I Put My Husband’s First Love on a Pedestal After Rebirth

At the medical summit, my husband's precious first love thought the old professor's clothes were too shabby for such a grand occasion. So she dropped his conference badge into the trash. The old man shook with fury and threatened to pull his company's partnership with us on the spot. In my last life, I slapped her across the face right there, then bowed and scraped until the professor forgave us, and that was the only thing that saved our company. My husband, meanwhile, was heartbroken that his darling had been hit, and took her home to comfort her. Later, our company rode the professor's patented miracle drug all the way to its IPO. On the day of the celebration, indecent videos made with my face swapped via AI rolled continuously across the giant screen. And in front of a hall full of sneering guests, my husband pulled his first love tight against his chest. "You love slapping people in public, don't you? Today you get to taste what it feels like to be finished." I ran out of the hotel, sick with shame, and a runaway truck flattened me into the pavement. Then he turned around, threw the wedding of the century for his golden girl, and drove my parents into the street to die alone in the cold. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the exact second she tossed that badge into the trash. This time, I didn't fly into a rage to stop her. Instead I curled my arm sweetly through my husband's and laughed louder than anyone in the room. "Babe, Tiffany's got such a sharp eye. Security should've thrown this ragged beggar out ages ago." Chapter 1 In the summit hall, Tiffany stood there in her evening gown, pinching her nose like she'd smelled something rotten. She jabbed a finger at the old man in the worn jacket in front of her, her voice shrill. "Where'd this smelly bum crawl in from? You think you belong at an event like this?" "Do you even know who the people here are? If you ruin my dress, could you afford to pay for it?" Dr. Whitmore's face went ashen, the finger he pointed at her trembling. "You... you're impossible." "I was invited to this summit. This is my badge." Tiffany let out a cold laugh and snatched the badge out of his hand. Without even glancing at it, she flicked it into the trash can beside her. "Faking a badge just to sneak in for free food and drinks. How shameless." The guests around them turned to look, and a few started whispering. Adrian stood right beside her, and not only did he not stop her, his eyes were full of indulgence. He thoughtfully handed her a tissue so she could wipe the hand that had touched the badge. "Tiff, don't lower yourself to someone like that. He isn't worth dirtying your hands over." I stood behind Adrian, watching the whole thing with cold eyes. The agony of my bones shattering under that truck still seemed to linger in my body. The image of my parents dying on the street, cast out and alone, flickered before me. In my last life, watching Dr. Whitmore be humiliated had frightened me half to death. He held the core patent for a rare-disease treatment, the one and only thing that could bring our company back from the dead. I had rushed forward and slapped Tiffany hard across the face. I had forced her to apologize to him, and I had bowed and begged him myself, over and over. Moved by how sincere I was, he had grudgingly forgiven us and signed the partnership deal. But because I had hit Tiffany, Adrian held it against me. He didn't just destroy me with AI-generated obscene slander on the day the company went public. He threw my parents out of their home too. This time, I refused to be the fool who did all the work and got nothing but grief for it. I took a deep breath and pushed down the hatred churning inside me. I put on a smile and slipped my arm affectionately through Adrian's. "Babe, Tiffany's got such a sharp eye. Security should've thrown this ragged beggar out ages ago." The moment the words left my mouth, both Adrian and Tiffany froze. Tiffany had braced herself to be scolded by me, and now her eyes were full of shock. Adrian looked at me, startled, a probing note in his voice. "Since when are you this reasonable, honey?" I gave him a coy little glare and reached over to smooth Tiffany's hair. "Tiff is your foster sister. Why would I embarrass her over some stranger?" "Besides, Vance Pharmaceuticals is the star of the industry now. If we let every random nobody come leech off us, where would that end?" Tiffany instantly perked up, her chin held high. "You hear that? Even the boss's wife says so." "Get out, old man, before I have someone throw you out." Dr. Whitmore shook with rage, his face flushing dark red. He stared me down and spoke through gritted teeth. "Mrs. Vance, is this how you do business?" "The manners at Vance Pharmaceuticals are a real eye-opener." I met his