All Chapters of He was never mine: Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

207 Chapters

The Arrival

Wyatt’s POVI stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door softly behind me.I walked toward the kitchen, dragged a hand down my face, then dialed Marcus again.He picked up immediately. “Your engagement photos hit New York an hour ago.”I stared out at the city below. “How bad is it?”“Finance blogs picked it up first. Fashion blogs are worse.” I heard keyboard clicks on his side. “Monochrome and Kane Ventures are trending together.”“I expected that.”“You think Richard’s seen it yet?”My jaw tightened. “I told him before I proposed.”Marcus went quiet.“And?”“He gave me his blessing.”He paused, longer this time. “What about Nathaniel and Celeste?”I opened one of the fashion articles on my phone. Photos from outside the restaurant filled the screen. Avery beside me, laughing at something I’d said, the ring catching the camera flash.One specific picture made my chest tighten. She looked…happy, unaware of what was waiting in New York.“I don’t think they know who she is yet,” I

Familiar

Avery’s POV"Wyatt," I said again, sharper this time. "What is it?"He kept staring across the terminal. A vein jumped in his jaw. My eyes followed his line of sight, but before I could see who he was looking at, Wyatt stepped in front of me and took my bag from my hand. "Change of plans," he said."What?""We're using another exit."He kept walking, not once did he look back. That alone made my stomach dropped. Wyatt has always been in control of situations, but this felt different as if whatever he saw across that terminal had unsettled him enough to change exit in seconds. His warm hand found a small place at my back and guided me the opposite way. I glanced behind us, trying to catch another look but got nothing. Just travelers dragging suitcases across the pathway and security moving near the entrance. Still, the tension rolling off him was impossible to miss. Even his hand against my back felt firmer than usual.Elise and the rest of the team caught up behind us, looking

Monochrome In New York

Avery’s POVI heard the last few words in the hallway and stopped listening.I turned quietly and went back to the bedroom. I pulled the duvet up and closed my eyes. He came back maybe ten minutes later. The mattress shifted. His arm came around my waist and pulled me closer with the ease of someone who'd done it a hundred times. I moved into him and felt him exhale slowly against the back of my neck.I told myself I'd think about it tomorrow. Then I fell asleep.I woke up to New York light cutting through the curtains. Wyatt was already up. I could hear movement from the kitchen.I thought briefly about what I'd heard in the hallway. “…she still doesn't remember anything, I'm going to keep it that way.”and then I pushed it aside. It made no sense without context, and Wyatt had never given me any reason not to trust him. The kitchen smelled like coffee. Wyatt stood at the counter, already dressed and put together while I was still in the oversized shirt I’d slept in, hair loose.

New York Say Yes

Avery’s POVThe showroom was already busy before nine in the morning when I entered.Phones ringing, garment bags moving across the floor, assistants rushing with racks while photographers argued over lighting near the bridal display.Somewhere in the middle of it, a stylist walked in without an appointment and announced she needed pieces for Vogue.Nobody even questioned letting her in.By ten in the morning, the showroom barely had room to breathe.A bridal stylist argued with one of the assistants over garment priority while two influencers filmed content near the jewelry displays as if they already owned the space.Someone from a luxury department store requested a private walkthrough for next week. Another wanted first access to three bridal designs before the collection officially launched.Everywhere I turned, somebody needed an answer from me.Either measurements, approvals, or press confirmations.New York had stopped treating Monochrome like a visiting brand. It was taking

Back Early

Wyatt’s POVMy phone lit up on the conference table beside the files. Avery’s name flashed across the screen. I picked it up and stepped out of the room without a word. The lawyers kept talking behind me.The hallway was quieter. I answered before the second ring."Hey, babe."Her voice was warm and a little breathless. “How are you? How’s California?”“Tell me the good news first,” I said, leaning against the wall.A laugh slipped out on her end. “I haven’t even said I have good news yet.”"You called me in the middle of a meeting with that voice." I smiled. "You have good news."“What voice?” she asked, amused.“The one that means something good happened.”“I’m not telling you on the phone then.”I exhaled through my nose. "Avery."“You’ll have to wait,” she said, sounding like she was enjoying every bit of it. I could hear the smile in her voice."I'll tell you when you're back," she said."That could be days.""Then I guess you'll wait days."I went back into the conference room

