<b>Chapter </b><b>86 </b>


    HUNTER


    The private jet’s engines hummed beneath me, but the sound did nothing to calm the storm raging in my


    chest.


    Vincent had mercifully fallen asleep in the seat across from me, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the phone I had been staring at for the past hour.


    I couldn’t put it off any longer.


    Mother answered on the second ring, her voice crisp andposed as always. “Hunter. I was wondering


    when you’d call.”


    “Where is he?” I didn’t bother with pleasantries.


    “Caesar is perfectly safe. We’ve had a lovely day together…shopping, lunch at the country club, a visit to the


    children’s museum. He’s quite bright for his age.”


    The casual way she said his name, like she had any right to it, made my jaw clench. “That’s not what I


    asked.”


    “No, I suppose it wasn’t.” I could hear the smile in her voice, cold and calcting. “We’re having tea at the Ritz. He’s napping in the car with Baron while I finish my meeting with Margaret Ashworth. You remember Margaret her grandson is about Caesar’s age. Such a well–bred child.”


    The meaning was clear. She was already positioning Caesar in her social circle,ying groundwork for something I couldn’t yet see but instinctively feared.


    “Take him home, Mother.”


    “Home?” Herugh was like crystal breaking. “How interesting that you call it that. Last I checked, the boy and his mother lived in the servants‘ quarters. Hardly what one would call a proper home for a Reid heir.”


    The words hit like a punch to the gut. “He’s not…”


    “Don’t.” Her voice turned sharp as a de. “Don’t you dare lie to me, Hunter. We both know exactly who that child is. Those eyes don’t lie, and neither does his resemnce to you at that age.”


    My throat tightened. Of course she knew. She’d probably known the moment she saw him, showing me the Dna result, waiting for the perfect/moment to start acting out.


    “The real question,” she continued, “is why you’ve been hiding it. Why you’ve allowed that girl to live in


    uncertainty when you could have imed your son weeks ago.”


    “Maybe because I knew you’d do exactly this,” I said through gritted teeth. “Use an innocent child as a pawn


    Chapter 86-


    in whatever game you’re ying.”


    “Game?” Her voice rose slightly, the first crack in herposed facade. “This is not a game, Hunter. This is about family. About legacy. About ensuring that boy receives the education and opportunities he deserves instead of being raised in poverty by a girl who serves tea for a living.”


    “Celine is a good mother.”


    “Celine is a temporary caretaker,” The words were delivered with surgical precision. “She’s done her job… carried our bloodline, kept the child healthy and safe. But her usefulness has an expiration date.<i>” </i>


    White–hot rage zed through me. “She’s his mother.”


    “She’s a vessel who served her purpose.” Mother’s voice was ice–cold now, all pretense of warmth gone. “Really, Hunter, you’re being unnecessarily sentimental. The girl will bepensated generously for her… contribution to the family line. She can start fresh somewhere else, pursue those artistic dreams of hers. Everyone wins.”


    “Everyone except Caesar, who gets ripped away from the only parent he’s ever known.”


    “The only parent he’s known so far.” Her tone suggested this was a minor inconvenience. “Children adapt quickly. Caesar will have the finest nannies, the best schools, every advantage money can provide. He’ll


    thank us when he’s older.”


    I closed my eyes, seeing Caesar’s face when he looked at Celine….pure, uplicated love.


    The way he reached for her when he was scared, how he saved his brightest smiles for her, the way he had curl up in herp during thunderstorms.


    “You don’t understand,” I said quietly. “He loves her.”


    “Love?” Mother’sugh was bitter. “Hunter, you’re twenty–six years old. Surely you’ve learned by now that love is a luxury the wealthy can’t afford. Your father loved me once, or thought he did. Look how well that


    served our marriage.”


    The casual cruelty in her voice, the way she dismissed something so real, so pure, made my stomach turn.


    “This isn’t about you and Father.”


    “Isn’t it?” Her voice sharpened. “You think I don’t see what’s happening? The way you look at that girl, the way you’ve been avoiding London responsibilities to y house with the help? You’re making the same mistakes….confusing desire with love, thinking you can bridge the gap between your world and theirs.”


    “Maybe some gaps are worth bridging.”


    The silence that followed was deafening. When Mother spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper,


    but it carried more venom than any shout.


    Charter 26


    “Your father thought the same thing once. His weakness for pretty faces and sob stories nearly destroyed everything we built. Do you know how many times I’ve had to clean up messes caused by emotional decisions? How many scandals I’ve buried to protect this family’s reputation?”


    The revtion hit me like a physical blow, but I pushed through it. “Caesar isn’t a scandal. He’s my son.”


    “No.” Mother agreed. “He’s an opportunity. A chance to secure the Reid bloodline properly. But only if we handle it right. Only if we remove theplicating factors.”


    “Celine isn’t aplicating factor. She’s his mother.”


    “She’s an obstacle.” Mother’s voice turned businesslike again.


    “One that can be removed with the right incentives. A generous settlement, perhaps a schrship to that art school she’s always dreamed of, relocation assistance to Paris or Rome…somewhere far enough away that the boy won’t be confused by divided loyalties.”


    “You’re talking about buying her off.”


    “I’m talking about giving everyone what they want. The girl gets her freedom and her dreams. Caesar gets the life he deserves. And you get your heir without the messyplications of an inappropriate


    attachment.”


    “And what if I don’t want that?” The words came out before I could stop them.


    Another silence. Then: “Then you’re more naive than I gave you credit for.”


    The disappointment in her voice cut deeper than any anger could have. This was the voice that had praised my achievements, celebrated my sesses, made me believe I could be worthy of the Reid name.


    “Take him home, Mother,” I said again, but my voice sounded hollow even to my own ears.


    “I will. Tomorrow. After you’ve had time to think about what I’ve said. About what’s best for everyone


    involved.”


    “Today. Now<i>. </i>Celine is breaking apart.”


    “Celine will survive. Women like her always do….they’re remarkably resilient when properly motivated.”


    Mother’s voice softened slightly, taking on an almost gentle tone.


    “Hunter, I know this is difficult. But/sometimes love means making hard choices. Sometimes it means protecting the people we care about from ourselves.”


    The line went dead. <fn2b0f> Checktest chapters at Find?Novel</fn2b0f>


    I stared at the phone in my hands, my mother’s ultimatums swirling in my head like poison. Across from me,


    Vincent stirred in his sleep, mumbling something about coffee and croissants.


    342<b>% </b>


    14:57 Sun, 3 Aug


    My hands shook as I set the phone aside.


    Mother was wrong. She had to be wrong.


    But the seed of doubt she had nted was already taking root, whispering questions I didn’t want to


    answer:


    What if loving Celine and Caesar meant destroying them both?


    What if the best thing I could do was to step away before I caused more damage?


    The jet engines hummed on, carrying me home to a choice I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to make.