gaze without flinching and smiled even brighter. "Our manners are reserved for people who matter." "As for an old con artist mooching free food, not calling the police is already me going easy on you." He was so furious he laughed, nodding again and again. "Well. What a fine company Vance Pharmaceuticals is." "You will pay for your arrogance today." With that, he turned and strode toward the door. Watching his resolute back, I counted down quietly in my head. Adrian, your funeral started right now. Chapter 2 "Where's security? Where did they all disappear to?" I raised my voice and shouted toward the entrance of the hall. A few guards came jogging over at once. "Ms. Kane, what do you need?" I pointed in the direction Dr. Whitmore had gone, my tone sharp. "What kind of security is this? You let a beggar like that walk right in?" "Go after him. Make sure he's out the hotel doors, and don't let him swipe anything on his way." The guards exchanged glances, but they murmured their agreement and hurried after him. Tiffany clapped her hands, thrilled, and hooked herself onto my other arm. "Vivian, you're on fire today." "That's exactly how you handle broke little nobodies. No mercy." Adrian nodded, pleased, a new flicker of approval in the way he looked at me. "You handled that well, honey. You saved the company's face." Swallowing my disgust, I leaned obediently against his shoulder. "I'm only thinking of you and the company, babe." "Tiff's young and naive. As her elder siblings, we’re naturally going to look out for her." Hearing that, Tiffany grew even more full of herself. She actually started showing off to the guests around them. "See that? That's the kind of power the Vances have." "Anyone who tries to put on airs in front of us ends up just like him." The guests didn't say anything outright, but the way they looked at us had changed. Some pitied Dr. Whitmore, and some were plainly disgusted by the Vances' arrogance. I took it all in, laughing coldly on the inside. Make a scene. The bigger, the better. Only by dragging the Vance name through the mud would Dr. Whitmore write off any chance of working with us for good. Once the summit officially began, Adrian took the stage as a guest of honor to give a speech. Riding high, he painted a grand picture of Vance Pharmaceuticals' future. He even had the nerve to announce that they were about to lock down the top rare-disease drug patent in the country. Applause thundered through the room, and Adrian soaked up the adoration. Down in the crowd, Tiffany clapped like her life depended on it, her eyes shining with worship. "Adrian's incredible. The Vances will be number one in the country before long." I lifted my glass of red wine, took a small sip, and hid the mockery in my eyes. Number one in the country? By tomorrow morning, you'll all learn what it means to fall from heaven straight into hell. After the summit, Adrian was in high spirits and suggested they go celebrate. "Tiff had a rough day. Let your big brother buy you that bag you've been eyeing forever." Tiffany cheered, threw her arms around Adrian's neck, and kissed him. "Thank you, Adrian. You're the best." He made a show of turning it down, but his eyes slid sideways to gauge my reaction. In my last life, that bag started a huge fight between us. I scrimped and saved for the company while he spent its money spoiling his first love. This time, I took out a black card myself and handed it to Tiffany. "Tiff, a girl should treat herself." "Get the bag, and pick out some jewelry too. Consider it a gift from me." Tiffany's eyes lit up, and she grabbed the card without a shred of hesitation. "Vivian, you're being so generous today." Adrian relaxed too, tightening his arm around my waist. "You're really something, honey." Watching the two of them walk off giddy with joy, I let the corner of my mouth curl up. Spend it. Spend all of it. Soon enough, that money would become the noose around their necks. That night I begged off shopping, claiming I wasn't feeling well. I went home, opened my laptop right away, and logged into an encrypted email account. I sent out a message I had prepared long ago. The recipient was Dr. Whitmore's personal assistant. The email was simple, just one line and a video. The video was hotel security footage: Tiffany tossing the badge, and me ordering the guards to chase Dr. Whitmore out, start to finish. The line read: "Dr. Whitmore, this is the Vances' idea of good faith. Do you still plan to hand them your life's work?" When it was done, I wiped every trace and closed the laptop. Outside the window the night was deep, and a storm was gathering. Tomorrow, the Vances' whole world would come crashing down. The next morning I woke to Adrian's roaring. "What the hell happened? Why did Dr. Whitmore suddenly cancel every deal with us?" "He won't even see me. He's blocked us