-CELINE’S POV-
Hunter’s gaze was like ice.
“Leave.”
The word sliced through me, cold and final. For a second, I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.
38)
11
Charlotte opened her mouth like she wanted to argue, but one look from Hunter had her mping it shut so fast I almost heard her teeth click. She huffed, crossing her arms like a spoiled child.
I curled my fingers into the fabric of my uniform, grounding myself. A part of me wanted to fight back, to demand some sort of dignity. But what was the point?
Without another word, I turned and walked away.
I kept my back straight. My shoulders squared.
Only when I reached the storage room did I finally let myself feel it.
The weight of the night crashed over me, pressing me down until my knees buckled. I locked the door, slid to the floor, and buried my face in my hands as the tears came.
Silent at first.
Then in waves.
The humiliation. The exhaustion. The constant battle of existing in a ce that wanted nothing more than to spit me out.
I just needed one moment.
But of course, I didn’t get it.
A sharp knock jolted me back to reality.
“Open the damn door<i>,</i>” Bianca hissed from the other side. I wiped my face fast, forcing back thest of my tears before unlocking it.
The second I did- Crack.
The p came hard and fast, stinging my cheek before I even processed what happened.
1 staggered back, my ears ringing, my body frozen.
Bianca sneered, arms crossed like she had just done something noble. “Look at you. Pathetic. All you do is screw up. First, you embarrass yourself in front of Hunter’s guests, and now-”
I barely heard the rest.
Because my mind was still processing the sting, the sharp burn of skin <b>against </b>skin.
And then- Then she made the biggest mistake of all.
9:10 pm <b>B </b>
B
She smirked. “No wonder you’re here, acting like a desperate little servant. Who would want a child like yours anyway? A fatherless little burden-”
The crack of my palm against her cheek was just as sharp. Bianca gasped, stumbling back, her hand flying to her face in shock.
My vision burned. My breath came fast and unsteady. My hands shook.
“You can talk about me all you want,” I said, my voice trembling with rage. “But my son? He’s off–limits. If you ever say something like that again, I don’t care who you are–I swear I will never forgive you.”
Bianca stared at me, stunned into silence.
I didn’t wait for a response. I turned and walked away, fists clenched, heart pounding, knowing one thing for certain- I wasn’t crying anymore.
The night dragged on.
The party ended, but I didn’t go back to the mansion. Hunter had made it clear–he didn’t want to see my face again tonight.
So I stayed in the servant’s quarters, curled up beside Caesar.
I kissed his forehead as he slept, running my fingers through his soft curls, my heart aching with the weight of everything. He was my world. My reason to keep going.
But I was exhausted.
Once I was sure he was deep in sleep, I slipped out, heading back to the mansion.
There was still work to do.
The kitchen was silent when I stepped inside. No voices. No clinking sses. Just the soft hum of the night pressing in around me.
I sat on a stool without meaning to, my body sinking, my hands burying my face before I could stop myself.
I just needed a second. One second to breathe. Then-
“You missed a spot.”
My head jerked up.
Hunter.
1 straightened immediately, wiping my face <b>as </b>fast as <b>I </b>could, praying he hadn’t noticed the exhaustion painted all over it.
He wasn’t supposed to be here.
<b>38 </b>
He was supposed to be upstairs with his guests, swirling his expensive wine,ughing at whatever snide remark Vincent had thrown his way.
But he wasn’t.
He was here. Standing in the doorway<i>, </i>sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, watching me.
9:10 pm <b>GGGG </b>
I stood too fast. “I was just-”
He stepped inside.
+38
His eyes flickered over the room before settling back on me. Then, without a word, he moved toward the counter, rolling his sleeves up further.
And then- He picked up a cloth.
I blinked, confusion crashing into me as he wiped down the very spot I had been about to clean.
“What are you doing?” My voice came out hesitant like I was afraid saying the wrong thing would make this moment disappear.
He didn’t look at me. Just kept wiping. “Helping.”
I stared at him. “What?<b>” </b>
A low sigh escaped his lips like even he wasn’t sure why he was doing this. But he didn’t stop.
I watched his hands, the way his fingers moved, slow and deliberate, as if cleaning this stupid counter was the most important thing in the world.
