All Chapters of Coming Back, To Say Goodbye!: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

“It was a masterpiece of self-destruction.”The Merrick estate began the morning in deceptive silence. Nadine sat at the breakfast table, cool light falling across her tailored blazer, and for one fleeting moment let herself feel calm with the small ritual of coffee.The peace lasted exactly as long as it took Henry Merrick to fold down his newspaper.“So,” Henry began, his voice dry as aged paper, hawk eyes flicking to Adrian. “Has the Chairman’s Proxy decided which fire to put out first, or are we still staring at spreadsheets in the dark?”Nadine sighed, jasmine perfume carrying a trace of her irritation. “Father, please. Save the interrogations for the office. It’s barely seven.”Henry’s smirk was thin and predatory, his gaze lingering on the charcoal bespoke suit Nadine had chosen as Adrian’s armor. “I suppose the presentation will speak for itself. I hope the strategy is as sharp as your suit today.”The rest of breakfast passed in watchful silence. When it was time to leave, Ad

“If you don't mind, can we meet after my office hours, around 6 PM, at Le Petit Café?”At 4:30 PM, Nadine Merrick's phone chimed with a soft, melodic notification. A text from Olivia Wilson."I'm a little nervous about today, Nadine. But since Le Petit Café is right in the middle of the street food district, I wanted to bring you my favorite local snack to try! See you at 6:00?"A bitter smile touched Nadine's lips. In her past life, she had treated Olivia's kindness as a weakness to exploit. She had used Alexander's obsession to trap them both, doing whatever it took to keep Adrian for herself. "You're too pure for this world, Olie," Nadine whispered to the empty room, and typed back a yes.In the glass window, her reflection showed the sharp lines of the Iron Lady. But underneath the armor, she was already mourning the life she was giving away, so Olivia and Adrian could find their way back to each other.*****Across the city that same morning, Alexander Barrett was draped across

"So this is where you ran off to after rejecting my five-star lunch invitation!"Ten minutes earlier, Alex's phone had buzzed for the third time with a demanding vibration from Will. The East District was a maze his luxury GPS refused to navigate.I'm near the market entrance, Will. The car won't make it through this crowd. I'll wait at the corner café.His silk shirt clung damp, cuffs stained with spicy peanut sauce. He'd spotted the weathered pine sign of Le Petit Café glowing under a streetlamp and started toward it.Through the glass, a familiar silhouette caught his eye. Nadine, At a corner table, her posture unusually relaxed. A decorative plant blocked the face of her companion.A slow, predatory smirk curved his mouth. Is she meeting that "little brother" again?He'd imagined the look on her face when he crashed her secret meeting, shifted the bags higher, and marched for the door.“Well, time to surprise her. I guess…”The chime rang as he stepped inside, chicory and toast

"So, Miss Angel's name is Olie?"Nadine stepped through the heavy front doors of the Merrick Estate, still turning over the collision of Alex and Olivia in her mind. The foyer was dim.Adrian arrived almost the same moment she did. They met at the front door."You're late, Nadine," Adrian said, his low baritone cutting through the silence of the hall. "A business meeting ran long, and I lost track of the hour," she replied, firm and practiced. Adrian's gaze dropped to the grease-stained parchment bag clutched tightly in her hand. "Why did you buy that?" Adrian asked, his tone sliding into a dangerous, suspicious register. "That's the signature snack from the East District market stall." He stepped closer, his broad frame casting a shadow over her as he searched her face for a lie.Nadine's heart skipped. She looked at her husband and saw a man who still, underneath it, viewed her as the enemy. "I was passing through the district and felt a craving," she lied, her voice softer than

Nadine sat behind her immaculate mahogany desk in her high-rise office, her eyes scanning the quarterly ledgers.Her phone chimed sharply against the polished wood.Nadine flinched, her heart hammering against her ribs with cold panic. Trouble. She snatched up the screen, bracing for a disaster alert about Case 1.Instead, a simple, unadorned message stared back at her: I got the deal.A breathless squeal slipped past her lips before she could catch it. The sudden, uncharacteristic sound made Anna flinch violently, dropping a red correction pen onto the audit papers."Miss Nadine?" Anna adjusted her glasses, staring in utter bewilderment.Nadine cleared her throat and typed back. Congratulations. I know you can do it. Report to Father immediately. Almost instantly, his reply lit up the screen: Thank you. I'm on my way to the office.Nadine stared at the glowing screen, warmth melting the ice around her heart. In their previous life, her phone had been a graveyard of unread messa