He Made Her Queen, Then Took Her Crown

Chapter 2: The Day He Walked Away

The sun hit Obsidian Tech's glass facade like it was made of diamonds. Lena stepped out of the car, her heels sharp against the pavement, and for a moment, it felt like the world stopped to watch her walk.

 As she entered the lobby, a wave of applause erupted.

 “Lena!”

 “She did it again!”

 “You’re amazing!”

 Cameras flashed. Faces beamed. The hallway echoed with the sound of hands clapping and voices cheering. It felt like a dream—no, a vindication.

 Behind her smile was a cocktail of pride and satisfaction. All those nights burning through coffee and contracts, second-guessing herself, getting help from random anonymous persons... This made it worth it.

 Obsidian Tech had signed a deal. A real one. High seven-figures in licensing fees for their software solution—and she had landed it.

 What no one knew, what even she didn’t fully realize, was that the seed money for her first startup office, the marketing boost that gave her early traction, the quiet emails from "an anonymous investor" pushing her brand into elite circles, even the contract itself—none of it had come from the people in this room.

 It had come from someone she would be shocked to know.

 Her mother, Megan Aston, emerged from the crowd with her usual mix of grace and command. As department manager, she’d been in this industry long enough to know when to back a winner—and today, Lena was the golden ticket.

 “I’m so proud of you baby,” Megan whispered, pulling her into a brief hug. “You’ve outgrown the small leagues.”

 "You’re going to be the face of this company," Maggie said in her ear. "Obsidian doesn’t just shake hands with anyone. And you did it without any man's help."

 That last part made Lena's brow twitch, but she said nothing.

 Her mother kept going. “Your father would've been proud. But you know what I’m proud of? You didn’t settle. You didn’t let anyone drag you down, especially not that loser of a man you call a husband!”

 “Mom!”

 And yet, all Lena could think about was the small plastic lunchbox Rowan had packed for her this morning. Again. Like she was still struggling. Like she was still that intern hustling for bus fare.

She pushed the thought aside. Today wasn’t about him.

**********************

 The morning passed in a blur of congratulations, hallway praise, and back-pats from board members who once barely noticed her. Her inbox was filled with lunch invites, project inquiries, and glowing reviews. People were surprised, asking questions like how she got the contract. Who her ‘anonymous investor’ was.

 But the moment her heels hit the second floor and she stepped out of the elevator, the noise softened, replaced by something else—presence.

 “Lena.”

 The voice was smooth. Confident. A little too sure of itself. She turned to see Dominic Voss leaning against the office door frame like he owned the damn company.

 His custom gray suit looked like it had been poured over him. His jawline sharp, his hair swept back, and his Rolex caught the light just enough to be noticed.

 He grinned. “Heard you closed Obsidian. Not bad for someone they used to call 'underdog girl.'”

 She rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “I didn’t know they called me that.”

 “Oh, they did. And now they’re eating their words.”

 He stepped closer. “You ever get tired of proving everyone wrong?”

 She tilted her head. “You asking as a colleague or a fanboy?”

 “Maybe both.” He chuckled, brushing an imaginary speck from her blazer. “I’ve seen a lot of people crash and burn trying to do what you just did. But you… You’re different.”

 She laughed softly, brushing his hand away. “Don’t make it weird, Dominic.”

 “I’m just saying,” he said, voice dropping, “you deserve more than whatever deadweight you’re carrying around.”

 Her face froze for a split second.

 Dominic noticed.

 “Sorry,” he added quickly. “Didn’t mean to hit a nerve.”

 Lena said nothing. Just opened her office door and stepped inside.

 He followed.

 The door clicked shut behind him.

********************

 The room was quiet except for the hum of her Apple computer. The window overlooked the city—skyscrapers glinting in the afternoon sun like they were applauding her, too.

 Dominic leaned against the desk, casually unbuttoning his blazer. “You know… You don’t have to keep pretending with that guy.”

 Lena narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”

 He smirked. “Rowan. Or whatever his name is. Come on, Lena. Everyone in this building knows he’s dragging you down.”

 She turned away. “You don’t know anything about him.”

 “I know enough,” he said, voice dropping. “I know he’s not on your level. Not professionally. Not socially. Hell, I’m surprised he even lets you walk into this place without feeling like a sidekick.”

 She didn’t reply. Because deep down, she wasn’t sure if he was wrong. She thought back to the night before. Rowan’s quiet eyes. His voice when he said, “I don’t know yet, but not here.”

 Something about that moment clung to her like smoke she couldn’t shake.

 Dominic stepped closer.

 “You deserve someone who gets it,” he whispered. “Who knows what it means to build empires. Who wants to build one with you.”

 He reached for her hand. She didn’t pull away fast enough. And then he kissed her.

 It wasn’t long. Maybe a second too long. Maybe she didn’t push him quick enough. Or maybe she did not push him at all, maybe she let him.

 Either way… the door suddenly gilded open.

******************

 Rowan stood there.

 Same gray hoodie. Same black jeans. The same look on his face like he’d just walked into the wrong chapter of his life. He held a small lunch bag in his hand, like some cruel joke.

 Lena straightened immediately. Dominic took a step back, blinking like he hadn’t heard the door at all. Rowan didn’t say anything at first. Just... looked. First at Lena. Then at Dominic. Then at the small space between them, that said everything else.

 “I... I thought I’d drop off lunch,” Rowan said, his voice level but soft. “You forgot it this morning.”

 Lena blinked. Then blinked again. "Rowan, what are you doing here?"

 That tone. Cold. Like she hadn’t once cried in his arms in the middle of a blackout. Like he hadn’t stayed up till 3 a.m. every night for the last two months helping her prepare for this deal—without her even knowing a quarter of what he’d really done for her. How dare she?

 He didn’t answer.

 Instead, he looked at her eyes. Past the makeup, past the fake smile she wore for her office, past the lingering scent of another man’s cologne. She was his wife and he knew her better than anyone ever could.

"Lena…" he said slowly. “Is this what we’re doing now?”

 Dominic cleared his throat. "Maybe you should knock next time, buddy." Rowan ignored the nincompoop.

 “I came here,” he said, “because part of me hoped… maybe I misunderstood. Maybe I made it worse in my head. Maybe I was wrong about the distance.”

 Her eyes stung, but she blinked it back. “Rowan, I—”

 “But standing here,” he cut in, “looking at you with him… suddenly everything makes sense.”

 He waited. Waited for her to say something. To defend him. To pull away from Dominic. To tell the truth. Maybe then he may forgive her and keep doing all he was doing for her.

 But she didn’t. Not fast enough. Not at all.

 Then she spoke. Words that didn’t even scream. They didn’t hiss. They didn’t accuse. They just... landed.

 “Rowan… I don’t know what you expected. You don’t belong in this world. What the fuck is even your problem, walking into my office like you matter.”

 Those words got Rowan really angry, disappointed and broken. He slapped a file on her table. “Divorce papers,” he said. “Sign them and send the file to me. This is over. I have reached my limit and I am no longer interested!” he said and walked out.

 His patience had been tested to the limit. It was now time to unveil the beast, uncover the hidden truth and shock the world.