All Chapters of Too Late To Want Me Back: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

28 Chapters

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I sat in the backseat, watching a live broadcast outside Barley Group headquarters. Reporters packed the entrance, but it was the woman appearing in the split-screen interview who caught my attention.Selena stood before a wall of journalists, looking small, composed, and just vulnerable enough to win sympathy."Divorce is an incredibly painful process for everyone involved. I truly hope Bianca finds peace, rather than letting hurt feelings disrupt corporate families. We only want what is best for her."The feed instantly cut to Eleanor Brown, who pushed past a reporter with a cold sneer."The Barleys may have money, but they clearly don't have class," Eleanor snapped. "My son made a grave mistake marrying beneath him. Last night was nothing more than a desperate public tantrum from a bitter woman.""They're completely flipping the narrative," Camille said from beside me, her voice sharp as she stared at her own device. "By noon, half of New York will think last night's maritime block

CHAPTER TWELVE

The boardroom fell silent. I didn't answer Lawrence immediately. Instead, I crossed the room, the click of my heels echoing against the granite floor. All the directors watched as I made my way to the far end of the table.Camille sat halfway down the right side, her tablet resting in front of her. Her expression gave nothing away, but the tension in her jaw was impossible to miss.I stopped at the head of the table opposite my uncle and pulled out the leather chair, but didn't sit. Instead, I rested my hands on the table and leaned forward slightly."You object to my presence, Uncle Lawrence?" I asked, my voice calm. "The bylaws state that every direct heir holds a permanent seat on this council. Are you suggesting your personal opinion outweighs the founding charter of the Barley Group?"Lawrence leaned back in his chair, a faint smile touching his lips."Let's not hide behind legalities, Bianca," Lawrence said, his tone calm and measured. We are a legacy firm managing tens of billi

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER THIRTEENThe heavy silence of the boardroom vanished the moment I stepped back into the penthouse corridor, replaced by the suffocating weight of reality. A legacy empire now rested on a single contract, and the city's most ruthless billionaire was already moving to take it from me."You handled Lawrence well." Camille's voice cut through the quiet hallway as she fell into step beside me. Her expression remained impassive, her arms crossed tightly over her chest."But don't mistake six rebellious directors for a shield, Bianca. My father has forty years of institutional loyalty behind him. If you don't show a significant surge in public confidence by the end of the week, those same six votes will swing back to him.""I don't need a shield, Camille," I said, continuing toward the executive elevator. "I just needed a foothold.""Then move fast, because the Browns aren't just fighting a PR war anymore."The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped inside alone. The high-speed desc

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The rain drummed against the roof of the SUV, filling the silence between us. I studied Enzo carefully. He didn't seem remotely bothered by my attention. He sat there with the quiet confidence of a man accustomed to getting his way, his dark eyes meeting mine without the slightest hint of discomfort."Curiosity is an expensive habit for a man in your position, Mr. Davenport," I said, matching his calm tone. "Especially when it involves pulling into a private garage."A faint smile touched his mouth."An investment, Miss Barley, not a habit." He settled back against the seat."And the Davenport Group doesn't consider the current version of Brown Holdings a competitor. Dominic is reacting to pressure. A man who starts making decisions out of panic is already losing." I held his gaze."And what about me?" I asked, leaning slightly forward. "Am I making decisions out of panic?"Enzo's gaze followed my movement, steady and unreadable. Unlike Lawrence or Dominic, he wasn't looking down on m

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Barley mansion. Bianca sat upright at her grandfather's desk, the glow of her laptop reflecting in her eyes. On the screen, a line graph bled red. The Barley Group's stock had dropped by 4% in less than 3 hours."Barley Heiress Incompetent? Sudden Regulatory Freeze Halts Major Maritime Fleet," the financial headlines screamed.Bianca gripped the desk until her knuckles turned white, and right now she was surrounded by sharks. The strategy meeting she called yesterday in her private apartment had been a trap. She’d deliberately leaked false details about a supposed weakness in their upcoming maritime contract, sharing it only with her inner circle: Olivia, Camille, and Margaret. She expected a slow, calculated response from her enemies, something she could easily counter. Instead, she had badly underestimated Selena’s desperation.Selena hadn't used the information to plan a boardroom coup. Afraid of losing Dominic to the newly e