This man—this cold, ruthless man–was helping me clean?
My exhaustion made my thoughts sluggish, but my pulse hammered anyway.
And then- Without thinking, I reached for the same cloth. Our hands brushed. It was barely a touch. A whisper of contact.
But the second it happened- Everything shifted.
Hunter stilled.
So did I.
The air thickened, crackling with something unspoken. Something sharp and strange. Something I didn’t want to name.
Neither of us moved.
Neither of us spoke.
We just stood there, hands barely touching, both too afraid to acknowledge what we already knew- Whatever this was, it wasn’t nothing.
My breath hitched. Slowly, I looked up.
Hunter’s gaze locked onto mine, and for a second–just one second–everything <b>else </b>disappeared.
His blue eyes were unreadable, but there was something there. Something deep<b>. </b>Something dangerous.
The space between us felt too small. The silence was too heavy.
And just when it felt like something might crack- His phone rang.
The sharp sound shattered the moment like ss.
<b>315 </b>
<b>9:10 </b>pm <b>GGG </b><b>G </b>
+38)
Hunter exhaled, stepping back, pulling his phone from his pocket. His eyes stayed on me for a half–second longer–just long enough to make my chest tighten–before he turned away, pressing the phone to his ear.
“Talk.”
His voice was cold again.
Like whatever just happened between us hadn’t happened at all. I barely breathed as I watched his posture shift. His grip on the phone tightened. His jaw clenched.
Whoever was on the other end of that call— It had changed something. And I had a feeling I was about to find out exactly
what.
Hunter turned away from me, fingers dragging through his dark hair, tension radiating off of him.
“What do you mean you found something?”
His voice was calm. Too calm. That kind of calm that wasn’t calm at all.
A prickle of unease crept down my spine. I knew who he was talking to.
The investigator. My hands curled into fists at my sides.
Of course. Of course, he was looking into me. Rich men like him never trusted people like me.
I turned away, forcing myself to focus on the counter in front of me instead of the way my stomach twisted. I shouldn’t care.
I shouldn’t care.
But for some reason, I did.
“Where?”
Hunter’s sharp voice cut through the kitchen, dragging me back into the moment. He <b>was </b>pacing now. Restless<b>. </b>Unsettled. Then He stopped.
“…You’re sure?”
Silence stretched between the words, thick and unspoken.
I could hear the faint murmur of whoever was on the other end, but not enough to make out the words.
Hunter exhaled slowly, his fingers flexing at his side.
“Send me everything.”
Then–click.
The line went dead. The pressure in the room <b>was </b>suffocating.
I turned away, pretending not to notice the way his eyes burned into me like he was trying to piece something together in
his mind.
Then- His voice, lower this time<b>. </b>
“What else haven’t you told me?”
??
<b>4/5 </b>
9:10 pm <b>G </b><b>G </b><b>G </b><b>G </b>
Not cold. Not angry. But something else. Something dangerous.
+38
I stiffened. My heart pounded. Slowly, I turned to face him, keeping my expression neutral. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Hunter took a step forward. The space between us shrank.
“You worked at a ce I used to visit,” he said, his voice careful, measured. “Why didn’t you mention that?”
My breath caught. So, that’s what he found out. <fn42a0> ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????s, ????s? ??s?? FιndＮovel</fn42a0>
My mind raced. Every possibility, every potential moment where our paths might have crossed before now- Because if he remembered- If he knew.
I swallowed hard.
“I didn’t think it was important,” I said, forcing my voice to stay even.
Hunter’s gaze sharpened. Lies. He didn’t believe me. I could see it in the way his fingers twitched. In the way his expression hardened, just slightly.
“Have we met before?” he asked.
His voice was different now. Lower. Almost careful. Like he already knew the answer. Like he was waiting for me to slip.
I swallowed.
No.
Not like this. Not when I had everything to lose.
“I don’t remember,” I lied. Hunter stared at me for a long moment. Too long. And then- His phone buzzed again.
But this time, he didn’t answer it right away. He just kept looking at me, something unreadable shing in his eyes.
I held my breath. Then- Without a word, he turned and walked out. Leaving me standing in the kitchen.
Heart pounding.
Knowing damn well that this was far from over.
<b><i>5/5 </i></b>