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BOOK 3 - CHAPTER 20: THE PROTECTIVE BEST FRIEND
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2026-02-07 02:13:44
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I’m Back, Mr. CEO BOOK 3 - CHAPTER 41: THE BOMB DROPS
Cameron Blake walks in, and the temperature in the room drops ten degrees.“Don’t stop on my account,” he says, closing the door behind him. “This is just getting interesting.”Maya spins to face him. “Cameron? What are you doing here?”“Saving you from making a terrible mistake.” His eyes are on me, triumphant. “Though it seems Mr. Moore was finally working up the courage to tell you the truth. How noble.”Maya’s head whips back to me. “Moore? He just said… you called him Moore.”“Because that’s his name.” Cameron pulls out his phone, starts scrolling. “Ethan Moore. Son of Serena Moore, CEO of ETHEREAL. Stepson of Lucas Grant. And most importantly, son of Adrian Moore, the man whose company destroyed your father’s business and killed him.”“No.” Maya’s shaking her head. “No, that’s not… Ethan, tell him he’s wrong.”I can’t speak. Can’t move. This isn’t how this was supposed to happen.“Here.” Cameron shows her his phone. “Photos from charity galas, society pages, business articles. A
I’m Back, Mr. CEO BOOK 3 - CHAPTER 40: THE SILENCE
{ETHAN POV}Five days.It’s been five days since Maya walked out of my hotel room, and I’m losing my mind.No calls. No texts. Complete radio silence.I’ve tried everything. I’ve sent apology messages that go unanswered. I’ve shown up at Sterling Industries only to be told by Sophie that Maya isn’t available. I’ve even considered camping outside her apartment, but that crosses the line from desperate into stalker territory.So I wait. And I’m terrible at waiting.“You look like hell,” Derek says, dropping into the chair across from my desk, He came to San Francisco yesterday.“Thanks. That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”“When’s the last time you slept?”I don’t answer because I don’t actually remember. Two days ago? Three?“Ethan, you can’t keep doing this to yourself.” He leans forward. “Maybe it’s time to accept that she needs more than a few days. Maybe she needs—”“Don’t.” I cut him off. “Don’t say it’s over. It’s not over.”“I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say maybe
I’m Back, Mr. CEO BOOK 3 - CHAPTER 39: THE BUSINESS REVELATION
{MAYA POV}I discovered it by accident.I’m in Ethan’s hotel room—he insisted on keeping it even though he’s been staying at my place most nights—looking for my phone charger that I left here yesterday. He’s in the shower, singing off-key to something I don’t recognize, and I’m rummaging through his messenger bag trying to find the charger before my phone dies completely.That’s when I see the folder.It’s not hidden, exactly. Just sitting there among his other work documents. But the label catches my eye: “Phoenix Tech - Q3 Financial Report.”I shouldn’t look. I know I shouldn’t.But curiosity wins.I pull out the folder and open it.The numbers don’t make sense at first. My brain refuses to process what I’m seeing. Revenue figures with too many zeros. Asset valuations that can’t possibly be right. Investment portfolios that would make even established companies jealous.Phoenix Tech isn’t a small startup.It’s a multi-million dollar tech company.I flip through page after page, my h
I’m Back, Mr. CEO BOOK 3 - CHAPTER 38: The Confession to the Uncle
It’s not a request.I follow him out to the hallway, my heart pounding. He closes Maya’s apartment door behind us and turns to face me.“Who are you really?” he asks without preamble.“I told you. Ethan James.”“Don’t insult my intelligence. I’ve been watching you since you walked into that room. The way you carry yourself. The way you look at Maya. This isn’t new for you.” He steps closer. “You know her. From before.”I don’t answer. Can’t answer.“I knew it.” His voice is low, dangerous. “You’re him, aren’t you? The boy from that summer. Ethan Moore.”The name hangs between us like an accusation.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”“Yes, you do. I helped raise Maya after the accident. I was there when she woke up in the hospital with no memory of that summer. I was there when her mother burned all the photos of you to protect her from your family’s legacy.” His jaw clenches. “And now here you are, years later, pretending to be someone else, playing games with her heart.”“I’m
I’m Back, Mr. CEO BOOK 3 - CHAPTER 37: THE UNCLE’S SUSPICION
I wake up to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows and Maya’s head on my chest.For a moment, I just lie there, memorizing this. The weight of her against me. The soft sound of her breathing. The way her hand rests over my heart like she’s claiming it.Last night was perfect. More than perfect. It was everything I’ve dreamed about for fifteen years.And I’m still lying to her.The guilt sits heavy in my stomach, but I push it down. Just a little longer. Just until I figure out how to tell her the truth without losing her.Maya stirs, her eyes fluttering open. When she sees me, she smiles—a real, genuine smile that makes my chest ache.“Morning,” she murmurs.“Morning. Sleep well?”“Better than I have in years.” She stretches, catlike, and I’m very aware that she’s still naked under these sheets. “What time is it?”I check my phone on the nightstand. “Eight thirty.”“Mmm. We should get up. I have a meeting at eleven.” But she makes no move to leave the bed.“We have time.”She
I’m Back, Mr. CEO BOOK 3 - CHAPTER 36: THE DEEPENING RELATIONSHIP
{ETHAN POV}Three days have passed since Maya’s trip to Portland, and something has shifted.She came back different. Quieter, maybe. More thoughtful. For the first day, I was terrified she’d figured something out, that her mother had told her everything. But then she showed up at our usual coffee shop, smiled at me like nothing had changed, and asked about the new project timeline.No questions about my past. No suspicious looks. No interrogations.Just Maya, settling back into the rhythm we’d built together.Whatever she learned in Portland, whatever she was searching for, she seems to have let it go.I should be relieved. Instead, I’m terrified that I’m running out of time.“You’re doing it again,” Maya says, pulling me from my thoughts.We’re in her apartment—our first time here together outside of work emergencies. She invited me over for dinner, said she wanted to cook for me as a thank you for the planetarium date. I offered to help, but she banished me to the couch with a glas
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