Pustaka
Cari
Beranda / Romance / I’m Back, Mr. CEO / Chapter 25: The First Steps (Pt 2)

Share

Chapter 25: The First Steps (Pt 2)

Penulis: Sire Bliss
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-11-01 12:04:54

“Oh no! Are you okay, sweetheart? Did you have a tumble?” She held him close, checking him over. “You’re fine. You’re such a brave boy.”

Ethan clung to her. Not crying but accepting her comfort.

And something in my chest cracked.

“He was coming to me,” I said quietly.

“He was falling,” Vivian corrected. “I just caught him. Instinct. Any mother would have done the same.”

Any mother. She called herself a mother. To my son.

“Give him to me.”

“In a second. Let me just make sure he’s—”

“Now.” My voice was hard. “Give me my son now.”

Adrian stood. “Serena, she’s just helping—”

“She’s not helping. She’s inserting herself. Again. Like she’s been doing for a year. Taking over my son piece by piece while everyone pretends it’s normal.”

“You’re being dramatic—”

“Am I?” I looked at the camera, still recording. Good. Let them record this. “For a year I’ve watched Vivian play mother to my child. Feed him. Hold him. Call him sweet boy and little man like he’s hers. For a year I’ve stayed quiet becau
Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi
Bab Terkunci
Bab sebelumnya Bab selanjutnya

Bab terbaru

  • I’m Back, Mr. CEO    Chapter 99: The Seed of Doubt

    “Ethan, I don’t want you lying to your family—”“I’m not lying. I’m just not telling them everything.” He stood too. “Please. Even if it’s just fifteen minutes. Even if we have to pretend it’s an accident. I need this. I need you.”How could I say no to that?“Text me when you’re going to be somewhere,” I said quietly. “And if I can, I’ll try to be nearby. But Ethan, if anyone asks—”“I’ll say we ran into each other by accident. That it was just a coincidence.” He looked at me seriously. “I can keep a secret. I’ve been doing it for weeks already.”That made me sad. That my nine-year-old son had to keep secrets just to talk to his own mother.“Go,” I said gently. “Before she has a heart attack.”He hesitated, then quickly hugged me. Just three seconds, like at his birthday party. But it was enough.He ran back across the street to Mrs. Juan, who immediately started fussing over him.I watched them walk away, my coffee going cold in my hands, my heart full and breaking all at once.My p

  • I’m Back, Mr. CEO    Chapter 98: The Accidental Meeting

    **ETHAN’S POV**I told Dad I was going to the bookstore.It wasn’t exactly a lie. I was going to a bookstore. Just not the one near our house that he probably thought I meant.The one near ETHEREAL headquarters.I’d looked up the address online, and found a bookstore two blocks away. Close enough that maybe, if I was lucky, I’d run into her. Far enough that if anyone asked, I had a legitimate reason to be there.My nanny, Mrs. Juan, walked beside me, scrolling through her phone. She didn’t really pay attention to where we went as long as I stayed in sight and didn’t cause trouble.“Can we go to that one?” I pointed to the bookstore I’d researched. “It has a better graphic novel section.”She barely looked up. “Sure, honey. Whatever you want.”We went inside, and I pretended to browse while keeping one eye on the street outside. Watching for her. Hoping.I’d texted her yesterday: *Are you ever near the bookstore on Madison and 52nd? I go there sometimes.*She’d responded hours later: *

  • I’m Back, Mr. CEO    Chapter 97: Ethan’s outburst

    Vivian looked like he’d slapped her. “I do love you—”“You love the idea of me. The perfect family you could show off. But you don’t love me. Because if you loved me, you wouldn’t have taken my real mother away from me.” He pushed past her, ran upstairs.We heard his door slam.Vivian turned to me, tears streaming down her face. “Did you know? That he was calling her?”“No.” I sat down heavily. “I had no idea.”“We have to stop this. We have to take his phone, block her number—”“We can’t.” The words came out tired. Defeated. “If we do that, we’ll just push him further away. Make him want to talk to her more.”“So what? We just let her poison him against us?”“She’s not poisoning him.” I looked up at Vivian. “She’s telling him the truth. And we’re the ones who look like villains because we are the villains, Vivian. We did push her out. We did keep them apart. We did lie to him about what happened.”“We protected him—”“We protected ourselves.” I stood, walked to the window. “And now i

  • I’m Back, Mr. CEO    Chapter 96: The Sleepless Nights

    **Adrian POV**Three a.m.I’d been staring at the ceiling for two hours, listening to Vivian’s steady breathing beside me, counting the seconds until dawn.Sleep didn’t come anymore. Hadn’t for weeks.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Serena across the boardroom table during our project meetings. Cold. Distant. Professional to the point of cruelty. She’d look through me like I was invisible, like I was nothing more than a business associate she barely tolerated.I used to be her husband. The man she loved. The father of her child.Now I was just another name on a contract.I turned my head slightly, looked at Vivian sleeping peacefully. She’d come home from the auction last night furious, ranting about Serena’s audacity, the public humiliation, how she was going to make her pay.I hadn’t gone to the auction. Had been working late at the office, trying to salvage another client relationship. By the time I got home, Vivian was already in bed, but I could see she’d been crying. Her make

  • I’m Back, Mr. CEO    Chapter 95: Highest Bidder

    “Five hundred thousand.” I didn’t even blink. “And before you counter again, I should mention that I could go all night. Can you?”The auctioneer was watching us with wide eyes, clearly not sure if he should intervene or let this play out.Vivian’s hand trembled on her paddle. She looked at me, at the crowd watching, at the phones recording every moment.And she lowered her paddle.“Sold!” the auctioneer said quickly. “For five hundred thousand dollars to bidder sixty-seven!”Applause broke out, but it was uncomfortable, uncertain. Everyone had just witnessed a public humiliation disguised as a bidding war.I sat down, composed, while Vivian stood there frozen.Then she walked out of the row, through the crowd, straight toward me.Clara tensed beside me, but I remained seated, calm.Vivian stopped in front of me, close enough that only our immediate area could hear.“You think you’re so clever,” she hissed. “Humiliating me in public. Stealing Adrian’s clients. Playing games with my br

  • I’m Back, Mr. CEO    Chapter 94: The Charity Auction

    **Serena POV**The Metropolitan Museum was lit up like a jewel box, every chandelier blazing as New York’s elite gathered for the annual Children’s Education Charity Auction.I’d dressed for war. A floor-length emerald gown that had been featured in Vogue last month, diamonds at my throat and ears, my hair swept up in an elegant twist. I looked powerful. Untouchable. Exactly what I needed to be.Clara walked beside me as we entered, scanning the crowd. “Vivian’s here. Ten o’clock, near the champagne fountain.”I didn’t look immediately. Just took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, sipped it slowly, let her see me being completely unbothered by her presence.“She’s watching you,” Clara murmured. “And she looks tense.”Good. Let her be tense. I’d spent the past week preparing for her exposé, running background checks on myself, building defenses against attacks that might come. If she thought she had me rattled, she was in for a surprise.“Lucas is here too,” Clara added. “By t

Bab Lainnya

Anda juga akan menyukai

Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status