جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 80

~CELINE~The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the strange softness beneath me. This wasn't my small, lumpy mattress in the staff quarters. This was something else entirely….silk sheets that felt like water against my skin, a bed so large I could stretch my arms wide and still not reach the edges.The second thing I noticed was that I was completely naked.My eyes flew open, and the events of last night came rushing back like a tidal wave. The kitchen. Hunter's hands on my body. The way he'd looked at me like I was something precious. The way he'd made me feel things I'd never felt before.Oh God. What had I done?I pulled the sheet up to my chin, my cheeks burning with embarrassment and something else—a giddy happiness I couldn't quite contain. Despite everything, despite knowing this was mixed up and probably a mistake, I felt like a lovesick teenager who'd just had her first kiss.I couldn't help the giggle that escaped me as I buried my face in the sheet, breathing in Hu

~HUNTER~The gleaming facade of The Aurelia came into view as my driver pulled up to the main entrance. I straightened my tie and checked my watch…another routine inspection, but necessary to maintain the standards that had made this hotel one of the most prestigious in the city."I'm telling you, man, she was incredible," Vincent's voice drifted from beside me as he continued his story about last night's conquest. "Blonde, legs for days, and the way she moved on that dance floor…”"Spare me the details," I interrupted, though I couldn't help the small smirk that tugged at my lips. Vincent's weekend escapades were legendary and usually entertaining, but my mind was elsewhere this morning.All I could think about was the way Celine had looked at breakfast. The flush in her cheeks when I touched her thigh, the way her breath had caught when I whispered in her ear. The memory of her naked in my bed just hours earlier was enough to make my body respond even now."You're not even liste

~HUNTER~The house was quiet when I returned home that evening, most of the staff having finished their duties for the day. I'd spent the afternoon in meetings, trying to focus on business deals and investor presentations, but my mind kept drifting back to that glimpse of Celine and Caesar on their day out.The way she'd looked so carefree, so beautiful in that simple sundress. The pure joy on Caesar's face as he walked beside her. It had stirred something deep in my chest that I couldn't quite name.I loosened my tie as I climbed the stairs to my study, intending to review some contracts before dinner. But as I passed the servants' quarters wing, I heard something that made me stop.Soft singing, barely audible through the walls.Without thinking, I found myself walking toward the sound, my footsteps silent on the carpeted hallway. The voice was Celine's, gentle and melodic as she sang what sounded like a lullaby.I shouldn't be here. I knew that. But I couldn't make myself walk a

~CELINE~The morning air was cool against my skin as I knelt among the rose bushes, the dew still sticking to the petals like tiny diamonds. It was barely past sunrise, and the garden was peaceful in a way that made my heart feel lighter. This was my favorite time of day…when the world was quiet and I could pretend, just for a moment, that everything was simple.I had been awake since four, unable to sleep after what happened in the storage room three nights ago. Every time I closed my eyes, I could feel Hunter's hands on me and could hear his voice whispering my name in the darkness. The memory sent heat rushing through me even now, making my cheeks burn as I focused on pruning the climbing roses.The white roses were my favorites. They reminded me of the wedding dress I had dreamed of wearing someday, back when I still believed in fairy tales and happy endings. Now, at twenty-two with a three-year-old son and a heart full of impossible love, those dreams felt like they belonged

~HUNTER~Sleep had abandoned me hours ago.I had tried everything…counting sheep, reviewing quarterly reports in my head, even attempting that meditation technique Vincent swore by. Nothing worked. My mind kept circling back to the library, to soft lips and whispered promises, to the way Celine had looked at me like I was worth something more than my bank account.At 11:42 PM, I gave up and slipped out of my suite, bare feet silent on the marble floors. The mansion felt different at night—less charging, more like a home than a tombstone to Reid's family legacy. I headed toward the kitchen, thinking a glass of whiskey might finally quiet my restless thoughts.I knew Celine and Caesar lived in the staff quarters on the east wing, but they sometimes used the main kitchen when Sally wasn't around. I had noticed the pattern over the past few weeks—late-night trips for warm milk when the boy had nightmares.That's when I heard it.Soft giggles echoed from the kitchen, followed by Celine