He Left Her for His First Love, Only to Regret It When a CEO Spoiled Her
Chapter 2
Emily got the job.
Not as an assistant.
Not as a junior designer.
Alexander hired her as creative director for a new division.
The salary was more than she had ever earned.
But money wasn’t what surprised her.
It was the way Alexander treated her.
He read every proposal.
Asked for her opinions.
Included her in meetings.
And when she disagreed with him, he listened.
On her first day, she told him:
“I don’t understand why you hired me.”
He looked up from his laptop.
“Because you’re good.”
Emily laughed.
“That simple?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not worried about my lack of corporate experience?”
“I can teach you that.”
“What can’t you teach?”
He smiled.
“Instinct.”
She looked at him.
“What if I’m wrong?”
“Then we’ll be wrong intelligently.”
She laughed.
For the first time since her divorce, Emily felt comfortable.
Not because someone was rescuing her.
Because someone respected her.
Meanwhile, Daniel’s marriage to Sophia began falling apart.
Sophia wanted more.
More money.
More attention.
More status.
Every achievement Daniel made became insufficient.
“You need to buy a larger house.”
“We need a better social circle.”
“You should know richer people.”
Daniel tried.
But every attempt made him more exhausted.
Then one night, Sophia said something that stopped him.
“Your ex-wife was always holding you back.”
Daniel frowned.
“Don’t talk about Emily.”
“Why?”
“Because she helped me.”
Sophia rolled her eyes.
“She was ordinary.”
Daniel looked at her.
Something about that word hurt.
Ordinary.
Emily had never been ordinary to him.
He simply hadn’t appreciated it.
A week later, Daniel saw an article online.
ALEXANDER REED APPOINTS RISING DESIGNER EMILY CARTER TO LEAD NEW GLOBAL DIVISION
His heart stopped.
The photograph showed Emily standing beside Alexander.
She looked different.
Confident.
Elegant.
Happy.
Daniel stared at the screen.
Sophia looked over.
“Isn’t that your ex?”
“Yes.”
“She looks good.”
Daniel said nothing.
Sophia smiled.
“Does it bother you?”
“No.”
But it did.
That night, he searched Emily’s name.
Interviews.
Company announcements.
Awards.
She was suddenly everywhere.
And Alexander seemed to be beside her in every photograph.
Daniel hated the feeling growing inside him.
Jealousy.
Regret.
And something worse.
Fear.
What if Emily no longer cared about him?
He told himself he didn’t care.
Then he heard she was attending a charity gala.
Alexander’s gala.
Daniel decided to go.
He didn’t know why.
Maybe curiosity.
Maybe pride.
Maybe because some part of him still believed Emily was waiting for him.
He was wrong.
When he entered the ballroom, he saw her immediately.
Emily was wearing a simple black gown.
Alexander stood beside her.
He leaned down and whispered something.
She laughed.
Daniel froze.
He had not seen that smile in years.
Then Alexander placed a hand gently at Emily’s back.
Not possessively.
Protectively.
Daniel’s chest tightened.
For the first time, he understood.
Someone else was giving Emily everything he had stopped giving her.
Attention.
Respect.
Pride.
And as Daniel watched, a painful thought entered his mind.
What if she was happier without him?
