My sister and I choose our own life
My sister Lyla Warner, greedy for the family fortune, chose to take over the business without hesitation.
But she was lazy and indulgent, spending her days traveling and abandoning the company entirely.
Within a year, she had squandered the family fortune and lost everything.
Meanwhile, after marrying into the Tran family, I gave birth to two sons and lived a wealthy life.
She was consumed with jealousy. At a family gathering, she stabbed me to death in a frenzied attack.
When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day we made our life choices.
Lyla rushed to make her decision first.
"I want to marry into the Tran family. The family business can go to my sister."
I couldn't help but smile, thinking to myself: "Foolish Lyla. The Tran family is nothing but hell."
*****
"I fell in love with Kyson Tran at first sight, so I want to be with him!
"Helen Warner is smarter than me—she'll definitely manage the company well!"
Our parents had originally intended for me to marry into the Tran family, so Lyla was flushed red with urgency.
She couldn't wait to have a wedding with Kyson and secure a lifetime of wealth and luxury.
Just days ago, she had declared her intention to be a modern businesswoman, but today she seemed like a completely different person.
Our parents were too shocked to speak, unable to understand her sudden change of heart.
Only I sat quietly on the sofa, reviewing the company's financial reports while secretly sneering.
Given a second chance at life, Lyla was still too impulsive.
Mom didn't say much, but Dad disagreed.
"Lyla, relying on yourself is better than relying on anyone else. He might like you now, but what if he changes his mind later?
"I've heard Kyson is a playboy. You should think this through carefully. I can't bear to watch you suffer."
Entrusting one's entire life to another man was the most foolish thing to do.
Over the years, Father had witnessed countless examples in the business world of men abandoning their wives and children.
Wives who had supported their husbands from nothing ultimately received nothing in return. Naturally, Father didn't want us to live such lives.
Unfortunately, Lyla was stubborn and refused to listen.
In my previous life, I had lived luxuriously. I was chauffeured everywhere in luxury cars, and my bank account always held hundreds of millions of dollars.
My two adorable sons were the envy of everyone.
Lyla stubbornly believed that marrying Kyson was the right path, rather than inheriting the company only to go bankrupt.
She naturally wouldn't listen to Father's advice and irritably picked at her ears.
"Dad! That's only because those women were incompetent! I'm beautiful and charming—he'll definitely treasure me! How could he possibly abandon me?
"Besides, you've met him too. He's a handsome and charming gentleman. All those rumors from outsiders are fake!"
As she spoke, her eyes sparkled with barely concealed smugness.
To her, this was the path to wealth and status.
She didn't want to be a boss who traveled constantly for business, exhausting herself with endless networking and entertainment.
The role of a wife who stayed home listening to music and attending parties suited her much better.
I kept my head down, afraid I might burst out laughing.
Kyson appeared gentle and refined, but only I knew he was actually a psychopath.
As an illegitimate son who had successfully taken control of the Tran family, he must have made unimaginable sacrifices.
He forced me to socialize everywhere to expand his network. Even when I drank until I had stomach bleeding, he showed no concern for my health.
When angry, he would hit me, forcing me to wear long sleeves and pants even in summer to hide the bruises.
Most importantly, the Tran family situation was incredibly complicated. Every day I woke up, I had to face constant scheming and infighting.
It was pure hell.
How could that compare to the comfort of inheriting our family business?
Seeing her mind was made up, our parents had nothing more to say.
They sighed and returned to their room.
Before leaving, Lyla didn't forget to give me a haughty look.
"Helen, when the company goes bankrupt and you can't hold on anymore, you can call me. Maybe I'll even let you be my servant."
I smiled slightly.
"It's just as likely that you'll be the one begging me."
I really envied her—she'd get to be beaten by her husband and suffer all sorts of grievances.
While I'd only be able to cry my heart out in a company worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Besides that, I could also mess around with some male companions.
Lyla and Kyson's grand wedding was held at the renowned Grand Hotel.
The wedding guests were all elite figures from various industries.
Lyla wore a custom-made wedding dress, her every gesture radiating smugness and arrogance.
She deliberately walked over to me with Kyson to offer a toast, clearly showing off.
