I Refused to Die, and He Was Shocked Chapter 1

My husband, Andrew Stevens, died young, at forty.

In my past life, I was utterly consumed by love. Not long after his death, I followed him into the grave.

It was only after I died that I learned Andrew had already written a will, leaving all his assets and shares to Serena Thorne, his childhood crush, his "moonlight goddess."

And me, with my weak-willed nature, he had subtly planted the seed of suicide in my mind, all to clear the path for Serena.

I opened my eyes again, back to the moment Andrew had another episode, telling me he couldn't bear to leave me.

This time, I gripped his hand back. "Since that's the case, leave all your money to me."

"And, you have good taste; you can help me find my next husband."

* * *

Andrew frowned in surprise. He looked at me in disbelief, probably struggling to understand why I would say such a thing. After all, just yesterday, I was still clutching his diagnosis, weeping hysterically, showing every sign of wanting to live and die with him. Now, I was utterly calm, asking him for money and a new man.

I ignored his suspicious gaze. After a moment's thought, I added, "Honey, I know you're strong, but the company's stability is paramount. Since you're ill, why don't I take over Stevens Corp. for now?"

Andrew's face completely darkened.

He knew I'd been lazy my whole life. The company my parents left me, I'd handed it all over to him, never asking a single question. That’s how Andrew managed to secretly merge our two companies' businesses and gradually transfer them to Serena. Now that I was saying I wanted to take over, he couldn't find a counter-argument.

Serena, however, seemed anxious. She quickly stepped forward.

"Miss Dawson, you haven't studied business management. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle the business affairs."

I lifted my eyelids to look at her. This was the first time I had really scrutinized this woman.

To be fair, she wasn't an absolute beauty. But her eyes were soft and alluring, with a unique charm that men often found irresistible.

When she first joined the company, I had also sensed something amiss and asked Andrew why he hired a divorced woman as his secretary.

At the time, Andrew's expression was indifferent. He flipped through documents as he said, "Serena has her advantages. I value capability, not marital status. Yolanda, don't you dare bring workplace discrimination into this."

In my eyes, he had always been rational and clever. How could I have imagined that he was just an ordinary man?

The eldest son of the Stevens family, who had consistently ranked first in school, was chosen as the heir, and whose words and actions were always flawless, was secretly deeply in love with a woman from a poor family, with nothing to her name, divorced, and with a child.

I held no personal animosity towards Serena. I felt it was my fault for not managing my husband better. But if she was going to challenge me, I saw no need to be polite.

With a cold face, I said, "No matter how bad my ability is, this is still my family's company. It's not a secretary's place to dictate terms."