All Chapters of No Way to Win Me Back: Chapter 271 - Chapter 280

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

Celeste’s POVBy the time I crossed the street toward the art studio, the sun was already dipping toward evening, painting the buildings in soft ambRosemary Atelier’s windows glowed across from it, the only place where life made sense lately, despite the chaos knotted beneath everything.I spotted Molly first through the glass wall, sitting cross-legged on the floor, her tiny hands smudged with pastels.Her teacher knelt beside her, praising something she’d blended into a soft gradient.It made my chest warm, seeing her comfortable here.I was about to step inside when someone else walked out of the building.Gideon.He didn’t see me. His head was down, phone in one hand, keys in the other.He walked briskly toward a car parked down the street.I froze.Because the car, sleek black, tinted windows, polished almost aggressively, was familiar.Not intimately. But familiar in the way a silhouette in the dark feels familiar before your mind catches up.A luxury model. High-end. The kind o

Celeste’s POVSomething was wrong at Rosemary Atelier.Not in the loud, obvious way disasters announce themselves.This was quieter. Slower. Like a thread being pulled invisibly from the hem of a dress, nothing looked different at first, but I could feel the garment loosening around me.The first missing receipts, I blamed on fatigue.The misplaced materials, I blamed on inventory backlog.But when the login timestamps started showing activity at hours none of my staff worked… something in me tightened.Still, I said nothing.Because saying it out loud meant acknowledging that someone inside my atelier was working against us.I was in my office, sorting through gemstone reports when Grace knocked softly and stepped inside.Her eyes were swollen, like she’d been crying. Or not sleeping. Or both.“Celeste,” she said, closing the door behind her. “Before anything else… I’m sorry.”I blinked. It took me a beat to realize she meant the interview, the way she had stormed out, leaving me to p

Gideon’s POVThey were still inside.I knew the moment I stepped into the hallway and the lights were still on in the security room, the faint hum of monitors, the glow under the door.Celeste Sinclair and her perfect golden instincts… digging exactly where I didn’t need her to be.My pulse kicked.They found something.Not everything, they would’ve called me if it were everything, but enough to rattle them.Enough to push my timeline forward.I leaned against the wall for a breath, forcing myself to exhale. Panic was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Not when Vanessa was counting on me.Vanessa.God, even my teeth clenched when I said her name in my head.She had no idea what she did to me, how easily she could gut me with a sigh, a look, a single, “Gideon, this is your mess to clean.”She was carrying my child.Our child.And yet she still whispered about Damien Kent, who couldn’t even keep a company together, let alone a family.Damien who had everything handed to him and somehow remained

Celeste’s POVI didn’t realize how quiet the atelier had become until the door to the room clicked shut behind everyone.The silence that followed wasn’t peaceful, it felt suffocating, a cold hand clamped around my throat.The meeting was over, but the echoes of it stayed.Jenny’s sobs.Her voice cracking when she swore she hadn’t done anything.The way she looked at me as if I’d personally pushed her off a cliff.And I let her fall.Because I chose to believe evidence that felt wrong instead of trusting what I knew about her.I pressed my palms into the table, bowing my head. My reflection stared back from the polished surface with eyes too wide, too hollow, too ashamed.What the hell was I doing?For the past week, I had told myself I was being a responsible leader. Objective. Fair.But my chest felt bruised.A girl who adored me, who worshipped Rosemary, was breaking and I couldn’t do anything about it.I felt helpless.A soft knock came at the door, making me flinch.It was Jenny.