<b>Chapter </b><b>79 </b>
HUNTER-
The mahogany boardroom table stretched before me like an endless expanse of polished wood, reflecting the faces of twelve board members who hung on every word Vincent spoke.
Quarterly reports, profit margins, expansion strategies…it should have been engaging. Hell, six months ago it would have been the most important thing in my world.
Now I couldn’t focus on anything but the memory of this morning when Celine had slipped a small wrapped package into my briefcase just as I was heading out the door.
I drummed my fingers against the leather portfolio in front of me, trying to look engaged as Vincent clicked through another PowerPoint slide.
The numbers blurred together on the screen.
All I could think about was the way she’d looked this morning in her simple uniform, her hair pulled back as she worked. me when our eyes met across the foyer.
shy smile she’d given
“The hotel upancy rates have increased by fifteen percent,” Vincent was saying, his voice carrying the confidence that made him such an effective business partner.
“Hunter’s new marketing strategy has proven particrly effective in the luxury segment.”
A few board members nodded approvingly in my direction.
I managed what I hoped was a professional smile, but my mind was still back at the mansion, still remembering the careful way she’d tucked that package into my bag when she thought I wasn’t looking.
During the break, I’d finally unwrapped it…a perfectly golden lemon tart with a small note tucked underneath: ‘For staying awake during long meetings.
-C‘
She’d noticed thete nights I’d been pulling, the exhaustion I thought I’d hidden so well. Had taken the time to bake something just for me, to show she cared in her quiet, thoughtful way.
“Hunter?” Vincent’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Did you want to add anything about the marketing initiatives?”
I looked up to find twelve pairs of eyes staring at me expectantly, Heat crept up my neck as I realized I’d been caughtpletely off guard.
“The, uh, the response has been better than projected,” I said, hoping I sounded moreposed than I felt. <b>“</b>Customer satisfaction scores are at an all- time high.”
Vincent’s eyebrow arched slightly, and I caught the knowing look he shot me. Damn. He’d always been too observant for his good.
The meeting dragged on for another forty minutes.
Revenue projections, staffing reports, budget allocations….all the details that used to consume my thoughts now felt like background noise.
Every few minutes, I found myself thinking about returning home, about seeing her again.
Finally, mercifully, Vincent called the meeting to a close.
“Excellent work, everyone,” he announced as board members began filing out of the room. “Same time next month.”
I was gathering my papers when Vincent approached, that knowing smirk already ying on his lips.
“Going soni in a hurry?” he asked, watching me stuff documents <b>into </b>my briefcase <b>with </b>less <b>care </b>than <b>usual</b>.
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“Just eager to get home,” I replied, not bothering to hide my impatience.
“Find what you were looking for during the break?” he asked innocently, and I realized he’d noticed me unwrapping Celine’s gift.
“Something like that,” I said, unable to suppress my smile.
Vincent chuckled, shaking his head. “Whatever’s got you this distracted, Hunter, it’s a good look on you. Haven’t seen you this… human in years.”
The drive home felt endless. By the time I pulled through the mansion’s gates, anticipation was thrumming through my veins like electricity.
I found Sally, the headmaid, arranging flowers in the main hall.
“Is Celine still here?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
“In the library, sir,” she replied with a knowing smile that made me wonder just how obvious I was being. “Dusting the shelves.”
I found her exactly where Sally had said, standing on a small stedder reaching for the higher shelves. She looked up in surprise when I entered, nearly losing her bnce.
“Hunter! You’re home early. How was your meeting?”
“Fine,” I said, closing the distance between us. “Though I was distracted.”
She stepped down from thedder, cloth still in her hand.
“Distracted by what?”
Instead of answering, I pulled the small empty container from my briefcase…all that remained of her lemon tart. “This was perfect. Thank you.”
Her cheeks flushed pink. “I noticed you looked tired this morning. Thought you might need something sweet to get through the day.”
“No one’s ever…” I started, then stopped, not sure how to exin that no one had ever paid such careful attention to my needs before.
“Ever what?” she asked gently, setting down her cleaning supplies.
“Ever noticed when I was tired,” I finished quietly. “Ever cared enough to do something about it.”
Something soft and sad flickered in her eyes. “Everyone deserves to be taken care of, Hunter. Even you.”
The simple words hit me harder than they should have. Before I could think better of it, I stepped closer, backing her gently against the bookshelf.
“You’re dangerous, you know that?” I murmured, my hands finding her waist.
“Dangerous how?<i>” </i>she whispered, her handsing up to rest against my chest.
“To my self–control,” I said, leaning down until my forehead touched hers. “To every wall I’ve ever built.”
For a moment we just stood there, breathing the same air, the tension crackling between us like a live wire.
Then she rose on her toes, and our lips met in a kiss that was soft and desperate and everything I’d been craving all day.
She tasted like sweetness and possibility, like everything I’d been missing without knowing it. When we finally broke apart, both <b>of </b>us were <b>breathing </b>hard.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she whispered, though her hands were still fisted in my shirt.
<b>“</b>Probably agreed, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “ButTcan’t seem to stop myself around <b>you</b><b>.</b><b>” </b>
A sour
hallway <b>made </b>us spring <b>apart</b>…Sally’s voice calls <b>out </b><b>to </b><b>another </b><b>staff </b><b>member</b>. <b>The </b>reminder <b>of </b><b>where </b>we <b>were</b><b>, </b><b>of the risks </b><b>we </b>were
16:46 Sat, 2 Aug
taking, sent reality crashing back in.
“I should get back to work,” Celine said, her cheeks flushed and her breathing still uneven.
“Tonight?” I asked the question hanging between us like a promise.
She nodded, her eyes soft with something that looked like affection. “Tonight.”
As I watched her return to her dusting, I realized Vincent had been right. Something had shaken up my perfectly ordered world.
And for the first time in my adult life, I was grateful for the chaos.
AD
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16:47 Sat<b>, </b><b>2 </b>Aug