All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Secret Heirs : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

~HUNTER~The numbers on my laptop screen blur together. I rub my eyes, trying to focus on the Hong Kong deal, but my mind keeps drifting to last night.To Celine's wide eyes when she saw me. To the pink flush creeping up her neck. To the way she bit her lip before fleeing my room.A sharp knock breaks my concentration, followed immediately by my office door swinging open. Only one person enters my office without waiting for permission."Cousin dearest!" Caroline sings out, striding in as if she owns the place. "Still brooding, I see."I don't look up. "I'm busy.""You're always busy," she says, dropping gracefully into the chair across from my desk. "It's your default state of being."Vincent chuckles from the doorway. I hadn't noticed him following Caroline in. Great. A tag team."What part of 'busy' don't you understand?" I ask, typing furiously although the words make no sense.Caroline props her designer boots on the edge of my desk. I glare at her until she removes them, grinning

~HUNTER~"A little to the left," I direct, watching Vincent struggle with the string of lights. "No—my left, not yours."Vincent grunts, stretching to hang the lights along the cabin's wooden beams. "Since when did you become such a perfectionist about decorations?""I've always been a perfectionist," I reply, adjusting a vase of wildflowers on the dining table.The cabin smells of pine and the lasagna baking in the oven. Outside, the lake sparkles in the late afternoon sun, visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything looks perfect—which is exactly what I wanted.Vincent steps down from the ladder, wiping his hands on his jeans. "I still can't believe Hunter Reid is decorating a cabin for his maid's birthday."I shoot him a glare. "She's not just a maid.""Oh?" Vincent raises his eyebrows. "What is she, then?"I turn away, busying myself with straightening the already-straight place settings. "She's an employee who deserves recognition.""Right." Vincent's voice drips wi

~CELINE~I step back from the railing, my mind racing. Hunter planned my birthday celebration? The cold, distant man who barely acknowledges me at the mansion went to all this trouble?I need to think. I slip back inside the cabin quietly, careful not to wake Caesar who's still sound asleep on the couch. The soft glow from the fireplace casts dancing shadows across his peaceful face.Moving to the kitchen, I busy myself cleaning up the remaining cake plates, trying to process what I just heard. Why would Hunter do this? And why hide behind Caroline?The cabin door opens, and Caroline breezes in. "I'm heading back to the city now. You two okay here until I come back tomorrow morning?""Tomorrow morning?" I nearly drop the plate I'm holding. "I thought you were taking us back tonight."Caroline waves her hand dismissively. "Too late now. Caesar's already asleep, and it's a long drive. Besides," she lowers her voice, "the guest room is all made up for you two. Hunter will stay in the ma

~HUNTER~I walk back into the cabin, still dripping lake water. My breath catches when I see Celine. She's changed back into the black dress from last night—the one that follows every curve of her body like a whisper. Her hair is still damp, falling in loose waves around her shoulders. She looks like something from a dream I never knew I had.Caesar rushes past me, calling out to his mother. She turns, her eyes moving from her son to me, lingering briefly on my bare chest before darting away."He said you make the best pancakes," I find myself saying, tossing my wet shirt onto the couch. Caesar doesn't wait for us, scrambling toward the living room where his stuffed dinosaur from last night sits waiting.I move toward the kitchen where Celine is already working, the smell of coffee and pancake batter filling the air."You could have worn one of my shirts instead of that dress," I tell her, noticing how she hugs the wall when I reach for a mug from the cabinet."I'm comfortable in t

~HUNTER~"I need you to handle something."The words come out sharper than planned as I watch Celine across the hallway. Her eyes, those warm brown eyes that usually sparkle with life..look dull, the skin around them slightly puffy. Has she been crying? Because of what I said?A flash of guilt twists in my chest before I stamp it down. This is better for both of us."Couldn't one of the other maids handle it?" she asks, her voice flat."I want you to do it." My eyes never leave her face as I study those puffy eyes. Something in me wants to reach out, to brush my thumb across her cheek and ask what's wrong, even though I suspect I already know the answer."Anything else, sir?" The politeness in her tone is a wall between us…one I helped build."The Italian investors will be here tomorrow. I need the east wing guest rooms prepared to my exact specifications." I hand her a folder with detailed instructions. "And I want you to personally escort Signor Romano during his stay."Her eyes w