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Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Seven
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2025-11-21 10:24:33
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No Way to Win Me Back Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-Two
Ryan’s POVThe client picked the restaurant, some polished corner spot in Midtown where everything smelled like roasted hazelnuts and old money.He’d been buying from Crown Luxe for years, but this was the first time he’d specifically asked for me.Mr. Hargrove was the sort of man who wore understated wealth. The kind of clientele my father worshipped.I didn’t.But I respected their taste, and more importantly, they respected mine.“You’ve replaced your father quite fast,” Mr. Hargrove murmured as we nursed out drinks.“Replace? It’s just a temporary takeover. I’ll be stepping away the moment he’s back on his feet. Which can be any day now. He’s getting restless having to stay inside his estate.”I shook my head, remembering how he had shouted at me to let him out of the house the last time I’d gone to visit.“He must’ve been in quite a shock. With everything that came out about Steven,” Mr. Hargrove shook his head, “I don’t know about you, but I smell foul play.”I didn’t say anythin
No Way to Win Me Back Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-One
Celeste’s POVI was at the rooftop of Rosemary Atelier, finding solace after a long day.The conversation with Officer Raymond was still fresh in my mind, and what followed afterwards.It was all very confusing.I stood near the railing, fingers frozen around my phone, waiting.I had texted Ryan to meet me here a few minutes ago and sure enough, I heard footsteps.Ryan stepped out from the stairwell, still in his work clothes, hair slightly disheveled from a long day. His jade-green eyes softened immediately when he saw me.“Hey,” he said quietly.My chest tightened. “Hi.”For a moment, neither of us moved.It had only been a few days since the submission, an exhausting, frantic blur of carving, designing, running, panicking, but it felt like weeks.“You’re tired,” I said, finally stepping closer. “You look… it’s been rough, hasn’t it?”He exhaled, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Yeah. Crown Luxe hasn’t been… calm.”Ryan had become increasingly busy with Crown Luxe and I wondered what
No Way to Win Me Back Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy
Celeste’s POVFor the first time in three days, Rosemary Atelier was quiet.The kind of silence that settles only after surviving a storm.My body still carried the echo of the sleepless nights Ryan and I had poured into the Paraiba redesign.My fingers were raw from sanding metal, my head full of gemstones and sketches, but the moment my office door closed behind me, a very different weight settled over me.The Avalon Club list.I’d almost forgotten it existed.Almost.I opened my desk drawer, reached beneath the false bottom, and pulled out the envelope Officer Raymond had given me weeks ago.I’d locked it away the same night I caught Gideon trying to look at it, and the next day Grace had yelled at me for it, accusing me of paranoia, of letting past traumas distort my trust.We’d barely spoken since. The robbery had forced a temporary truce, but truce isn’t trust.It’s just a pause before the next battle.I slid the paper out and stared at the names.All these people who had worked
No Way to Win Me Back Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Nine
Ryan’s POVSince my father refused to stay in the hospital more than necessary, one of his rooms at the Edwards’ estate was turned into a proper hospital room where a private nurse took care of him all hours of the day.I walked down the corridor, palms still faintly stained with polishing residue from finishing the Paraiba redesign with Celeste last night.We submitted it hours ago, and part of me was still buzzing with pride at finishing it all within such a short time.The thought reminded me of the robbery. I had asked Celeste to report it, but we had been so busy with redesigning that none of us actually got around to doing it.I filed the thought at the back of my head for the moment.It required all of my attention to deal with my father, who had requested a “private talk.”And when Maximilian Edwards requested something, he didn’t mean it as a request.He was seated in the garden at the moment, a blanket across his lap, posture rigid as ever.His face looked thinner. His hair h
No Way to Win Me Back Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Eight
Celeste’s POVI hadn’t slept.Ryan hadn’t either.But as the final click of the stone into its setting echoed through the quiet workshop, a tremor went through me.It was relief, exhaustion, and pride, all tangled together.“It’s done,” I whispered.Ryan leaned over the bench, rubbing the back of his neck.“It’s beautiful, Cel.” His voice was rough from the sleepless night. “They can’t take this from us.”I looked at him, the stubble darkening his jaw, the tired jade of his eyes, the way he kept his hand near the piece as if protecting it.“We did it,” I said.His mouth lifted in a soft, worn-out smile. “Yeah. We did.”By the time we reached the International Jewelry Association headquarters, my nerves were humming.The Paraiba piece rested in Ryan’s hands like something sacred.Our guard walked three steps behind us, bandaged, still limping, refusing to let us come alone.I squeezed Ryan’s arm. “We’ll walk this inside, submit it, then breathe.”“Breathing sounds nice,” he muttered.In
No Way to Win Me Back Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Seven
Vanessa’s POVI adjusted the panel of my flowing cream blouse, smoothing the fabric over my belly.Nine months along, I’d barely slowed down, and if anything, the weight of this pregnancy had only sharpened my sense of purpose.It had only taken a few pictures of my baby bump to have Gideon giving me information again about when they were leaving to submit their jewelry.Pathetic, really, but it was necessary.I hadn’t realized how easy it would be to get my hands on Celeste’s submission.A few thousand dollars and you could make anyone do anything.The Paraiba had been replaced, of course.Our team swapped in the gem assigned to Crown Luxe a month ago, a stunning Mozambique tourmaline, perfectly suited to the submission.A few minor tweaks here and there to the layout, nothing revolutionary, but enough that anyone trying to claim plagiarism would immediately reveal their incompetence.I knew exactly how to position it. Celeste would never know until it was too late.I stepped into the
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