Crowned in His Regret

"Even if you're his wife, I'll always be his first choice." Shelby blocked my path at the conference table.

A smug smirk twisted her lips as she slapped the freshly signed contract down right in front of me.

My husband—Declan, the lead investor for this project—had just chosen her proposal without a single second of hesitation.

We had been deadlocked in a toxic rivalry since high school. Back then, her mother stole my father. Now, she had effortlessly claimed my husband.

I looked past her shoulder toward the hallway. Declan stood a few feet away. Cold. Aloof. Quietly waiting for his precious childhood sweetheart.

The pathetic illusion I had clung to for years shattered like cheap glass in my chest. Why the hell was I bleeding myself dry for a man who constantly betrayed me?

I ripped my ID badge off my chest and slammed it onto the conference table, shoving Shelby out of my damn way. Fighting over a man suddenly felt incredibly cheap.

This time, I was dropping him for good. Keep the trash you scavenged. I am taking my empire.

Chapter 1 The new investor backing our firm had killer looks, an elite background, and a ruthless reputation, sparking a frenzy of gossip across the floor. The investor was Declan.

My husband. The moment I saw his name on the client list, I knew my silent war with Shelby was already lost.

In the breakroom, the gossip mill was running at full speed. "I heard the lead investor is the CEO of Wenzheng Group, the actual heir of the family, Declan himself," one colleague whispered. "He's a walking goldmine.

If he picks our team's design, we're set for the year." "My bet's on Shelby's team.

Rumor has it Declan's first love is right here in the design department, and it's Shelby." "They went to college together. Childhood sweethearts.

Everyone knows he only brought his money here for her." A cold sneer tugged at the corner of my mouth.

Ignoring their eager, gossiping stares, I walked straight back to my office and slammed the door shut. The news of Declan's arrival spread like wildfire.

Brian called Shelby and me into his office. "Sloane.

Shelby." Brian leaned back in his chair. "Declan from Wenzheng Group is officially backing this project." "Both of you will lead your teams to draft a proposal.

You have one month to deliver." Brian shot Shelby a meaningful look, failing to hide his utter admiration.

Clearly, he'd heard the rumors and figured out exactly why Declan chose our firm.

I hadn't even stepped out of the office, but I already knew my team's work would be a waste of time. Competing against Shelby meant I was nothing but a prop in her show.

Shelby stopped in the hallway right outside the door. We stood facetoface.

I met her gaze, and her lips curled into a sickeningly smug, triumphant smile. "Fair competition, Sloane." But her eyes screamed certainty.

She knew damn well that between the two of us, Declan would always choose her. Watching her strut away, I turned on my heel and headed back to my desk.

The design department was practically throwing a parade.

If my team's proposal got trashed, I'd be stuck working under Shelby, forced to swallow her condescending critiques every single day. I'd rather eat glass than submit to her.

Right before clocking out, half the floor swarmed Shelby's desk, showering her with endless praise. "You're amazing, Shelby!" I locked eyes with her through the crowd.

She was the center of attention, basking in the spotlight. In stark contrast, my corner of the office was dead quiet. I stood alone. She flashed me a tight, mocking smile.

I broke eye contact, grabbed my coat, and walked out. Declan walked through the front door later that night. His face wore its usual cold, detached mask.

I couldn't hold the question back. "Declan, you're investing in our firm?" He glanced up at the sound of my voice. Our eyes met.

His expression didn't shift an inch as he let out a flat, dismissive sound of agreement.

I pressed on. "Why our firm?" I forced a light, joking tone. "Going to pull some strings for your wife?" A slight frown creased Declan's forehead.

His dark eyes remained devoid of humor. After a heavy beat of silence, he delivered his verdict. "It was a corporate board decision.

I don't pick the winning proposal alone." The hidden message was crystal clear: being his wife didn't mean a damn thing. Chapter 2 I didn't push it.

He was always like this, cold and detached, operating on his own ruthless logic.

He never made exceptions for me, yet I kept humiliating myself by hoping I would magically become one. Declan turned on his heel and walked into his study.

He didn't pull the door shut. I could hear the low murmur of his phone call. The voice on the other end was Shelby's. Declan let out a soft, low chuckle in response.

After hanging up, he pushed the door open. He strode to the entryway, grabbing his trench coat off the rack.

Shrugging into the heavy fabric and sliding into his dress shoes, he straightened up and looked at me. "I have a networking dinner. I'm heading out." I gave a curt nod.

Declan was objectively gorgeous, with a sharp jawline, a straight, aristocratic nose, and thin lips.

The perfectly tailored charcoal suit beneath his dark coat only emphasized his broad shoulders and commanding height.

Then he was gone, the heavy front door clicking shut behind him. He didn't come home until late.

Whatever questions I had been chewing on died in my throat the second I saw Shelby's latest Instagram post. It was a group selfie. Four people.

Shelby, Declan, and two of their old college friends. Staring at that photo, I realized I didn't need to ask if he was going to tip the scales in her favor. Of course he was.

In the past, I had this pathetic habit of leaving a light on for him whenever he was out late networking.

I walked to the entryway, without a shred of hesitation killed the master switch for the entire estate's lighting, marched back to my bedroom, locked the door, and slept perfectly.

We didn't cross paths the next morning. We headed to the firm separately. The entire design department was practically kissing the ground Shelby walked on.

Everyone knew the truth, Declan wouldn't have looked twice at our firm if it weren't for her. My blood feud with Shelby was my own problem.

The rest of the staff only cared about their annual bonuses and hitting their quotas. Declan was in the building today, doing his rounds as the lead investor.

Brian called Shelby into his office. When she finally stepped back out, every eye on the floor locked onto her. "Shelby, is Mr.

Declan as intimidating as they say?" Shelby's lips curved into a coy, ambiguous smile. "Declan and I go way back. He's not fierce at all.

You guys can relax." A few colleagues exchanged knowing, giddy smiles. I had already clicked the forwarded link and read the entire tragic saga of their college romance.

If I weren't his wife, I might have even called it a beautiful comingofage story. Instead, staring at the timeline their alumni had pieced together, all I tasted was bile.

Shelby still had an active old Twitter account from her college days. A digital shrine to their relationship. I doomscrolled through it, forcefeeding myself the painful reality.

The further I scrolled, the more obvious it became. Declan was obsessed with her back then. He read every single post, leaving likes and long comments.

He was the one who chased her. Meanwhile, I had spent an entire grueling year chasing him. When I first found out Shelby was his ex, I felt a sick, fleeting rush of victory.

I thought I had snatched the ultimate prize. But the harsh truth quickly slapped me in the face. I had lost entirely.

The fact that my husband was still hung up on his childhood sweetheart wasn't a victory, it was a devastating humiliation.

It was just another way for Shelby to keep her boot on my neck. Chapter 3 Shelby and I had been locked in a blood feud since middle school.

We were oil and water, meant to destroy each other. Her mother wormed her way into our home, driving my mother into a severe depression that ended in a suicide attempt.

I nearly lost my actual mother because of them. High school brought more of the same.

Shelby was one point shy of making the cut for the elite prep school, so my father—Raymond—pulled strings to get her in. That same year, my mother left the country.

I stayed behind in Raymond's estate. I thought pushing back and making them uncomfortable would force them out. Instead, Shelby played the perfect victim.

She ran crying to Raymond, and his face would darken with rage as he lectured me.

Every ounce of my hostility only convinced him further that they were the victims who desperately needed his protection. College finally separated us.

But the final nail in the coffin of my relationship with Raymond came during winter break.

He paraded Shelby around a highsociety gala, blatantly letting everyone assume she was his biological daughter. He even brought up legally changing her last name to match ours.

I stared him dead in the eye and told him if he gave her our family name, I would legally drop it and take my mother's maiden name.

Furious, he raised his hand, fully intending to strike me across the face. Before the blow could land, a tall silhouette stepped in and caught his wrist. That man was Declan.

We crossed paths again after graduation. I spent a grueling year chasing him. Just as I was about to walk away for good, he finally caved.

It wasn't until after we signed the marriage papers that I found out Shelby was his exgirlfriend. Even worse, Declan had already been to the estate.

He had met Raymond—as Shelby's boyfriend.

No wonder Raymond had nearly hyperventilated, clutching his chest when I announced the wedding. "Are you doing this on purpose?" he had demanded, his face stormcloud dark. "You know damn well he's Shelby's ex, and you're marrying him?" I had stood there, rooted to the floor.

During the holidays, I refused to go back to the estate, but Declan forced the issue, dragging me along. Unsurprisingly, Shelby and I clashed the moment we arrived.

A physical altercation broke out in the courtyard, and we both lost our footing. Moving with lightning speed, Declan lunged forward and caught Shelby. I hit the hard pavement.

Later in the hospital room, I gritted my teeth, fighting back the stinging in my eyes, and demanded to know why he hadn't caught me.

He calmly peeled an apple with a paring knife, his expression blank. "I didn't see you." The second Declan left the room, Shelby strolled in.

She stood at the foot of my hospital bed, raking a mocking gaze over me before launching into a detailed recount of her college years with Declan.

She described a man I didn't recognize—passionate, devoted, entirely different from my icy husband. My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.

After I was discharged, our paths tangled again. We ended up at the exact same firm. It became a relentless rat race, neither of us willing to bend.

She flaunted her status as Raymond's golden child, making upper management bend over backward to please her. And now, adding the Wenzheng heir's exgirlfriend to her resume?

They were treating her like royalty. I knew my team's proposal was practically dead on arrival, but I still drove them hard, burning the midnight oil to perfect the design.

Chapter 4 One month later, I walked into the conference room with the final proposal. Everyone was present except Shelby. She walked in sidebyside with Declan.

The overhead lights seemed to spotlight them perfectly. Declan slightly inclined his head, leaning down to match her height as she murmured something to him.

The harsh light cast sharp shadows across his strong jawline and straight nose. His dark eyes held a rare, faint trace of a smile. Our eyes briefly collided.

I searched for a flicker of something—anything—different in his gaze. Nothing. Just his usual icy detachment. We drew lots. I was up before her.

I stepped up to the podium, projecting absolute calm. I fired up my presentation and broke down every angle of my design logic and inspiration.

I blocked out the room, laserfocused on the pitch. When I stepped down, a smattering of pathetic, obligatory applause rippled through the room.

The only genuine clapping came from Eden, the junior designer who had been trailing me since her graduation. Declan sat there like a statue.

Not a single muscle in his face twitched, his expression unreadable. Brian kept stealing sideways glances at him, desperately trying to gauge his reaction. Shelby took the floor.

She immediately locked eyes with Declan. A knowing smile passed between them. The rest of the team exchanged looks, biting back gossiphungry grins.

Eden leaned in close. "Sloane," she whispered, "are we getting cut?" I forced the corners of my mouth up into a stiff smile.

When Shelby wrapped up, the applause was deafening compared to mine. Even Brian was clapping enthusiastically, practically leaning out of his chair.

A faint, approving smirk ghosted across Declan's lips. We hit a thirtyminute recess.

The suffocating weight of the office gossip about those two had been crushing my chest for weeks.

The sheer emptiness in his gaze whenever he looked at me felt like a vise grip on my ribs.

Through the relentless office grapevine, I had been forcefed even more details of their epic romance. He was the one who relentlessly pursued her.

Walking her back to her dorm every single night without fail. Delivering her breakfast every morning.

Every alumni from their graduating class knew exactly how obsessed Declan was with her. I sat frozen in my chair.

Watching their backs as they walked out of the room sidebyside, a sharp burn pricked the back of my throat.

The man I had bled myself dry to win was consumed by the woman I hated most in this world. The conference room emptied out, leaving only me and Eden.

She reached over and squeezed my hand. Thirty minutes later. The verdict was in. Declan and his Wenzheng Group entourage had already left the building. Brian delivered the news.

Three votes total. A clean sweep for Shelby. When he announced the result, I didn't shed a single tear. A wave of nauseating absurdity washed over me instead.

I stared coldly at this pathetic, nepotistic power play, silently clenching my hands into tight fists. Brian exchanged a look with Shelby, offering a nod of approval.

The team instantly swarmed her. "You killed it, Shelby!" I turned and walked toward the exit. Shelby followed right on my heels. "Sloane." I stopped dead in my tracks.

Her eyes curved into a triumphant crescent. "Even if you're his wife, I'll always be his first choice.

Everything you broke your back to get, I can have without lifting a finger." She was right. At fourteen, she effortlessly stole Raymond's affection. Now, she held claim over Declan.

Down the hall, Brian was busy ushering Declan into the VIP elevator. Declan stood there, leaning back with careless, lazy arrogance. A sudden, bonedeep exhaustion crashed over me.

I was done fighting her. I didn't want Declan anymore, either. The elevator doors sealed shut, locking into place.

Chapter 5 Brian was quick on the uptake, eagerly ushering Shelby and me into the VIP elevator. The elevator descended smoothly. Brian laid it on thick. "Mr.

Declan, you and Director Shelby are a match made in heaven. Absolutely perfect." The other executives immediately chimed in. "Exactly! We heard rumors you two tied the knot.

You're such a devoted husband, pulling strings to choose our firm just for her." I listened to this sickening parade of flattery, my chest a hollow cavity.

Feeling a heavy, burning gaze lock onto the side of my face, I slowly turned my head. Declan's face visibly stiffened.

Brian nudged my elbow, silently demanding I join the brownnosing. "Isn't that right, Sloane? Aren't they just perfect together?" The elevator doors slid open.

I met Declan's eyes with deadeyed calm, the corners of my lips curling into a look of dripping contempt. "Truly a perfect match.

I hope you two are locked together forever." A sudden flicker of panic cracked his icy facade. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to speak