<b>Chapter </b><b>113 </b>
-HUNTER’S POV-
1
The sound of my name being called made every muscle in my body tense.
I knew that voice – Patrick Henderson, my former business partner and the closest thing I had ever had to a brother before everything went to hell three years ago.
I turned slowly, my hand still gripping Celine’s on the table, and there he was. Patrick stood near the restaurant’s entrance, his familiar crooked smile in ce, but his eyes held a sharpness that hadn’t been there before.
He looked good – expensive suit, confident posture, sess written all over him. The kind of sess that should have been ours together.
“Hunter fucking Reid,” Patrick said, approaching our table with that easy swagger I remembered so well. “I heard you were back in town, but I had to see it for myself.”
I felt Celine’s hand shift under mine, her fingers tightening slightly. She could sense the tension spreading out from me, even if she didn’t understand its source.
“Patrick.” I kept my voice neutral, professional. Thest thing I wanted was to cause a scene in front of Celine, especially not on our first real date.
“And who’s this lovelydy?” Patrick’s attention shifted to Celine, and I didn’t miss the way his eyes lingered on her face, traveling down to where our hands were joined on the table.
That predatory look he used to get around attractive women – it made my jaw clench.
“Celine Brown,” she said softly, offering a polite smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” Patrick replied, taking her free hand and bringing it to his lips in an overly dramatic gesture that made my blood boil.
“Any friend of Hunter’s is a friend of mine. Though I have to say, Hunter, your taste has certainly… evolved.”
The quiet insult wasn’t lost on me. Patrick had always been good at delivering cutting remarks wrapped inpliments, and the bastard hadn’t lost his touch.
“What do you want, Patrick?” I asked, my patience already wearing thin.
“Can’t an old friend stop by to say hello?” He gestured to the empty chair at our table. “Mind if I join you? I was just having dinner alone – tragic, really- when I spotted you two lovebirds.”
Before either of us could respond, he was already pulling out the chair and settling in<b>, </bpletely uninvited. The waiter appeared almost instantly, clearly recognizing another wealthy patron.
“I’ll have whatever they’re having,” Patrick said with a dismissive wave. “And bring us a bottle of your best champagne. We’re celebrating a reunion.”
~CELINE’S POV-
The man across from us made me deeply ufortable, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.
There was something about the way he looked at me – like he was cataloging every detail of my appearance for some future use.
??? ???
And the tension rolling off Hunter was so thick I could practically taste it.
“So, Celine,” Patrick said, leaning back in his chair with practiced ease. “How did you and our Hunter here meet? I’m dying to hear the story.”
I nced at Hunter, unsure how much I should reveal. Our rtionship wasplicated enough without involving strangers in the messy details.
“We met through work,” I said carefully.
“Work?” Patrick’s eyebrows shot up with obvious interest. “Don’t tell me you’re in hospitality too? Another hotel heiress, perhaps?”
The way he said it made heat flood my cheeks. There was mockery there, thinly veiled but unmistakable.
“I work for Hunter,” I said quietly, and immediately regretted the words when I saw Patrick’s expression shift to something almost gleeful.
“Ah.” The single syble was loaded with meaning. “Employee rtions. How… modern of you, Hunter.”
Hunter’s grip on my hand tightened almost painfully. “Careful, Patrick.”
“What? I’m just saying it’s refreshing to see you branching out. Though I have to admit, I’m surprised. You were always so concerned about maintaining professional boundaries. Remember that little lecture you gave me about never mixing business with pleasure?”
My stomach dropped. The way Patrick was speaking, the barely concealed malice in his tone…..this wasn’t just a casual meeting between old
friends.
There was history here, bad history.
“That was different,” Hunter said through gritted teeth.
“Was it?” Patrick epted the champagne from the waiter with a nod, pouring himself a generous ss.
“Because from where I’m sitting, it looks the same. Powerful man, vulnerable employee, the promise of advancement in exchange for
certain… favors.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. Is that what people would think? Is that what this looked like from the outside?
“You’re out of line,” Hunter’s voice was deadly quiet.
“Am I? Or am I just the only one brave enough to say what everyone’s thinking?” Patrick raised his ss in a mock toast.
“To Hunter Reid, who apparently learned all the wrong lessons from our little falling out.”
~HUNTER’S POV~
Three years of anger and betrayal crystallized into pure rage. I started to stand, ready to drag Patrick outside and beat some sense into him, but Celine’s soft gasp stopped me cold.
