All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Secret Heirs : Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

~CELINE POV~Three weeks.It had been three weeks since Caroline's engagement party, and everything was falling apart.I sat on the bathroom floor with my phone, scrolling through the latest articles about my past. Someone had dug up photos of me working at the diner. Someone else had found records of my family's financial struggles. The comments were worse than ever."Looks like a gold digger from day one""Poor kid doesn't stand a chance with parents like these""Hunter Reid really knows how to pick them"My hands shook as I read each cruel word. I had promised Caroline I would stay off social media, but I couldn't help myself. Every day, I told myself I wouldn't look. Every day, I ended up here, crying over strangers' hatred.The stress was killing me. Literally.Last week, I had collapsed in the kitchen while making Caesar lunch. The sharp pain in my stomach had been so intense I couldn't breathe. Hunter had rushed me to the hospital, his face white with terror.Dr. Martinez ha

~CELINE POV~Mia sat silently through it all, her face carefully uninterested, occasionally sipping her mimosa but never speaking up to defend me."I see," I said quietly, setting down my fork. "Well, thank you for the... educational experience."I started to stand, but Margaret wasn't finished."Oh, don't leave yet, dear. We haven't even gotten to dessert. Besides, we're just trying to help. A little guidance from women who understand this world could be invaluable. Especially with a baby on the way."The mention of my pregnancy…Hunter's child…felt like a step too far."I appreciate your concern," I said, my voice steady despite the rage building in my chest, "but I think I understand this world perfectly well now."Margaret smiled wider, sensing weakness. "We're just looking out for Hunter, really. He's been through so much already. That awful situation with Sophia nearly destroyed him."My heart stopped. They were bringing up Hunter's ex, the woman who had cheated on him and then..

~HUNTER'S POV~I watched Celine sleep in the soft morning light filtering through our bedroom curtains. Her dark brown hair spread across the white pillowcase like spilled ink, and one hand rested protectively over her belly, where our baby grew.Beautiful. Peaceful. Safe.Everything hadn't been the same as yesterday.We had picked up Caesar from Caroline's apartment after leaving the Metropolitan Club. Frederick was waiting there too, his face heavy with the burden of apologizing that needed to be made."Hunter, I'm so sorry," he had said immediately. "Caroline told me what happened. If I had known what Eleanor was planning..."Caroline herself had been a mess of tears and guilt. She had thrown herself into Celine's arms the moment we walked through the door."I'm so stupid," she had sobbed against Celine's shoulder. "I thought she was finally ready to accept you.I would never have sent you there if I knew it was a trap."I had watched Celine comfort my cousin despite her pain, str

~CELINE'S POV~The boutique was the kind of place I would have walked past without a second glance six months ago. Now Caroline dragged me through its glass doors like she owned the building, which, knowing her family's connections, she probably did."You need new clothes," she announced, pulling me toward a rack of designer dresses. "Something that screams 'future Mrs. Reid' instead of 'borrowed from Caroline's closet.'"I touched the price tag on a simple black dress and nearly fainted. "Caroline, I have had enough, thanks to Hunter and I cannot afford...""My treat. Consider it an investment in your future happiness." She held up a sapphire blue dress against my frame. "Besides, after what Hunter did to Aunt Eleanor yesterday, you need armor for whatever comes next."My stomach twisted at the mention of Hunter’s Mother. "Tell me again what exactly happened in that conference room."Caroline's eyes lit up with wicked joy. "Oh, it was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Vincent said H

~CELINE'S POV~The first thing I noticed was his heartbeat against my back.Steady. Strong. Real.We were tangled together like we had been sleeping this way for years instead of surviving another war yesterday. His arm was a heavy anchor across my waist, and for once, the weight didn't feel like a cage…. it felt like coming home.I had never had a "morning after" that felt like this. Soft. Sacred. Like something worth protecting.The apartment was bathed in honey light, and I could hear the city waking up twenty stories below us. But up here, in this bed that smelled like our desperation and his cologne, the world felt small enough to hold in my cupped hands.I traced the scar on his forearm…the one he had gotten at twelve when he had tried to build Caroline a treehouse and nearly killed himself with power tools. He had told me that story last night, between kisses that tasted like oaths."You're thinking too loud," he murmured against my neck, his voice rough with sleep."How do