completely." I rubbed my eyes and put on a groggy, just-woke-up look. "What's going on, babe? Who's Dr. Whitmore?" Adrian paced the bedroom, frantic as a cat on a hot griddle. "Dr. Whitmore is the old man we ran into at the summit yesterday." "He's one of the top pharmaceutical researchers in the country, and he holds the drug patent our company desperately needs." Chapter 3 I clapped a hand over my mouth in mock surprise and gasped. "What? That beggar was actually Dr. Whitmore?" "Babe, why didn't you say something sooner? After the way you and Tiff treated him yesterday, he must be furious." Adrian stopped short and glared at me. "How was I supposed to know it was him?" "Dressed like that, who could've recognized him?" "And you, why didn't you stop Tiff yesterday? You're the COO. Are those eyes just for decoration?" Without a second thought, he dumped the blame on me. In my last life, I ran myself ragged and talked myself hoarse cleaning up his messes. And he took every bit of it for granted. This time, my eyes reddened at once and the tears came spilling down. "That's not fair, babe." "Yesterday you were defending Tiff so hard, I assumed the old man was some nobody con artist." "I was only going along with what you wanted." "And you're the one who said Tiff had a hard day and wanted to buy her that bag." I left him speechless, his face reddening and then draining pale. Just then, Tiffany came out of the guest room rubbing her eyes. She was still in the designer pajamas she had bought yesterday, the million-dollar bag dangling from her hand. "Adrian, what's all the yelling about this early? I haven’t gotten enough sleep yet." The sight of her set him off. He stormed over, snatched the bag, and hurled it to the floor. "Sleep, sleep, sleep. Is eating, drinking, and partying all you're good for?" "Do you have any idea what you started yesterday? Dr. Whitmore pulled out, and the company is going under." Tiffany shrieked, then burst into tears at the sight of her bag on the floor. "Why are you yelling at me? I didn't know he was Dr. Whitmore." "And Vivian went off on him too. Why am I the only one getting blamed?" She turned the spotlight on me in a heartbeat. I let myself sink onto the bed, buried my face in my hands, and wept. "Fine. It's all my fault." "I'm a failure as a COO. I couldn't even recognize our most important partner." "Punish me, then, babe. I'll take responsibility and resign. I'll give up my position." The instant Adrian heard me say resign, panic set in. I was the one running every last thing at the company. He was CEO in name only. If I walked, the company would grind to a halt immediately. He came over quickly, softening his tone, and put an arm around my shoulders. "I didn't mean it like that, honey. I'm just stressed." "Right now the priority is winning Dr. Whitmore back. You always have the clever ideas. Think of something." I sneered inwardly while wearing a mask of deep self-blame. "Babe, Dr. Whitmore is furious right now. The more we chase him, the more he'll resent us." "Let's give it a few days to cool off. Once he's calmer, I'll go apologize in person." "In the meantime, you'll have to handle the company. I honestly can't face the staff right now." Adrian didn't like it, but he had no better plan. He gritted his teeth and agreed. "Fine. Rest at home for a few days. I'll hold down the company." He turned and shot Tiffany a hard glare. "You're staying home, and you're not to set foot anywhere." Tiffany pouted, wounded, but didn't dare say another word. Adrian threw on a suit and rushed off to the office. I watched his harried back and let a flicker of mockery cross my eyes. Cool off? By the time he was done cooling off, the Vances would be six feet under with grass growing over them. That afternoon, Vance Pharmaceuticals' stock went into free fall. Dr. Whitmore was deeply respected in the industry, and the moment word broke that he had cut ties, it set off a chain reaction. Several venture firms that had been circling pulled their money. The banks started calling in loans. The shareholders crowded into Adrian's office, demanding an explanation. Cornered and overwhelmed, Adrian called me one time after another. I set my phone to silent and lounged on the couch with a face mask on. This was just the appetizer. The real storm was still coming. Over the next three days, Vance Pharmaceuticals spiraled into crisis. Adrian went around begging everyone for help. He tried to reach Dr. Whitmore but couldn't even get through the doors of his research institute. He looked for other experts, but everyone in the field knew he had made an enemy of Dr. Whitmore, and no one dared touch the project. Tiffany wouldn't sit still at home either, complaining every day that Adrian had cut off her allowance. "Adrian, are you losing your touch? You can't even handle one old man." "My friends invited