"Helen, this is your first time meeting Kyson, isn't it? When your business goes bankrupt later, maybe Kyson can give you a hand!"
"What's the point of a woman working so hard? Finding a good man should be the priority. Too bad you'll never have that kind of luck."
Finally able to trample me underfoot, she smiled with particular satisfaction.
Kyson beside her was quite gentlemanly, nodding politely at me.
Sensing her arrogant attitude, he frowned slightly.
Based on our experience living together for many years in my previous life, he wasn't satisfied with this wife.
After all, Lyla was truly too foolish.
Once he gradually grew tired of Lyla, she would probably face her own hell.
Seeing that I remained silent, she assumed I was jealous.
After mocking me a few more times, she triumphantly pulled Kyson away.
I really wasn't in the mood to argue with her, since I had just taken over the company and still needed to expand many business connections.
It was rare to have so many business moguls gathered together today, so I quickly grabbed my wine glass to network.
In my previous life, Lyla arrogantly believed she was already the CEO and didn't need to show respect to anyone.
Not only was she willful and reckless, but she also repeatedly turned away potential business partners.
She didn't understand that there's always someone better out there, and she quickly offended New York's most powerful Graham family, getting blacklisted that very night.
I absolutely couldn't make the same mistake, so I humbly handed out my business cards.
In the end, I successfully left a good impression on several big shots.
Having just finished all this, I finally had a chance to relax.
But suddenly there was a commotion in the center of the hall.
"You did that on purpose! Do you think I'm blind? This is my wedding day - how dare you ruin my mood! Do you know who my husband is?"
Lyla, who had been all smiles just moments ago, was now glaring viciously at a young girl.
The girl seemed to be encountering this kind of situation for the first time and was frantically trying to explain.
"I really didn't do it on purpose! I was looking for my brother and accidentally bumped into you. I already apologized..."
Being watched by so many people, the girl's face turned red with embarrassment, and she was on the verge of tears.
This was really just a minor incident.
But Lyla insisted on treating it as a perfect opportunity to show off her power in front of everyone, relentlessly harassing the girl.
"No way! This dress was flown in from France! You got it dirty! You couldn't afford to pay for it even if you worked your whole life!"
"I've never seen you before. Are you some waitress who snuck in here?"
In high society circles, everyone knows each other's backgrounds.
Lyla felt this girl had no backing, which is why she dared to keep bullying her.
Seeing the girl about to cry, I couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward.
"Lyla, what are you doing? She didn't do it on purpose either. Just let it go this time."
Being publicly criticized by me, Lyla felt displeased and sneered:
"How do you know she didn't do it on purpose? What if she's just jealous that I married well? I've seen plenty of people like that!"
"Why are you helping her? Did you arrange for her to come here and cause trouble?"
I never expected Lyla to frame me, and my expression immediately darkened.
Just as I was about to speak, a man's cold voice suddenly rang out:
"The Tran family is truly fortunate to welcome such a future mistress."
I looked up and discovered a tall, imposing man standing in a secluded corner of the hall, appearing there without anyone noticing.
His handsome face looked incredibly stern.
Everyone present froze for a few seconds before someone finally stammered out a greeting.
"Mr. Graham!"
Like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, the entire hall instantly erupted into chaos.
This man was Owen Graham, the current patriarch of the Graham family!
A single word from him could bring down countless businesses. Ordinary people like us might never encounter someone of his stature in our entire lives.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, all wondering why Owen would appear here.
"Owen! Please tell this lady that I really didn't do it on purpose!"
Only the little girl rushed into his arms like she'd found her savior, tears of grievance streaming down her face.
"Mr. Graham! This is all a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!"
Kyson's father, who had been wheeling and dealing in business for over a decade, approached with a face full of smiles, trying to shake hands with Owen.
But Owen smoothly avoided the gesture, glaring at Lyla with fury.
"Since so many people are present, it wouldn't be right if I didn't give Mrs. Tran an explanation. Let's check the security footage directly."
Upon hearing about checking the surveillance, Lyla's entire body went rigid.
She frantically shot Kyson a pleading look for help.
"Honey, there's no need to check the footage. I accidentally bumped into Ms. Graham earlier! I apologize!"
