Semua Bab No Way to Win Me Back: Bab 261 - Bab 270

Celeste’s POVMolly’s little hand was wrapped so tightly around mine that her knuckles were turning white.“Aunt Celeste… are you sure Uncle Ry-Ry isn’t mad at me?” she asked for the fourth time that morning.I forced a smile that felt too tight. “Of course he’s not mad at you, sweetheart.”“Then why is he gone so much?”Why, indeed.How could I tell her it was because her grandfather was lying in a hospital bed with tubes strapped to him. Because Ryan hadn’t slept for more than a couple hours in three days and every second he wasn’t at Crown Luxe, he was at the hospital.But I couldn’t tell her any of that.“He’s helping his daddy with something important,” I said gently. “Grown-up stuff.”Molly squinted up at me. “Important like… saving the world?”I sighed and tugged one of her curls. “Yes. Exactly like saving the world.”She seemed satisfied with that, for about ten seconds.“Will he come to art class?”My heart squeezed. “Not today, baby.”She deflated like a balloon, dragging her

Celeste’s POVMaximilian was awake.That should’ve been good news.And it was, but the moment I saw Ryan step out of the hospital room, shoulders rigid, jaw clenched, eyes shadowed with something bleak… I knew the weight hadn’t lifted.It had only shifted.He rubbed a hand over his face as if trying to wipe exhaustion off his skin.“He’s stable,” he said. “Talking. Complaining. Threatening people. So—normal.”But his voice didn’t match the joke.Something inside him was splintering, and I could feel it like a trembling chord between us.“Ryan,” I said softly.He didn’t look at me.And that’s when I realized he needed something no hospital hallway, no boardroom, no emergency meeting could give him.He needed peace.I convinced him to finally go home and rest for the day, but I also knew that him being alone after this wasn’t the best option.So by the time evening fell, I had everything ready.On the rooftop of the building of Rosemary Atelier, strings of warm lights draped like stars c

Celeste’s POVRyan returned to Rosemary Atelier after a week and a half, and the moment he stepped through the glass doors, the entire studio seemed to breathe again.He looked exhausted, subtle shadows beneath his jade-green eyes, hair slightly overgrown at the sides, shirt sleeves pushed to his elbows as if he’d gotten dressed in a hurry. But he was here.Finally here.Before I could even take a full step toward him, a small whirlwind tackled him first.“Uncle Ry-Ry!”Molly crashed into him so hard he stumbled, letting out a breathless laugh as he scooped her up.Her tiny arms wrapped around his neck, squeezing like she never wanted to let go.“Hey, troublemaker,” he murmured, his voice thickening. “You grew taller. What have you been eating? Rockets?”She sniffled, actually sniffled, and pulled back with a pout. “You left. For so long. I thought you weren’t coming back.”My heart twisted.Ryan froze, eyes softening with something painfully raw. He pressed his forehead to hers, closi

Vanessa’s POVI adjusted the panel of my flowing cream blouse, smoothing the fabric over my belly.Nine months along, I’d barely slowed down, and if anything, the weight of this pregnancy had only sharpened my sense of purpose.It had only taken a few pictures of my baby bump to have Gideon giving me information again about when they were leaving to submit their jewelry.Pathetic, really, but it was necessary.I hadn’t realized how easy it would be to get my hands on Celeste’s submission.A few thousand dollars and you could make anyone do anything.The Paraiba had been replaced, of course.Our team swapped in the gem assigned to Crown Luxe a month ago, a stunning Mozambique tourmaline, perfectly suited to the submission.A few minor tweaks here and there to the layout, nothing revolutionary, but enough that anyone trying to claim plagiarism would immediately reveal their incompetence.I knew exactly how to position it. Celeste would never know until it was too late.I stepped into the

Ryan’s POVSince my father refused to stay in the hospital more than necessary, one of his rooms at the Edwards’ estate was turned into a proper hospital room where a private nurse took care of him all hours of the day.I walked down the corridor, palms still faintly stained with polishing residue from finishing the Paraiba redesign with Celeste last night.We submitted it hours ago, and part of me was still buzzing with pride at finishing it all within such a short time.The thought reminded me of the robbery. I had asked Celeste to report it, but we had been so busy with redesigning that none of us actually got around to doing it.I filed the thought at the back of my head for the moment.It required all of my attention to deal with my father, who had requested a “private talk.”And when Maximilian Edwards requested something, he didn’t mean it as a request.He was seated in the garden at the moment, a blanket across his lap, posture rigid as ever.His face looked thinner. His hair h