From Doormat to Tycoon: The Rise of the Useless Husband

Chapter 2

Damon stepped into the sleek black car, his face cold and unreadable.

Just as the driver pulled onto the road, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen—it was Anthony, the CEO of Vespera Corporation and one of his most trusted men. Damon answered the call, his voice calm but distant.

"Sir, should we terminate the collaboration with Ms. Serena?" Anthony’s voice was steady, but Damon knew he was waiting for his reaction. He already knew what had happened.

For a moment, Damon considered it. It would be the easiest way to show Serena what she had truly lost. Cutting off her company would be simple—like snapping a branch with his fingers. Without his silent support, she wouldn’t last long in this industry.

His grip on the phone tightened slightly, but then he let out a slow breath. "No need," he said flatly.

There was no point in wasting his energy on revenge. She had already taken enough from him—his time, his patience, his trust. He wouldn’t give her another second of his life. Besides, Vespera Corporation was just one of the hundreds of companies under his name. That deal meant nothing to him.

Damon leaned back against the smooth leather seat, his gaze shifting toward the window. Outside, the city lights flickered against the dark sky. But his mind wasn’t in the present anymore. It was drifting into the past.

---

Many years ago, Damon had been expelled from his family. He was just a child at the time—too young to understand the full extent of the internal conflicts in his family, yet old enough to feel the pain of being cast aside. He had been thrown onto the streets with nothing, left to fend for himself in a world that had no mercy for the weak.

He still remembered those days vividly. The hunger. The bruises. The thugs who chased him down dark alleys, thinking he was an easy target. He had been on the verge of collapse, his body weak from starvation, when she appeared.

A girl.

She was just a silhouette against the dim streetlights, but to him, she was an angel. She had given him food—just a small piece of bread, but at that moment, it was everything. She had saved his life.

Damon had wanted to thank her, to give her something in return. The only thing he had left was a ring—one of a pair that had belonged to his late mother. It was the only thing he had taken with him when he was forced to leave his home. He gave it to her without hesitation, not realizing how important that moment would become in his life.

That night changed everything.

Not long after, he met a mysterious old man—a man who saw something in him that no one else did. Under his guidance, Damon was reborn. He was taught everything: strategy, business, power. He learned how to survive in a world where only the strongest thrived.

Years passed, and he built an empire. Kings and billionaires bowed before him. World leaders sought his favor. He had become a force no one could challenge.

And yet, despite all the power he had gained, there was one thing he had never been able to reclaim—the truth about his mother’s death.

He knew it wasn’t an accident. It couldn’t have been.

So he disappeared from the public eye. Stayed out of the spotlight.

All the while, his men were digging. Quietly. Relentlessly.

And when he finally uncovered the names behind it all?

They were gonna pay.

And there was something else he couldn’t let go of—the little girl who’d saved him years ago.

She’d stuck in his mind, like a piece of his past he couldn’t shake.

He’d spent years looking for her, hoping to find her again. Then, three years ago, his team finally tracked her down through that ring he left to her.

That girl was Serena.

That was why he married her.

Damon clenched his jaw. He had given her everything, even from the shadows. He had supported her, helped her build her company without her even realizing it. He had believed she was different. But she had proven him wrong.

The debt was settled. She had saved him once, and he had repaid her a thousand times over. But now, she had made her choice.

There would be no turning back.

---

His thoughts were interrupted when Anthony spoke again, realizing Damon had gone silent.

"Boss."

Damon straightened in his seat, his fingers tightening around his phone. "What is it?"

"Simon found something," Anthony said, his tone serious.

Damon’s brows furrowed slightly. Simon was the president of the city's largest chamber of commerce—and one of his most trusted subordinates.

"And it's about your mother."

Damon sat up completely, his body going rigid. His heart pounded once, hard, before settling into a steady but tense rhythm.

"Go on," he said, his voice dangerously low.

"A lead. It’s not much, but it might finally open some doors," Anthony explained. "I’ve reserved the top floor of Luxea Restaurant for a private meeting. Simon said you and he need to talk in person."

At first, Damon had no interest in a dinner meeting. But when he heard there were clues about his mother’s death, he immediately agreed.

For a moment, Damon didn’t respond. He had spent years searching, digging through lies and deception, trying to uncover the truth about his mother’s death. Every time he got close, the trail went cold.

And now, after all this time, there was finally progress.

"I'm on my way," he said without hesitation.

The call ended, but his mind was already racing.

---

Just as he was about to tell the driver to change their route, another thought crossed his mind.

There was still one thing left to do.

His mother’s ring.

The one he had given Serena.

It was still in Serena’s house. He’d have to return for it—one last time.

Damon’s jaw tightened. That ring wasn’t just a piece of jewelry. It was the last connection he had to the only woman who had ever truly loved him. The only woman who had ever sacrificed for him.

And now…

Serena despised him so much that he no longer wanted to be involved with her in any way. The help he had given her over the years was his repayment for her saving him.

Serena had already severed ties with him. She had chosen to betray him, to throw away everything they had.

Now, he would do the same.