me for a spa day, and my card got declined. It was humiliating." Chapter 4 Worn down by her nagging, Adrian backhanded her across the face. "Shut up. If it weren't for you, such a reckless spendthrift, the company wouldn’t be in such a mess!" Tiffany clutched her cheek and stared at him in disbelief. "You hit me? You hit me over some stupid company?" "You'll regret this, Adrian." She ran out of the house in tears. I sat at the top of the second-floor stairs, watching the farce, thoroughly enjoying myself. In my last life, Adrian had treated Tiffany like something precious, never so much as a harsh word for her. Now that his own interests were on the line, the golden girl he had cherished had become nothing but a nuisance to him. With Adrian at the end of his rope, I changed into a business suit and slipped quietly out the back of the house. I didn't go to the office. I drove straight to Dr. Whitmore's institute. In my last life, trying to save the deal, I had learned everything there was to know about him. He was desperate for funding because one of his research projects had reached a critical stage. If it succeeded, it would completely change the landscape of rare-disease treatment in the country. But the risk was so high that no investor would touch it. Carrying a locked briefcase, I walked into the institute's lobby. The receptionist stopped me. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Dr. Whitmore is shut away running experiments and isn't seeing anyone." I smiled slightly, took a document from my bag, and handed it to her. "Please give this to him. Tell him the founder of Astra Pharmaceuticals, Ms. Kane, is here with funding." The receptionist glanced at it, then picked up the phone and dialed an internal line. Barely five minutes passed. Dr. Whitmore's assistant came hurrying out and ushered me in. His office was piled high with journals and research files. He frowned when I came in, clearly not yet recognizing me as the Mrs. Vance from the summit. "You're Ms. Kane, from Astra Pharmaceuticals? Where did you get this data?" He pointed at the document on the desk, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. I walked up to him and bowed deeply. "Dr. Whitmore, let me reintroduce myself. I'm Vivian Kane. I'm also Adrian Vance's wife." His face darkened instantly, and he slammed a hand on the desk. "You have the nerve to show your face? I've seen exactly how the Vances operate." "Get out. I will never work with a company like yours." I didn't get angry. Instead I took a thick proposal and a bank card out of the briefcase. "You've misunderstood, Dr. Whitmore. I'm not here on behalf of the Vances today." "I've decided to divorce Adrian, and I've founded Astra Pharmaceuticals." "There's fifty million dollars on this card. It's my personal savings, and it's Astra's investment in your new project." Dr. Whitmore stared at me, stunned. "You want to fund my new project? Are you out of your mind? The risk is enormous. You could lose every last cent." I met his eyes, steady and sincere. "Dr. Whitmore, I believe in your ability, and even more in your conscience as a healer." "Adrian is shortsighted. He only cares about what's in front of him. He doesn't deserve to work with you." "I'm different. I'm willing to put everything on the line and take this gamble with you." He fell silent, looking from the card on the desk back to me. After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh. "Vivian, you're really something." "All right. I agree. From now on, all my patents will be licensed exclusively to Astra Pharmaceuticals." Fighting down the elation surging in my chest, I offered the contract I had prepared with both hands. "To a good partnership, Dr. Whitmore." After the contract was signed, I walked out of the institute and let out a long breath. Adrian, I had your fatal weakness gripped tight in my hands now. Just then, my phone rang. It was Adrian, his voice bursting with excitement. "Honey, there's hope. The company's saved!" "Word's going around the industry that Dr. Whitmore found a new backer and started a company called Astra Pharmaceuticals." "If we can get in with Astra and become their downstream distributor, the company can come back from the dead." Holding back a laugh, I answered with feigned surprise. "Really? You're amazing, babe. I can't believe you found that out." "Then hurry and contact whoever runs Astra. Don't let someone else beat you to it." Adrian laughed, full of himself. "Relax. I already found out Astra is holding a press conference tomorrow." "I'll be there in person tomorrow, and with my skills, I'll lock down the distribution rights, no question." "Just wait at home for the good news, honey." After I hung up, I couldn't help laughing out loud. Oh, Adrian. The savior you're praying for is about to send you straight to hell with her own two hands.