All Chapters of I’m Back, Mr. CEO : Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

“Of course. Hold on.” There’s a pause, muffled voices, and then Ethan comes on.“Mom? Is everything okay?”“Yeah, baby. Everything’s fine. I just wanted to hear your voice. Are you having fun?”“Yeah, we’re playing video games. Ryan has the new one I wanted.” He pauses. “You sound weird. What’s wrong?”Too perceptive for his own good.“Nothing’s wrong right now. But when you come home tomorrow, we need to talk about something. About your dad.”“Is he sick again?”“No, nothing like that. It’s, complicated. But we’ll talk about it when you get home, okay? I don’t want you to worry.”“Mom, you’re scaring me.”I close my eyes, hating this. “Your dad is having some problems with work. Legal problems. It’s going to be on the news, and I wanted you to hear it from me first, but I think it’s better if we talk about it in person.”Silence. Then: “Is he going to jail?”“I don’t know yet, baby. Maybe. It depends on a lot of things.”More silence. “Okay.”“Are you okay?”“I guess. I mean, I barel

“If Serena’s okay with it. If Ethan wants it. I know Adrian’s still his biological father, even if he’s going to be in prison for the foreseeable future. But I want Ethan to know he has someone who’s committed. Someone who’s not going anywhere.”Clara is full-on crying now. “Okay, I take back every time I was suspicious of you when you first started dating her. You’re officially the best thing that’s ever happened to my best friend.”“I’m trying to be.”She wipes her eyes, composing herself. “Okay. Okay. So we have three weeks. Here’s what we’re going to do.” She’s back in planning mode, scrolling through her phone. “First, you talk to Ethan. Get him involved. Maybe he can help you plan something special. Kids love being part of big moments.”“Okay.”“Second, you need to tell your family. At least Sarah. This is her wedding weekend, you need to make sure she’s okay with you proposing during her celebration.”“I already talked to Sarah. She’s thrilled. Said something about it being rom

**SERENA POV****Sarah’s Wedding Weekend - Sunday Morning**The vineyard is breathtaking in the morning light.Yesterday’s wedding was perfect, Sarah glowing in her dress, her fiancé crying when she walked down the aisle, the whole thing so full of love and joy it made my chest ache in the best way. Now it’s Sunday morning, the day after, and most of the family is gathering for brunch before everyone heads home.I’m getting dressed in our room at the vineyard’s inn, pulling on a simple sundress that Lucas complimented when I packed it. The morning air is crisp with autumn, and I can see the rolling hills of grape vines from our window, leaves turning gold and crimson.“Mom, are you almost ready?” Ethan bursts through the connecting door between our rooms. He’s been weirdly energetic all weekend, practically bouncing with excitement. “Lucas said we should go down soon.”“Almost, baby. Give me five minutes.” I’m doing my makeup, keeping it light and natural. “You seem excited about brun

**SERENA POV****Two Years Later**The house is chaotic.“Mom! Have you seen my soccer cleats?”“Ethan, they’re by the door where you left them yesterday!” I’m in the kitchen, trying to finish frosting a cake while simultaneously reviewing designs on my tablet.“Found them!” Ethan races past, now eleven years old and somehow even more energetic than before. “Dad! We’re going to be late!”“I’m coming!” Lucas appears, carrying our daughter Grace on his hip. She’s ten months old, all curly dark hair and her father’s eyes, currently trying to grab his glasses. “Someone had a diaper emergency.”“Someone always has a diaper emergency,” I say, but I’m smiling as I take her from him. “Hi, baby girl. Are you making trouble for Daddy?”Grace babbles something that might be words and probably isn’t, her tiny hand reaching for my necklace, a present from Lucas on our wedding day.“Okay, Operation Saturday is in full effect,” Lucas announces, checking his watch. “Ethan, soccer practice at ten. Gra

{ETHAN’S POV}The conference room smells like expensive cologne and desperation.I’m pretending to listen to Jenkins drone on about quarterly projections, but my mind’s somewhere else. Somewhere it shouldn’t be. My phone’s face down on the table, screen dark, but I can feel it there. Waiting. Mocking me.Three days since I saw her picture. Three days of no sleep and too much coffee and this gnawing thing in my chest that won’t let me breathe right.“Moore, you with us?”I blink. Jenkins is staring at me, bushy eyebrows raised like caterpillars having a conversation. The rest of the board members are watching too, various states of concern and irritation on their faces.“Yeah. Sorry.” I straighten in my chair, force myself to focus. “Continue.”Jenkins clears his throat, clearly annoyed, and goes back to his presentation. Numbers flash on the screen. Revenue streams, market analysis, competitor movements. I should care. This is my company. My baby. Built from the ground up with nothing