throw you a bone."

"What's the point of a woman working so hard? Finding a powerful man is what matters. Too bad you'll never have this kind of luck."

She was practically glowing with the thrill of finally stepping on me.

Silas, on the other hand, gave me a polite nod.

He frowned slightly at Wanda's blatant arrogance.

From my years of living with him, I knew he was already annoyed with her.

Wanda was making it very obvious how shallow she was.

Once the honeymoon phase was over, her life would turn into a nightmare.

When I didn't respond, she assumed I was jealous.

She threw a few more insults my way before dragging Silas off to find more people to impress.

I didn't care about her petty drama. I had just taken over the company and needed to network.

All the major business players were in one room. I wasn't going to waste the opportunity.

In the last life, Wanda was too arrogant to network. She thought she was a queen who didn't need anyone's help.

She offended so many people and eventually got blacklisted by the powerful Pierce family.

I wasn't going to make that mistake. I handed out my business cards with humility and grace.

I managed to leave a great impression on several big names.

Just as I was catching my breath, a commotion broke out in the center of the hall.

"You did that on purpose! Do you think I'm blind? You're trying to ruin my big day! Do you have any idea who my husband is!"

Wanda was screaming at a young girl, her face contorted with rage.

The girl looked terrified. She was clearly overwhelmed.

"I didn't! I was just looking for my brother... I bumped into you by accident. I already apologized..."

Everyone was staring. The poor girl was turning bright red and looked like she was about to burst into tears.

It was a tiny incident that should have been ignored.

But Wanda thought this was the perfect time to show off her new power. She grabbed the girl's arm.

"Apology not accepted! This dress was flown in from Paris! You got dirt on it! A brat like you couldn't afford this in a lifetime!"

"I don't recognize you. Are you a maid who snuck in here?"

The elite social circle is small. Most people know each other.

Wanda assumed this girl was a nobody she could bully.

I couldn't stand it anymore. I stepped forward.

"Wanda, it's your wedding day. Calm down. She didn't mean it, just let it go."

Wanda glared at me, humiliated that I called her out in public.

"How do you know she didn't mean it? Maybe she's just jealous I married well. I've seen plenty of gold-diggers like her!"

"Are you taking her side? Did you hire her to ruin my wedding?"

I was shocked by her logic. My face darkened.

Before I could say anything, a cold, deep voice cut through the room.

"The Sterlings certainly picked a charming bride."

3..

I turned toward the voice. A tall man with an intimidating aura was standing in a shadowed corner.

His face was incredibly handsome, but his expression was like a thundercloud.

The entire room went silent. A few seconds later, someone whispered in shock.

"Mr. Pierce!"

The name hit the crowd like a bomb.

It was Preston Pierce, the head of the Pierce conglomerate.

He was the kind of man who could bankrupt a company with a single phone call. Most of us would never even get a chance to see him in person.

Everyone looked confused. Why was he here?

"Big brother! Please tell this lady I didn't mean it!"

The little girl ran into his arms, sobbing. She looked at him like he was her savior.

"Mr. Pierce! This is all a misunderstanding! A total mistake!"

Silas's father, a seasoned businessman, rushed over with a fake smile to shake his hand.

Preston ignored the hand and stared at Wanda with lethal eyes.

"Since there are so many witnesses, we should give Mrs. Sterling a fair resolution. Let's just check the security footage."

Wanda's entire body went stiff at the mention of cameras.

She looked at Silas frantically, pleading for help.

"Honey... we don't need to check the cameras. I actually bumped into Miss Pierce! It was my mistake! I apologize!"

But it was too late.

Preston didn't care about her apology. He gestured, and the security footage began playing on the giant ballroom screens.

The video showed Silas flirting with other women earlier in the night. Wanda had been seething with rage but was too afraid to confront him.

Instead, she had targeted the young girl who was standing alone and looked vulnerable.

The footage clearly showed Wanda deliberately walking into her.

Wanda's face turned bright red as her lie was exposed to everyone.

She kept signaling Silas to save her.

But Silas was struggling to maintain his own position in the family. This embarrassment made him want to strangle her, not help her.

Preston spoke up again, his voice smooth but dangerous.

"Since the Sterling family has such a low opinion of my sister, I think it's best if we cancel our current contracts with you."

With those few words, the Sterling family's hard work to partner with the Pierces was destroyed.

Silas's grandfather looked like he was about to have a heart attack right then and there.

The hall descended into chaos. The Sterlings knew that offending Preston Pierce meant ruin.

They tried to beg, but Preston didn't give them a second look. He started to lead his sister out.

As he passed me, he stopped.

"Is your name Chloe Jenson?"

I was startled. "You know who I am?"

He gave me the first hint of a smile I had seen all night.

"A name as elegant as its owner. Thank you for speaking up for my sister today."

His sister, Piper, was so grateful she insisted on getting my number. This was a huge win for me.

As she left, she kept waving.

"Thanks, Chloe! Let's hang out soon!"

Preston then swept her away before she could say another word.

In the hall, Silas was dragging a crying Wanda away. The guests were already gossiping like crazy.

By tomorrow morning, this story would be everywhere.

Wanda's life was about to get much harder, but she brought it on herself.

4..

After taking over the business, I had zero free time.

I was either at the factory overseeing production or flying across the country for meetings. My ears were constantly ringing from all the calls.

But hard work pays off. With Piper's help, my company grew rapidly.

I even secured several massive contracts that everyone else was dying for.

My parents couldn't stop praising me. They said they should have given me the company much sooner.

One day, I finally had a moment to breathe and met Piper for a shopping trip.

I was waiting on the sidewalk, getting a bit annoyed that she was late.

Finally, a black Rolls-Royce with a very expensive plate pulled up. I sighed.

"If you were any later, I would have thought we were meeting tomorrow!"

The window rolled down, and I froze.

Preston Pierce's devastatingly handsome face was staring right at me.

He noticed my shock and spoke calmly.

"She got held up with something. She asked me to pick you up and bring you to her."

The CEO of a multi-billion dollar empire acting as my personal driver? That was a terrible excuse.

The atmosphere in the car was awkward. Our conversation was basically just "How are you?" and "Have you eaten?"

Then, silence.

I was trying to think of something to say when my phone started ringing like crazy.

It was too loud in the car, so I accidentally hit the speakerphone button.

Wanda's shrill voice blasted through the speakers.

"Are you blind? I sent you a dozen messages and you didn't reply! Are you stupid?"

I was used to her verbal abuse, but I felt embarrassed for Preston. He was a man of high class, and this was trashy.

I glanced at the rearview mirror.

He looked perfectly calm, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

I cleared my throat.

"What do you want? I have you on mute. I'm busy with real work, unlike you."

She was fuming because I had muted her.

But she suppressed her temper.

"I heard your company is doing well. Don't forget where you came from! If I hadn't married Silas, you wouldn't have this chance. Half of that success belongs to me!"

I had never met someone so delusional.

I almost laughed. "So what? Do you want me to give you my CEO chair too?"

It was a sarcastic remark, but she took it seriously.

"At least you know your place. I won't take everything. Just wire me fifty million dollars for now. I'll ask for more later."