303%


    201


    The china clinked softly as Farranged 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 nothingpared 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 calcting gleam in Mrs. Reid’s eyes.


    The drawing room was flush in the afternoon sunlight, casting everything in golden hues that should have been bea


    omehow felt cold.


    Mrs. Reid sat in her usual position of power…the high–backed chair near the firece, her silver hair perfectly styled, he pearl ne catching the light like armor.


    Around her sat four other women, all cut from the same cloth of old money and older prejudices. But it was the young woman beside Mrs. Reid who drew my attention.


    She was stunning in that effortless way that came with good breeding and better gics…honey–blonde hair, porcin skin, and a smile that seemed permanently fixed in ce.


    “Mia was just telling us about her recent trip to Paris,” Mrs. Reid was saying as I entered. “Such culture, such refinement. Don’t you think so, Hunter?”


    Hunter sat in the corner chair, looking like he would rather be anywhere else in the world.


    His jaw was tight, his fingers drumming against the armrest in a way that meant he was barely containing his irritation.


    When he saw me enter with the tea service, something shifted in his expression….a quiet softening that made my pulse quicken.


    “I’m sure it was lovely,” he replied without looking away from me./


    Caroline, seated near the window, caught the exchange. Her eyebrows rose slightly, and I saw her gaze ping–pong between Hunter and me with growing curiosity.


    “Tea,dies?” I asked politely, moving to Mrs. Reid first.


    “Thank you,” she said coolly, not bothering to look at me. “Though I do hope the staff quarters aren’t affecting the quality of your service. I’ve heard children can be quite… disruptive.”


    The barb hit its mark, but I kept my expression neutral. “Not at all, ma’am.”


    I moved around the room, serving each woman with practiced efficiency. The blonde…Mia…smiled at me with the kind of pity that was somehow worse than outright rudeness.


    “You’re so brave,” she said sweetly. “Working so hard to provide for your little one. Single motherhood must be difficult.”


    “I manage just fine, thank you,” I replied, though my cheeks burned.


    “Of course you do,” Mrs. Reid added smoothly. “Though one does wonder about the… affairs that led to such a situation. Young women today can be so careless w


    reputations.”


    16:47 Sat, 2 Aug


    Hunter’s teacup clinked sharply against its saucer. “Mother.”


    The warning in his voice was unmistakable, but Mrs. Reid simply smiled. “I am merely observing, darling. Society has standards for a reason.”


    I reached Hunter’s chairst, my hands trembling slightly as I lifted the delicate china. Our eyes met as I leaned forward to ce his cup on the side table, and for a moment, the room around us seemed to fade.


    His fingers brushed mine as he reached for the cup….a touch so quick it might have been idental, but the electricity that shot through me said <fnbbf0> ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????s, ????s? ??s?? ?ovelFind</fnbbf0>


    otherwise.


    His thumb grazed across my knuckles, and I nearly dropped the entire tea service.


    “Thank you,” he said quietly, his voice rougher than it should have been for such a simple exchange.


    I nodded, not trusting my voice, and straightened.


    But I couldn’t look away from his eyes….those piercing blue depths that seemed to see straight through me, that held promises and secrets I was afraid


    to name.


    The moment stretched between us, charged and dangerous until Mrs. Reid’s sharp voice cut through it like a c


    “Celine, dear, I think that will be all.”


    I blinked, the spell broken, and realized the entire room was watching us. Caroline’s face had shifted from curious to concerned, while Mia looked


    between Hunter and me with growing confusion.


    “Of course,” I managed, grabbing the empty tray. “If you need anything else….”


    “We won’t,” Mrs. Reid said firmly. “I’m sure you have other duties to attend <i>to</i>.<i>” </i>


    The dismissal was clear. I nodded once and hurried from the room, my heart pounding so hard I was sure everyone could hear it.


    But as I reached the doorway, I couldn’t resist onest nce back.


    Hunter was still watching me, his face unreadable but intense, and when our eyes met again, he smiled….just the smallest curve of his lips, but it was


    meant for me alone.


    I fled before anyone else could notice.


    ~CAROLINE~


    The moment Celine disappeared from the drawing room, I knew I had to get Hunter alone.


    Something was happening between them…something he was trying very hard to hide…and I would be damned if I was going to let him mess up the best thing that had ever walked into his life.


    The gathering dragged on for another excruciating hour.


    Aunt Eleanor continued her not–so–subtle movement to push that vapid Mia girl on Hunter, while he sat there looking like a caged animal. When the women finally began to leave, I made my move.


