All Chapters of Mr. CEO Wants Me Back: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Lily's POV.I woke up to the sound of steady breathing beside me. The first thing I felt was warmth…his warmth. My heart pounded as my eyes fluttered open, and there he was.Ashton Carter. My boss. The ruthless CEO everyone feared. The man I had worked for, admired, and secretly loved for two years. And last night… last night, he was mine.I could hardly believe it.The memories hit me in waves…working late after the office emptied out, the unexpected invitation for drinks, the way my heart raced when he leaned in, his lips brushing against mine in the back seat of his car. His driver was right there in the front, but I barely had time to think before everything spiraled.And now, here we were.I turned my head slowly, careful not to wake him. He looked different in sleep…less cold, less terrifying. His dark lashes rested against his sharp cheekbones, his lips slightly parted. It felt surreal, like a dream I’d wake up from any moment.I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to giggle.How

Lily's POVTwo weeks later.A loud banging on the door jolted me from sleep.I sat up quickly, my heart pounding, my eyes struggling to adjust to the low light filtering through the curtains. The pounding continued, sharp and relentless.“Lily!” a deep voice boomed. “Open this door right now!”My landlord.Panic shot through me. I scrambled off the couch, my legs unsteady. The coffee table was littered with empty takeout containers, crumpled napkins, and half-empty cups. The air in the apartment was stale, thick with the scent of leftover food and something sour I didn’t want to identify.I rushed to the door, fumbling with the lock before yanking it open.My landlord, Mr. Harris, stood on the other side, his thick arms crossed over his chest, his expression tight with irritation. He was a large man in his late fifties, his face weathered from years of dealing with tenants like me…tenants who owed him money.“You’re two weeks late on rent,” he said, his voice edged with impatience. “I

Ashton's POV.I almost didn’t believe my eyes.Four years. Four damn years of searching, of frustration, of hitting dead ends. And now, here she was. Standing in the middle of the airport, looking even more breathtaking than I ever remembered.Lily.My chest tightened. I had imagined this moment a thousand times, but not like this. She wasn’t supposed to appear out of nowhere, dressed in that elegant suit, her hair neatly styled, confidence radiating off her like a shield. She wasn’t supposed to look right past me like I was a complete stranger.I barely heard my P.A. speaking beside me. My mind tuned out everything else…the purpose of my visit here, the men standing at my sides, the business associate we were waiting to receive. All of it blurred into the background the second I saw her.And then, my eyes shifted to the child holding her hand.A boy. No older than four.Something sharp lodged itself in my chest. I felt it in my throat, thick and suffocating. My brain scrambled for lo

Ashton’s POVI left the office earlier than usual.I couldn’t concentrate…not with her face burned into my brain. Lily. That name tasted like regret on my tongue now. Everything I touched in the boardroom today just felt... off. My assistant James had tried to run me through the usual updates: projections, expansion numbers, a new merger on the table.But I didn’t hear any of it.I had already told him, “Keep digging.” And he did. James wasn’t the type to ask questions. He showed up at my office around noon with a file in his hand and this look on his face like he knew the contents were about to wreck me.“She opened a fashion brand,” James said, setting the file down like it was a bomb. “Clothing and accessories. Online store first, then pop-ups. It picked up fast. Three years ago, she registered her company officially under Lily & Rae.”I didn’t say anything. I just sat there, staring at the papers. Photos of events, her logo on billboards, her standing beside some influencer I didn

Lily's POV"You got an invitation!" Dana's voice practically rang through the hallway as she stormed into my office, her heels clicking too fast, phone in one hand, tablet in the other. "From The Vanguard Circle, Lily. This is huge."I blinked at her, still half-focused on the mood board in front of me. "The what now?""The Vanguard Circle," she repeated, now dropping the tablet right in front of me. "You know, that ultra-exclusive quarterly event where the city’s top business names gather? Designers, tech leaders, investors, CEOs... and now, you."My eyes skimmed the screen. There it was, in bold text. My name. "Lily Evans, founder and CEO of Maison Evana, is cordially invited to the Vanguard Circle Business Brunch..."I didn’t finish reading. My heart was already thudding a little too fast. I hadn’t expected this. Not so soon. I'd only been back in the city for two weeks."I thought they only invited legacy names? People with connections and stocks and fancy degrees?" I asked, brows