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The early morning sun barely cut through the thick New York fog when Bianca’s phone buzzed on her vanity table. She was already dressed in a sharp charcoal-grey pantsuit, hair pulled back in a tight chignon. She stared at her laptop screen, jaw clenched, watching the red lines of the pre-market stock drop stare right back.She picked up on the first ring, expecting an update from her legal team. "Bianca Barley.""First off, stop sounding like a corporate robot before I come over there. " Olivia’s voice burst through the speaker. "Second, have you seen the news? They're acting like a four percent drop means the world is ending or something. I swear, these financial journalists are so overdramatic for my liking.A sudden laugh slipped out of Bianca, easing her chest just a little. "Olivia, Uncle Lawrence called an emergency meeting. He’s trying to strip my powers.""Oh, please. Lawrence couldn't run a lemonade stand without stopping to admire himself in the pitcher," Olivia scoffed, mak

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The door to her private office clicked shut, cutting off the noise from the corporate floor. Olivia had gone to finalize the press release with PR. The shareholders had left, and this battle was over.Bianca stood alone in the middle of the room. She walked slowly back to her desk. Her knees suddenly felt weak. When she tried to set her empty coffee cup down, it shook loudly against the glass, and her hands were shaking.Bianca pulled her hands back and pressed them against her chest, but the shaking didn't stop. It spread up her arms, tightening her throat until her breathing turned shallow. She sank into the leather chair and stared at the desk.You're an amateur, Bianca. You're just a placeholder with a famous last name.Dominic's voice echoed in her head, so clear it made her shake. For six years, he had fed her those words, over breakfast, in their bedroom, before high-society events.You're a convenience. If you ever try to stand on your own, the world will tear you apart.Today

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The crystal chandelier cast cold light across the dining table in the Brown estate. The table was set for three. Dominic chewed a bite of roasted duck, but he barely tasted it."The seasoning is off," Eleanor said, setting down her wine glass. "Bianca always made sure the kitchen used fresh herbs. Everything feels so disorganized now."Dominic didn't respond.A headache had been building behind his eyes since mid-afternoon. Enzo Davenport's latest move had frozen three of Brown Holdings' main distribution routes, leaving millions of dollars tied up overnight.Earlier, when he went to his study to review the contract clauses, he had spent two hours digging through disorganized files.For six years, everything had simply appeared on his desk, organized, cross-referenced, and marked with neat notes. Now everything was different."If the food isn't to your liking, Eleanor, you could instruct the staff instead of complaining," Selena said, her voice tight.She sat across from Dominic in an

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The sun wasn't even up when Bianca's phone started buzzing on her bedside table. Half-awake, she reached for it and squinted at the screen. Thirty-two missed calls from Margaret, dozens of press alerts, and one text from an unknown number.Check the business tabloids. A knot formed in her stomach as she opened the first link.The headline in the New York Financial Ledger was brutal: VINDICTIVE DIVORCEE OR CORPORATE LEADER? HOW BIANCA BARLEY IS SABOTAGING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR REVENGE.The article was written with cold precision. It ignored the facts. Instead, it painted her as a bitter, unstable ex-wife who stayed quiet for six years, then used the Barley Group to throw a massive post-divorce tantrum. Worse, it dragged Enzo Davenport into the story.He was described as a shady billionaire helping Bianca squeeze New York's distribution network, all for the sake of getting back at Dominic Brown.By the time Bianca dressed and reached the Barley building, the atmosphere was filled with pan

CHAPTER TWENTY

The executive garage beneath Barley Group headquarters was nearly empty, quiet except for the hum of overhead lights. Enzo parked the sedan and cut the engine, but he didn't unlock the doors right away.Instead, he turned toward Bianca. His gaze settled on her, steady and focused, as if he needed to make sure he had her full attention before he spoke."I won't step inside that room," Enzo said. "Your uncle is waiting for me to do exactly that so he can claim you're dependent on Davenport capital to survive. But I will be right outside. Remember who you are, Bianca. You are a Barley."Bianca took a deep, steadying breath, her fingers loosening their white-knuckled grip on her handbag. "Thank you," she murmured.When she stepped onto the executive floor, the boardroom doors were shut, but standing just outside them was her cousin. Camille’s face was pale, her fingers flying across her phone as she tracked the digital fallout. "The leak came from a boutique firm on Selena's payroll," Ca

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