All Chapters of Wife's Vanishing Act: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

It was the third year after the death of my wife and daughter.That was when my biological parents came to find me and officially acknowledged me as their son.I boarded a flight with them to return to Notingdun City.No sooner had we arrived than I was ushered into my father's car to attend a dinner party hosted by one of his friends.At the party, I stood in a corner, holding a wine glass, my face expressionless. The glittering crowd and lively chatter couldn't stir even a flicker of interest in me."Hey, isn't that Mrs. Peyton?"Look at her outfit. Must be worth over hundreds of thousands, easily.""She's so lucky. If only I could marry into a wealthy family like that."The gossip buzzed all around me, and I caught it despite my apathy.Curious, I glanced toward the entrance and instantly froze.A woman in a designer gown stepped in, her figure draped in jewels, smiling radiantly as she waved to the guests.That face... was identical to the wife I'd thought died three yea

Chapter 2

Three years ago, a fire took my wife and daughter from me.It happened during the evening rush hour. I had just boarded the subway when a call came in from our next-door neighbor, Cole Smith."Nick? Where are you right now? Come home now! Something's happened!"Cole's anxious voice crackled through the line, sending a chill straight through my chest."Cole? What is it? I just got on the subway—""Forget the subway! Get a taxi, now! Your house is on fire!"A thunderous roar exploded in my head. I bolted off the train and flagged down a cab in a panic.By the time I reached home, it was too late. A firefighter broke the news: my wife and daughter had been reduced to ashes.Crushed by overwhelming despair, I collapsed on the spot and blacked out.In an instant, everything I had built over two decades was gone. My wife and child hadn't even left me a memory to hold onto.After that, the nightmares came, every night without fail.No matter how my family or friends pleaded, I refu

Chapter 3

Inside a café, with the right side of my face still slightly swollen, I glared hard at Hilary.She got straight to the point. "I told you not to bother us again. Why are you here?"My anger flared."She's my daughter. Why can't I see her? Hilary, I'm not as heartless as you. Lily is my only daughter. I won't give up. I'll take her back, no matter what.""Nick!" she snapped, then, realizing they were in public, lowered her voice and forced herself to stay composed."Lily has a new father now. She gets whatever she wants. She doesn't need you."I shot back, furious. "Doesn't need me? I'm her father!"She smirked. "So what? You think she'd choose a broke, pathetic dad over the richest man in the city?"Before I could speak, she cut me off again. "Nick, I'm begging you. Just pretend we never existed. Pretend we died. We're happy now."Her words left a heavy silence hanging between us.After a long pause, I looked at her, my voice hollow."And what about me? For three years, I wa

Chapter 4

Last month, I got off work like usual.I found several Bentleys parked outside my rental apartment.I ignored them and headed upstairs, only to find a group of intimidating men in black standing at my door."Who are you looking for?" I asked warily, eyeing them with suspicion.The next second, they stepped aside and lined up in two neat rows, creating a clear path down the middle.From that path, two elderly figures slowly emerged, their backs slightly hunched.Our eyes met, and I saw tears brimming in both of theirs."You… are you Nick Austin?"I nodded, still dazed. For some reason, they felt strangely familiar.Suddenly, the old woman rushed forward, throwing her arms around me as she wept. "Nick, my son… I'm your mother! I've searched for you for twenty-seven years! I finally found you!"In that instant, my entire body froze. My mind went blank.I had grown up in an orphanage.I'd endured endless judgment and prejudice for as long as I could remember.I thought I'd nev

Chapter 5

As soon as the words left Ross's mouth, Hilary froze like an ice sculpture.Seeing her like that, I couldn't help but smile.I lifted my hand, gently twisting the diamond ring on my finger. "Yes, but my wife and daughter are both dead."Ross looked up sharply, visibly stunned.My parents turned to me with sympathetic eyes.I went on, "Three years ago, my wife and daughter were burned to ash in a fire."I let my gaze linger on Hilary. Her face turned ghostly pale in an instant.My parents looked at me with deep sorrow, while Ross awkwardly rubbed his nose.Then I smiled and added, "But it's been three years. I've come to terms with it. Actually, I've been meaning to ask, Ross, when exactly did you and Hilary meet and get married?"No sooner had I finished than Hilary abruptly stood up.The scraping of her chair against the floor screeched through the room.Everyone turned, startled, to look at her.Under our gaze, she trembled slightly, clutching her stomach with a helpless

Chapter 6

Over the past few weeks, the company had been buzzing with activity due to a major new project. Everyone was swamped, and Ross had entrusted me with organizing and preparing the project materials for the final presentation.That afternoon marked the end of the project cycle and the day of the official report.My father, as the former chairman, also attended to observe. His attendance clearly gave the project great importance.Once everyone had entered the conference room, I walked to the front, plugged in my USB drive, and froze.The drive was completely empty—every file had been wiped."What's going on? Why are there no files?" Ross's brows furrowed as he looked sharply at me.I kept calm and gave him a faint smile. "I might have brought the wrong USB. I'll go retrieve the right one."He wasn't pleased. The atmosphere in the room tightened immediately.Meanwhile, Mr. Barra was still chatting amiably with my father, catching up on old times.Ten minutes passed. Ross began to l

Chapter 7

After the meeting ended, word of my identity quickly spread through the company.Ross walked out of the conference room with his usual cold expression. My father said goodbye to me before heading off to catch up with Mr. Barra.I returned to my desk, ready to pack up and head home, when Brian Lesley suddenly approached, holding a cup of coffee.He forced a stiff smile and offered it to me. "Nick, have a coffee. I really admire you. Your presentation was nothing short of a benchmark for the entire industry."I glanced at the cup in his hand, then slowly lifted my gaze and looked him in the eye. "Is that so? Then I suppose I owe you a thank-you. Without you, I wouldn't have had this opportunity."His face paled, and he stammered, "W-what do you mean, thank me? I didn't do anything."I stood up and stared at him directly. It only took a few seconds before he looked away, guilt flashing across his face."Is that so? You know exactly what you did. But I'm not in the mood to waste tim

Chapter 8

Time flew by, and the day of the press conference arrived before anyone realized it.The collaboration between Barra Group and Peyton Group had drawn a flood of reporters to the event.As CEO of Peyton Group, Ross made a grand entrance.For the past few days, Peyton Group had been making headlines due to the sudden appearance of a new heir. Now, Ross was fielding questions from the media.But just as things were proceeding smoothly, a reporter raised an ill-timed question about me."Is it true that Peyton Group will be appointing a new heir? Mr. Peyton, what's your response?"Ross stiffened under the barrage of cameras.After a brief hesitation, he was just about to respond when a deep, aged voice cut in, "It's true."Ross froze.From the front row, George stood up. He turned to face the reporters, and all eyes immediately shifted to him."Since you've asked," George said, "I'll take this opportunity to make an official announcement. My son, Nick Peyton, will be the new CEO o

Chapter 9

The next day, the internet erupted.Rumors spread like wildfire that six years ago, I'd supposedly had an affair with my younger brother's wife. Worse yet, they claimed Lily was my daughter.Photos from my past and private moments were plastered online.The whole internet was talking. Sympathy surged for Ross.People demanded I step down from the company, declaring I lacked the character to lead."No wonder he did those things. No parents, no upbringing. Disgusting.""So he was with Hilary before she was with Ross? Don't tell me this was all some elaborate plan to take over the company.""This is insane. The woman's not innocent either! Investigate her too!""I won't spend a cent on anything from this company. It's like funding corruption."I scrolled through the avalanche of comments, but inside, I felt strangely calm.Then my father called.As I answered, silence lingered on the line. After a long pause, he sighed."Nick," he said, "aren't you going to explain?"I replie

Chapter 10

After I cleared my name at the press conference, Ross was summoned by the police.Even the fire incident from three years ago was reopened for investigation. Hilary was arrested and placed in detention.It turned out that after I reunited with my parents, Ross began suspecting her.He interrogated her and, upon confirming our past relationship, twisted the truth before leaking it to the press. He struck a deal with her: if she agreed to expose me alongside him, he would forgive her betrayal, stay married to her, and continue acknowledging Lily as his daughter.And Hilary believed him.After the scandal broke, she shut herself indoors, waiting for the day Ross would seize control of the company.But they were both wrong.Ross thought his plan was flawless and airtight.What he didn't expect was that Lily was, in fact, his biological daughter.Nor did he anticipate that for just a little money, all the skeletons in his closet would come tumbling out.And Hilary never imagined t

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