But it was already too late.
Owen had no intention of listening to her explanations. At his command, the surveillance footage immediately began playing on the large screen.
The video clearly showed that after witnessing Kyson's intimate behavior with other women at the party, Lyla was furious but didn't dare confront him. Instead, she vented her anger on Lily Graham, who was alone and appeared vulnerable.
Lyla had charged straight at Lily and knocked her down. Everyone could see clearly what happened next.
Having her malicious actions broadcast publicly, Lyla's face flushed crimson.
She desperately tried to signal Kyson with her eyes, hoping he would save her.
But Kyson himself was an illegitimate child with already low standing in the Tran family. This current spectacle would only fuel his anger further.
He practically wanted to kill Lyla himself—there was no way he'd help her.
Instead, Owen calmly broke the silence.
"Since the Tran family has such misunderstandings about my sister, let's temporarily cancel our cooperation."
With that single sentence, he declared that the collaboration between the Tran and Graham families—which the Trans had spent days desperately trying to secure—was now worthless.
Kyson's father collapsed on the spot.
Everyone fell into panic. The Tran family members all knew the consequences of offending Owen.
They wanted to step forward and plead, but Owen gave them no opportunity, preparing to leave with his sister.
As he passed by me, he suddenly stopped.
"You're Helen Warner?"
I was startled.
"You know me?"
He finally showed the first smile I'd seen from him today.
"You're certainly memorable. Thank you for speaking up for Lily today."
Lily was even more grateful and insisted on exchanging contact information with me, which was certainly beneficial for me.
As she was leaving, she kept thanking me.
"Thank you! When I have time, I'll come visit you!"
Before she could finish speaking, Owen led her away.
In the hall, Lyla had already been forcibly dragged away by Kyson, leaving only the guests to discuss today's events with great interest.
After tonight, this drama would spread throughout the entire social circle.
By then, Lyla's days would only become more difficult. But who could she blame for that?
After taking over the business, I barely had any free time.
I was either at the factory overseeing production or flying to various cities to negotiate partnerships. During that period, my eardrums were constantly inflamed from all the flights.
However, my efforts paid off. Through my relentless work and Lily's assistance, the company grew larger and larger.
I had several enviable contracts in hand.
Even when I came home for dinner, my parents kept praising me, saying they should have handed the company over to me much earlier.
On this rare free day, Lily and I had planned to go shopping.
I waited on the street for a long time, but Lily never showed up. I was getting increasingly irritated.
When I finally saw that gleaming Rolls-Royce, I sighed helplessly.
"If you hadn't come, I would've thought our date was for tomorrow!"
As the window rolled down, I froze completely.
Owen's handsome face suddenly appeared before me.
Noticing my surprise, he casually explained:
"She got held up with something, so she asked me to pick you up first."
Owen was so busy, yet he had time to be my chauffeur? What a lame excuse.
After I got in the car, the atmosphere between us became awkward again. We could only make small talk about the weather.
Then we both fell silent.
I was debating whether to repeat the meaningless topic.
Suddenly, my phone rang. It was too noisy outside, so I instinctively put it on speaker.
Lyla's shrill voice immediately pierced my ears.
"Are you blind? I sent you so many messages and you didn't reply to any of them! Are you out of your mind?"
I was used to her verbal abuse. But Owen had grown up surrounded by praise, and I didn't know if he'd feel uncomfortable.
Fortunately, I stole a glance in the rearview mirror.
His expression remained unchanged, showing no reaction.
I cleared my throat.
"Get to the point! I've already blocked your messages. I'm very busy every day and don't have time for idle chatter with you."
Hearing my response, Lyla was furious.
But she still held back her anger.
"I heard your company is quite large now. Don't you forget about me! If I hadn't chosen to marry into the Tran family back then, could you have achieved what you have today? This company is half my doing too!"
I had never seen such a shameless person.
I almost burst out laughing.
"So what do you want? Should I give you the chairman position?"
I was clearly being sarcastic, but she took it seriously.
"You're very smart. But I wouldn't want to be too unreasonable either. Give me fifty million dollars now! And when I need money in the future, I'll come to you again!"
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