She was looking between us with wide, confused eyes, clearly trying to piece together what was happening. Thest thing she needed was to witness me losing control in the middle of an upscale restaurant.
“What falling out?” she asked quietly.
Patrick’s smile turned vicious. “Oh, she doesn’t know? How delicious. Should I tell her, Hunter, or would you prefer to do the honors?”
“There’s nothing to tell,” I said firmly, but even I could hear how unconvincing I sounded.
“Nothing?” Patrickughed, the sound bitter and sharp. “I suppose three years in Europe helped you forget what you did to me. What you cost me?”
“What I cost you?” The words exploded out of me before I could stop them. “You’re the one who…”
“Who what? Who trusted you? Who believed we were partners?” Patrick’s mask slippedpletely, revealing the fury underneath. “<i>Who </i>got thrown under the bus the moment things gotplicated?”
Celine was looking paler by the second, her free hand pressed to her stomach like she might be sick. This was exactly what I had been trying to avoid – dragging her into the toxic mess of my past.
“Celine,” I said softly, turning to face her. “We should go.”
But Patrick wasn’t finished. “You know what the real tragedy is, sweetheart?” he said, addressing Celine directly. “Hunter here has a pattern. He gets close to people, makes them care about him, and then when pushes to shove, he chooses himself every single time.”
“That’s enough.” I was on my feet now, my chair scraping loudly against the floor. Other diners were starting to stare, but I was beyond caring.
“Is it? Because I think your lovelypanion deserves to know what kind of man she’s gotten involved with. The kind who would destroy his best friend’s life to protect his own reputation.”
~CELINE’S POV~
The restaurant felt like it was spinning around me. Hunter’s face had gonepletely white, his jaw clenched so tight I was afraid he might
shatter his teeth.
The man across from us – Patrick – was watching both of us with obvious satisfaction, like he was enjoying our difort.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the ambient noise of the restaurant.
“Of course <i>you </i>don’t,” Patrick said with false sympathy. “Hunter’s very good at keeping his secrets. Aren’t you, old friend?”
“We’re leaving.” Hunter threw several bills on the table, far more than necessary to cover our meal. “Now.”
He helped me to my feet, his hand gentle on my elbow despite the tension radiating from every line of his body. But before we could take more than a step, Patrick’s voice stopped us.
“Ask him about Sophia, Celine. Ask him what happened to the woman who trusted him before you did.”
The name hit Hunter like a physical blow. I felt him stumble slightly, his grip on my arm tightening almost painfully.
“Who’s Sophia?” I asked, even though part of me didn’t want to know the answer.
Hunter’s eyes closed briefly, and when he opened them, I saw something that looked like defeat.
“She was…” He started, then stopped, running his free hand through his hair. “She was someone I cared about. A long time ago.”
“Someone you cared about?” Patrick’sugh was cruel. “Is that what we’re calling it now? Because I remember it differently. I remember a woman who loved youpletely, who would have done anything for you, right up until the moment you decided she was a liability.”
The pieces were starting toe together in my mind, forming a picture1 didn’t want to see.
Hunter’s reluctance to get involved with me, his mother’s obvious disapproval, and the way he sometimes looked at me like he was afraid I
might disappear.
<b>Tue</b>, Aug
“What did you do to her?” I asked quietly.
Hunter’s face crumpled slightly. “Celine, please. Not here. Not like this,”
“Tell her,” Patrick demanded. “Tell her how you chose your precious family reputation over the woman who loved you. Tell her how <i>you </i>let your mother destroy Sophia’s life to protect your own.”
“Stop.” The word came out as barely more than a whisper, but the pain in Hunter’s voice was unmistakable.
But Patrick was relentless. “Tell her how Sophia ended up broken and alone while you ran off to Europe to expand Daddy’s empire. Tell her
how she….”
“She killed herself.”
70
The words hung in the air like a death sentence. Hunter’s voice was hollow, empty, and I felt my heart shatter for him even as my mind reeled
with the intention.
“There,” Patrick said with satisfaction. “Was that so hard?”
I stared at Hunter, seeing him clearly for perhaps the first time.
The guilt that ate at him, the way he held himself apart from everyone, the fear in his eyes whenever we got too close – it all made terrible
sense now.
“Hunter,” I breathed, reaching for him instinctively. <fncacb> Original content can be found at Find~Novel</fncacb>
But he stepped back, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Celine. I’m so fucking sorry. You deserve better than this. Better than me.”
And before I could say another word, he was walking away, leaving me alone with Patrick and the devastating wreckage of our perfect first
date.