Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 81 - Chapitre 90

~CELINE~The china clinked softly as I arranged the delicate teacups on the silver tray, my hands steadier than my nerves. Through the drawing room's open doors, I could hear the graceful chatter of Mrs. Eleanor Reid's afternoon gathering…a monthly torture session she insisted on hosting here rather than at her estate."It's tradition, darling," she had told Hunter when he had protested yesterday. "The Reid mansion has always been the center of proper society."What she meant was that she wanted to remind everyone….especially me.…exactly where I stood in the ranking of this world.I smoothed my uniform one final time and lifted the tray. The weight of it was nothing compared to the weight of walking into that room, serving women who looked through me like I was invisible, all while pretending I didn't notice the calculating gleam in Mrs. Reid's eyes.The drawing room was flush in the afternoon sunlight, casting everything in golden hues that should have been beautiful but somehow fe

~HUNTER~I hadn't meant to follow her.After dinner, I had planned to lock myself in my study and review the quarterly reports that had been sitting on my desk for three days. But then I had seen her slip quietly down the hallway toward the library, and my feet had betrayed my better judgment.The library was my sanctuary. Floor-to-ceiling mahogany shelves, leather-bound first editions, and windows that overlooked the gardens. It was where I came to think, to escape, to remember who I was beneath the expectations and responsibilities.But now, watching Celine reach for the top shelf while balanced precariously on the old wooden ladder, I realized it had become something else entirely.She was humming softly to herself…some tune I didn't recognize…as she worked her feather duster along the spines of books that probably hadn't been touched in decades. The late evening light filtered through the tall windows, turning her chestnut hair to gold where it escaped from her messy bun.She w

~HUNTER~"You're brooding again."Vincent's voice cut through my attention as I stared at the London skyline through the rain-streaked windows. The merger documents lay forgotten on my desk, numbers blurring together as my mind wandered to a pair of warm brown eyes and a three-year-old with my stubborn chin."I don't brood," I muttered, loosening my tie. "I strategize.""Right. And I'm secretly Batman." Vincent sprawled across my leather couch like he owned the place, tossing peanuts from my expensive crystal bowl into his mouth. "You've been 'strategizing' for three days straight. Pretty sure that's just fancy rich boy speak for brooding."I turned to glare at him. "Don't you have your own hotel room to terrorize?""Nah, yours has better snacks." He caught another peanut with amazing accuracy. "Plus, someone needs to keep you from turning into a complete hermit. When's the last time you called home?"The question hit too close to home. I had been avoiding calls to the estate, knowi

~CELINE~The phone rang at seven in the morning.I had barely slept, checking on Caesar every hour to make sure he was still there, still safe. The relief of having him back hadn't faded the fear that lived in my chest now."Miss Brown?" Mrs. Reid's voice was crisp through the phone. "I would like Caesar to join me for breakfast this morning."My stomach dropped. "Mrs. Reid, I…”"Eight o'clock. In the main dining room. You'll serve us, of course."The line went dead.I stared at the phone, my hands shaking. She wanted me to serve them. To wait on her while she had breakfast with my son like I was nothing more than hired help.Which, I supposed, was exactly what I was to her.Caesar was still asleep when I woke him, his dark hair messy against the pillow. He smiled when he saw me, that bright, innocent smile that made my heart ache."Morning, Mama," he mumbled, reaching up for a hug."Morning, baby." I held him tight, breathing in his scent. "Remember the nice lady from yesterday? She

~HUNTER~The sound of my mother's laughter drifted through the mansion like music I had never heard before. I followed it to the main parlor, stopping in the doorway when I saw something that made my chest tighten.Mother was on the floor. On the actual floor, her expensive dress spread around her like flower petals, playing with wooden blocks with Caesar. She was smiling…really smiling…in a way I hadn't seen since I was very small."And this one goes here," she was saying, helping Caesar stack another block. "Very good, darling. You're so clever."Caesar beamed up at her. "Granny Eleanor, can we build a castle?"Granny Eleanor. The name hit me like a punch to the gut.She had never let me call her anything but Mother. Even as a child, even when I had begged for something warmer, more affectionate. "Reid men don't use pet names," she'd always said. "It shows weakness."But here she was, letting Caesar….encouraging Caesar…to call her the very thing she had forbidden me."Of course, w