All Chapters of I’m Back, Mr. CEO : Chapter 241 - Chapter 250

“I don’t even like Cameron that much. He’s strategic and helpful and he tried to warn me about you. But he’s not you.” I lean against him on the couch. “Nobody’s you.”He kisses the top of my head. “For the record, I’m not shutting down Phoenix Tech.”“What?”“I was going to. Had the papers drawn up and everything. But Derek talked me out of it. Said I’d built something good and I shouldn’t destroy it because of my mistakes.” He pauses. “He was right. Phoenix Tech can exist without being connected to you. I can work in tech without invading your space.”“I’m glad. You’re too good at this to walk away.”“So are we competitors again?”“Maybe. Or maybe, eventually, we can work together again. On something new. Something built on truth this time.”“I’d like that.”My phone buzzes. Sophie.Sophie: Please tell me you’re alive and you found him and you didn’t do anything crazy.Me: I’m alive. I found him. We’re talking.Sophie: TALKING?? Maya Sterling, I need details immediately.Me: Later.

PROLOGUE**SIX MONTHS AFTER THE PROMISE CEREMONY**She watches them through the office window.Maya and Ethan. Always Maya and Ethan. Like they’re one person instead of two. Like the world revolves around their perfect little love story.It makes her sick.She’s been watching for months now. Watching the way he looks at Maya like she hung the moon. The way he touches the small of her back when they walk. The way he laughs at her jokes, even the ones that aren’t funny.He never looks at anyone else that way.Not even her.“Are you coming to the meeting?” A voice startles her from her observations.She turns, forcing a smile. “Of course. Just checking on something.”The colleague nods and walks away, leaving her alone with her thoughts again. Her dangerous thoughts.She’s been Maya’s friend for years. Best friend, even. Stood by her through the bankruptcy trauma, through the memory loss, through the rebuilding of Sterling Industries from nothing. She was there when no one else was.And

I can’t focus on the quarterly reports in front of me. The numbers blur together, meaningless. My office feels too big, too exposed. All those windows I used to love, the floor-to-ceiling glass that overlooks the San Francisco skyline and makes me feel powerful, now they just make me feel watched.Sophie pokes her head in without knocking. She never knocks. “Okay, you’ve been staring at that same page for twenty minutes. What’s going on?”“Nothing.” The lie tastes bitter.“Maya.” She closes the door behind her, settling into the chair across from my desk. “I’ve known you for years. I know your ‘nothing’ face. That’s not it. This is your ‘the world is ending and I’m pretending it’s fine’ face.”I should tell her. Sophie’s my best friend, my COO, the person who’s had my back through everything. She deserves to know.But saying it out loud makes it real.“Someone left a box on our doorstep this morning.” The words come out flat. “Photos of Ethan and me. Taken over the past few weeks. We

I shouldn’t be out alone. I know this. Ethan made me promise after we told him about the photos, the flowers, the phone call. But it’s been three days of him hovering, Derek doing security sweeps of our house, Sophie treating me like I’m made of glass. I needed air. Space. Normalcy.So here I am at Whole Foods on a Tuesday afternoon, pretending my biggest concern is whether to buy organic blueberries or conventional ones.My phone buzzes. Ethan, probably. Checking in for the fifth time today.**E: Where are you?**I type back with one hand, balancing my basket in the other.**M: Grocery store. We’re out of coffee.****E: You went alone?****M: Sophie’s meeting ran late. I’m fine. It’s the middle of the day.****E: Maya.****M: I’m picking up your favorite snacks. The least you can do is not guilt trip me.**Three dots appear, disappear, appear again. Finally:**E: Be careful. I love you.****M: Love you too. Home in 30.**I pocket my phone, turning down the produce aisle. The store is

The walk from the beach to the parking lot feels like miles. Each step through the sand is heavier than the last. Sophie stays back, giving me space, but I can feel her watching. Making sure I’m okay.I’m not okay.Ethan doesn’t move as I approach. Just stands there, hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders tense. Even from a distance, I can see the worry etched into his face. The fear.He knows something’s wrong.When I’m close enough to see his eyes clearly, those dark eyes that have looked at me with nothing but love and honesty for months, I stop. Keep a few feet between us.“Maya.” My name comes out rough. “Baby, what happened? You’ve been gone for over two hours, you weren’t answering, I thought—”“I ran into Cameron.” The words cut him off. “At the grocery store.”His entire body goes rigid. “Did he hurt you? Touch you? I swear to God if he—”“No. Nothing like that.” I wrap my arms around myself. The wind off the ocean is cold. Or maybe that’s just me. “He talked to me. Showed me