<b>Chapter </b><b>102 </b>
-HUNTER’S POV-
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The eggs were definitely overcooked, and the toast crumbled when Caesar tried to spread jam on it. But watching my son’s face light up with each bite, you would think I had prepared a five–star meal. <fn2960> Chapters first released on F?ndNovel</fn2960>
“Daddy Hunter, these are the best eggs ever!” Caesar announced, his cheeks bulging with food.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, baby,” Celine said softly, but there was warmth in her voice that hadn’t been therest night.
I sat across from them at the small table, feeling strangely out of ce in my own estate. This tiny dining area in the servant quarters was nothing like the grand dining room where I usually took my meals alone.
But somehow, crammed around this little table with mismatched chairs, I felt more at home than I had in years.
“Can you teach me how to make eggs?” Caesar asked, swinging his legs under the table. “I want to make breakfast for Mama sometimes.”
The casual way he included me in his ns made my chest tight. “Of course. We’ll start with scrambled eggs. They’r these are supposed to be.”
Celine’s lips twitched, almost forming a smile. “These are perfectly fine, Hunter. It’s the thought that counts.”
hen… whatever
“Is it really?” I asked, meeting her eyes. “Because I’ve been thinking about a lot of thingstely, and I want to make sure my thoughts trante into actions that actually matter.”
She studied my face, probably looking for signs of maniption or hidden agendas. I couldn’t me her for that caution.
“Daddy Hunter, will you teach me chess today?” Caesar asked, ignorant of the tension between his parents.
“If your mama says it’s okay,” I replied, ncing at Celine.
“We’ll see,” she said carefully. “We still have a lot to figure out.”
Caesar’s face fell slightly. “Are we still leaving?”
The question hung in the air like a weight. I had promised not to usewyers or threats, but that didn’t stop the panic from wing at my
throat.
Losing them felt like losing the most important parts of myself.
“That’s up to your mama,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady.
Celine set down her fork and looked at me seriously. “Hunter, I need you to understand something. The reason I wanted to leavest night wasn’t just because of thewyer’s threat. It was because I felt like you see Caesar as a possession, not a person.”
Her words hit me harder than any business rival’s attack ever had. “You’re right,” I admitted.
“I’ve spent so long thinking about carrying on the Reid name that I forgot what actually matters. Caesar isn’t a heir or a legacy….he’s a little boy who deserves parents who put his happiness first.”
“Daddy Hunter,” Caesar interrupted, “what’s a legacy?”
I looked at my son’s curious face and realized I had never had to exinplex ideas to a child before. “It’s… what you leave behind when you’re gone. What people remember about you.”
<b>13:16 </b>Mon, 4 <b>Aug </b><b>A </b>
“Like how Mama remembers her daddy because he taught her to draw?”
The innocent question made me pause. I had never asked Celine about her father. “Yes, exactly like that.”
“I want to remember you teaching me chess,” Caesar said seriously. “And making breakfast, even if it’s a little burned.”
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Something cracked open in my chest. This was what I had been missing….not the grand gestures or power ys, but these simple moments.
The kind of memories that actually mattered.
“I want that too,” I said quietly.
Celine had been watching our exchange with an unreadable expression. “Hunter, if we’re going to make this work, things have to change. Not just your behavior, but the whole dynamic between us.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m tired of feeling like I’m walking on eggshells around you. Tired of wondering when you’re going to remind me that you’re the boss and I’m just the help. If we’re going to co–parent Caesar, we need to be equals.”
I nodded slowly. “You’re absolutely right. I’ve been so focused on control that I forgot partnership is what makes thin
“Can we have pancakes tomorrow?” Caesar asked, apparently bored with the serious conversation.
“We’ll see,” Celine and I said at the same time, then looked at each other in surprise.
For the first time since this drama, Celine smiled–a real smile that reached her eyes. “I guess we’re already starting to think like parents.”
“Does this mean you’ll stay?” I asked, not caring if I sounded desperate.
Celine was quiet for a long moment. “I’m not sure yet. But I’m willing to try, if you are. Really try, not just go through the actions.”
“What would that look like?”
“First, <i>no </i>more threats. No more using your wealth or power to scare me. If we disagree about something regarding Caesar, we talk it out like
adults.”
“Agreed.”
“Second, I want Caesar to have both his parents, but I won’t let him be caught in the middle of our drama. If we can’t get along, we keep it away from him.”
“That’s fair.”
“And third,” she took a deep breath, “no more mixed signals. If we’re going to be co–parents, that’s what we are. I can’t handle any more emotional whish.”
Thest condition hurt, but I understood why she needed it. “You’re right. I’ve been unfair to you in that regard.”
Caesar had finished his eggs and was now building a tower with his toast pieces. “Mama, can live in the big house with Daddy Hunter?”
Celine looked ufortable. “Baby, we’ve talked about this….”
“Actually,” I interrupted, “I think Caesar has a point. Not because I’m trying to pressure you,” I added quickly, seeing her face. “But because the servant quarters aren’t appropriate for my son. They’re not appropriate for you either.”
13:16 Mon, 4 Aug
“Hunter…”
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“Let me finish. I’m not saying we have to y house or pretend we’re something we’re not. I’m saying Caesar deserves better than being treated like staff. And so do you.”
She considered this, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup. “What exactly are <i>you </i>suggesting?”
“There’s a guest wing on the east side of the house. It has its own entrance, a small kitchen, living area, and two bedrooms. You and Caesar *could have your own space, but he would still be close enough for me to be part of his daily routine.”
“And what about your mother?”
The question made me grimace. “My mother will learn to ept this, or she’ll find herself with very limited ess to her grandson. I’m done letting her run my life.”
Caesar pped his hands together. “Can I have the room with the big window? The one that looks at the garden?”
“How do you know about that room?” Celine asked.
“I explored while you were working,” Caesar said innocently. “Sally said it was okay.”
I made a mental note to thank Head Maid Sallyter. “The room is yours if your mama agrees to the arrangement.”
Celine looked between Caesar’s hopeful face and my carefully unenthusiastic face. “What about boundaries? Rules? I need to know this isn’t just another way for you to control the situation.”
“What kind of rules do you want?”
“Scheduled time with Caesar, not just whenever you feel like it. Respect for my decisions as his mother. And if this arrangement doesn’t work out, we revisit it without any legal battles.”
“Done.” I paused, then added, “I’d like to suggest something else, too.”
“What?”
“I want <i>to </i>have papers drawn up that establish your rights
as Caesar’s mother. Not to threaten you, but to protect you. <i>If </i>something happens
to me, I want to make sure you have legal custody and financial security.”
Celine’s eyes widened. “You would do that?”
“I should have <i>done </i>it already. Caesar is lucky to have you as his mother, and I want to make sure that’s recognized legally.”
“Daddy Hunter, does this mean <i>you </i>and Mama are friends now?” Caesar asked,
I looked at Celine, <i>who </i>was watching me with something that might have been hope in her eyes.
“I think,” I said carefully, “it means we’re going to try to be the best parents we can be for you.”
<i>“</i>Good,” Caesar said, reaching for both our hands across the table. “I like it when you’re both happy.”
As his small fingers wrapped around mine and Celine’s, I realized that this moment…,sitting in a cramped servant quarters eating burned eggs….was worth more than every business deal I had ever made.
Maybe I was finally learning what really mattered.