The List

Wyatt’s POVI'd been awake since four.I lay still thinking about the gala, thinking through every possible way that night could go wrong.Nate in the same room with Avery was bad enough already. Avery shifted beside me. Her arm came across my chest. She murmured something that wasn’t quite a word and pulled herself closer without waking up. Her breathing evened out again within seconds.She had no idea. She was warm and happy and excited about an invitation she’d earned. And she had absolutely no idea.Fuck.She woke up in a good mood. She got ready faster than usual, talked more, and laughed at small things. I sat at the edge of the bed pulling on my watch when she came to stand between my legs, tablet in one hand, already running through the showroom schedule out loud.The conversation somehow moved to the gala.She’d been sketching the night before. Dress silhouettes in the margins of her work notes. She turned the tablet toward me and showed me one. It was very Monochrome. “W

Promise me

Avery’s POV"We have four same-day fitting requests," Elise announced the moment I walked through the door. No good morning.I set my bag down. "From?" “Manhattan socialites who saw the magazine preview last night and apparently all woke up this morning deciding they had nothing to wear to the gala.”I looked around the showroom, already calculating. “All four want something by tomorrow?”“All four want something by this afternoon.”I looked at her. “We do bridal, Elise. Not gala.”She gave me a look that said she was fully aware of that. “I told them twice.”“And?”“They don’t want to hear it.” She held up her tablet. “They just want a dress for tomorrow evening and they’ve decided Monochrome is making it.”I let out a deep breath. “Tell the first two we can accommodate with what we have and adjust. The other two go on the emergency alteration list with a rush fee.”“The rush fee…”“Double,” I said. “Non-negotiable.”Elise was already typing. “California confirmed three new retail

The Gala

Wyatt’s POV“Babe.” I looked toward the stairs. “We’re going to be late.”Her voice echoed down from the bedroom. “Relax. Fashionably late exists for a reason.”I exhaled through my nose and looked at my phone. Then I heard her on the stairs and I turned.She appeared at the top of the stairs and every thought in my head disappeared immediately. I’d seen the dress hanging in the bathroom. I’d even seen her try it briefly yesterday but none of that came close to what I was seeing now. The gown hugged every curve of her body before falling smoothly against her legs with every step she took. The slit revealed enough of her thigh to make my jaw tightened immediately. Her makeup was soft, not overpowering her face. And her hair, damn it…It was pinned up loosely enough to expose the line of her neck and shoulders while soft strands framed her face perfectly. She looked elegant, expensive, completely way out of my league.And every man at that gala was about to look at her. The realiza

Stranger Says My Name

Avery’s POVBy the first hour of the gala, I understood why people called rooms like this dangerous.Not because of the money, not because of the power.Because attention in rooms like this could change everything.I’d barely finished one conversation before another person approached me. A fashion editor wanted to talk about the bridal feature running next week. A luxury buyer from Chicago asked whether Monochrome planned to expand into evening wear. And somehow my dress had become part of almost every conversation.“Who designed it?”“How long did this take?”“Wait, you made this yourself?”I answered the questions with a smile, still trying to get used to hearing Monochrome spoken rooms like this.One woman asked for my card before our conversation even ended.Another quietly said, “You’re going to be impossible to book next year.”I laughed at that. My gaze shifted to Wyatt. He was quieter than he’d been in the car. I noticed it within minutes of us arriving. His hand at my wa

Collision

Avery's POV“Avery,” he said again, quieter this time.He said my real name carefully again, like he was afraid I would disappear if he said it too fast. His eyes searched my face over and over, desperately, trying to convince himself I was actually standing here.Then he took a small step toward me.“Where have you been?” His voice cracked. “I looked everywhere for you.”He dragged a hand across his face roughly before looking back at me again.“Jesus Christ,” he muttered under his breath, still staring at me, he couldn’t believe this was real.A cold feeling slowly spread through my chest.I frowned slightly. “I’m sorry… Do I know you?”He went completely still and stunned. The look on his face cracked something uneasy in me. He let out a rough breath, as if the words had knocked some air out of him. “What?”“I don’t think we’ve met, have we?” I tightened my grip around the champagne glass. He stared at me in complete disbelief before he shook his head.“Avery, stop.” His voic

...

16 17 18 19 20 21

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP