All Chapters of No Way to Win Me Back: Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

Vanessa’s POV“Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Vanessa,” Maximilian said as he rose from his seat. “I’d appreciate it if you could keep your discovery of this misconduct to yourself while I deliberate over it.”“No need t—”I was clambering out of my seat when a sharp pain pierced my abdomen. He lurched forward, steadying me as I swayed. “Is it the, erm, the gestational micro…” he trailed off, clearing his throat. “Is the baby alright?”It took me a moment to realize he was talking about the disorder I made up when he ‘hit’ me with his car. Doubled over in pain, I wished I were only pretending. I shook my head, wincing as I straightened. “I think the stress of losing my job and being threatened with imprisonment got to me.”He threw a disapproving look at his daughter-in-law.“You don’t need to worry about any of that, Vanessa. Your job is safe.”I smiled, grateful tears gleaming in my eyes when all I wanted was to shoot Vivian a smirk.“Thank you, Maximilian. I can’t te

Ryan’s POVI took the stairs one at a time, the heat of my encounter with Celeste still burning inside of me.I wanted to tell her everything, but this was not the right time.I didn’t want to expose her to any more danger than she already was if even a single word got out of what I was planning with Michelle… and Katie I suppose.“There you are, Ryan!” Jenny’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts as I stepped inside the studio. “We have too much to do and too little time. Come help me out with this!”“Where do you need me?” I asked, putting all thoughts to the back of my head.“I want you to carefully take these pieces to the Visual Room where I’ve set up the camera. We’re just waiting for Grace to arrive and then we’ll be good to go!”“We’re using all of the pieces?” I asked, hand gently caressing the designs that Celeste worked on tirelessly.“We are,” Celeste’s voice interrupted. Her face was back to the indifferent mask she wore when she wanted people to believe she didn’t care.I k

Celeste’s POVI plastered on my calmest smile as Michelle stepped in, radiant and blinding in her tailored cream suit.“Rosemary!” she exclaimed, my alias on her lips like we were old friends. “You look absolutely stunning!”Her voice was honey and daggers.“Michelle,” I said, my tone smooth. “What a surprise.”She turned to him then.“Ryan,” she said with that soft, sugary drawl that made my skin crawl. “I’ve been trying to reach you all morning. You weren’t picking up.”Ryan froze. I saw his throat bob as he swallowed. His gaze darted from Michelle to me and back again.He looked like a guilty man caught between two fires.“I left my phone on my desk,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s been on silent. I’ve been busy all morning.”“Busy,” I repeated under my breath, feeling stupidly bitter.Michelle’s hand landed gently on his arm, the same arm he had wrapped around me earlier, when he dragged me to the studio because he wanted to “talk.”Something hot twisted in my ches

Vanessa’s POV“Do you want to lose your jobs?” I asked sweetly, my voice slicing through the design room.It made several of my team flinch but no one dared answer.A dozen terrified faces of junior designers stared back at me.They were all clutching their sketchpads with pencils trembling over half-finished renderings of necklaces, rings and bracelets that weren’t good enough.Not yet. Not until I said so.I rose from my chair. “Let’s go over this one more time,” I said, stopping behind a timid girl with blue-tinted glasses. “When I say use Rosemary’s concept, that doesn’t mean copy it.”She swallowed hard. “Y-yes, Miss Abrams.”“Good.” I plucked the sketch from her table and held it up. “This is Celeste’s magnolia pendant from her Spring Reverie line. I said keep the structure—the curvature of the petals, the weight of the metal—but change the flower. Make it an iris. More delicate. More sensual. We’re not thieves,” I said, letting a cruel smile curl my lips, “we’re inspired.”A ner

Ryan’s POVThe elevator doors opened with a soft chime, and the familiar scent of aged leather and cologne hit me.My father’s office.Every time I stepped into that place, it felt like walking into a museum.“Ryan,” my father’s voice carried before I even reached the door. “You’re early. Good.”He was standing behind his desk, hands clasped behind his back, looking out the window like a general surveying his empire.The city skyline gleamed under the noon sun, reflected in the glass towers that housed our rivals and our allies.“Didn’t want to waste your time,” I said, stepping inside.He turned, eyes sharp, smile thinner than the edge of a blade. “You’ve learned something from me after all.”I didn’t answer. The man loved to test how long it would take before someone blinked first.“I have an idea,” I said, keeping my tone steady. “For the engagement announcement.”That got his attention. “Go on.”“I think we should host a large-scale event. An engagement gala—no, bigger than that. A