    “Hunter,” I called as he tried to escape toward his study. “A word?”


    He paused in the hallway, turning back with observable reluctance. “What is it, Caroline?”


    “Don’t what is it‘ me,” I said, crossing my arms. “We need to talk. Now.”


    <b>He </b>g


    the empty corridor, then gave a sign toward the small sitting room adjacent to the main hall, “Fine. But make it quick.”


    16:47 Sat, 2 Aug


    I followed him inside and closed the door firmly behind us. Hunter moved to the window, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, his shoulders tense.


    “So,” I began, settling onto the velvet settee. “Want to tell me what that was about?”


    “I don’t know what you mean.”


    “The hell you don’t.” I studied his profile, noting the way his jaw worked, and the careful nkness of his expression.


    “I’ve known you my entire life, Hunter Reid. I’ve seen you charm socialites and scare business rivals. I’ve watched you navigate boardrooms and ballrooms with equal ease. But I have never seen you look at a woman the way you just looked at Celine.”


    His shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t turn around. “You’re imagining things.”


    24


    “Am I?” I stood up, moving closer. “Because from where I was sitting, it looked like you were about two seconds away from forgetting we had an audience


    and doing something very un–boss–like.”


    Finally, he turned to face me, and I was startled by the vulnerability I saw in his eyes. This wasn’t the controlled, calcting man I was used to seeing.


    This was someone who was struggling, someone who was deeper than he wanted to admit.


    “Caroline…”


    “You’re acting like a man with a secret,” I said softly. “And not just any secret. The kind that could change everything.”


    For a long moment, he just stared at me. Then, to my surprise, a small smile yed at the corners of his mouth.


    “Maybe I am,” he said quietly.


    My heart leaped. “Hunter, if <i>you </i>have feelings for her…”


    “It’splicated.” He ran a hand through his hair, messing up the perfect style. “Moreplicated than you could imagine.”


    “Then uplicate it,” I urged. “Celine is wonderful. She’s kind and strong and everything you need. And clearly, she affects you in ways no other


    woman ever has.”


    “You think I don’t know that?” The words came out sharper than intended, filled with frustration and something that sounded suspiciously like pain.


    “You think I don’t see how incredible she is? How did she light up a room just by walking into it?”


    “Then what’s the problem?”


    He was quiet for so long that I thought he wouldn’t answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.


    “The problem is that I’m terrified of losing her.” The raw honesty in those words made my chest tight.


    “Hunter…”


    “You saw how my mother was in there,” he continued/moving back to the window. “How they all were. The way they looked at her, talked about her. This world…our world…it destroys people like Celine. And I won’t be the one to let that happen.”


    “But you’re not them,” I protested. “You could protect her.”


    “Could I?” Heughed, but there was no humor in it. “Look at what just happened. One afternoon tea and I nearly gave everything away. How long do you think it would take before Mother figured out exactly <i>how </i>I feel? Before she decided to make Celine’s life a living hell?”


    I wanted argue, to tell him he was wrong, but I couldn’t. Eleanor Reid was indeed capable of destroying anyone she saw as a threat to her carefully constructed world.


    And


    suspected that Hunter was falling for the staff…


    <b>16:47 </b><b>Sat</b>, <b>2 </b><b>Aug </b>


    “So what are you going to do?” I asked quietly.


    He was quiet for a long moment, his gaze fixed on something beyond the window. When he finally answered, his voice was steady but sad<b>. </b>


    “I’m going to try to stay away from her. For both our sakes.”


    “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” I said tly.


    He turned back to me, eyebrows raised. “Excuse me?”


    “You heard me. You’re being an idiot.” I stood up, hands on my hips. “You’re looking at her like she’s the only thing that matters in this entire world. You never used to look at anyone like that, Hunter. No one. And you’re just going to throw it away because you’re scared?”


    “I’m being realistic…”


    “You’re being a coward.” The words hung in the air between us, sharp and unforgiving. “And that’s not the man I know you to be.”


    For a moment, I thought he might argue. Instead, he just smiled again…that same small, secret smile that told me ever


    eded to know.


    “Maybe you’re right,” he said quietly. “But some risks are worth being a coward about.”


    As I watched him leave the room, I made a decision. If my stubborn cousin was too afraid to fight for his happiness, then maybe it was time someone else stepped in to help.


    After all, what were cousins for?


    <b>AD </b>