<b>Chapter 157 </b>


    -MIA-


    (SIX MONTH AGO: THE CEASAR INCIDENT)


    The drive back to the city should have been humiliating.


    Should have been the death knell of whatever fantasy I had been having about Hunter Reid and our supposed future together.


    Instead, I found myself strangely energized.


    I stared out the window of the hired car as Mahanttan’s skyline came into view, reying every moment of this afternoon’s disaster.


    The way Hunter had looked at that woman–Celine–with such raw protectiveness.


    The way he had spoken to his own mother with barely contained fury. The way his entire world had shifted the moment that child started crying.


    ‘Caesar‘


    Such an unusual name for such an unusual little boy. Those bright blue eyes, so familiar yet unceable.


    The way he had asked if I was going to marry “Mr. Hunter” with such innocent curiosity.


    And Celine herself.


    I had expected some cheap gold–digger, all bleached hair and push–up bras. Instead, she had been… dull.


    in uniform, tired brown eyes, the kind of forgettable prettiness that faded into background noise at parties like tonight’s charity g.


    So why couldn’t Hunter forget her?


    My phone buzzed against my clutch. Eleanor Reid’s name shed across the screen.


    “Eleanor,” I answered, not bothering with pleasantries.


    “My dear, I cannot begin to express how ashamed I am about today’s… unpleasantness.” Her voice was silk wrapped around steel. “That woman’s behavior was absolutely inexcusable.”


    “Was it?” I found myself saying, “She was protecting her child. Any mother would have done the same.”


    A moment passed in silence between us. When Eleanor spoke again, her tone had changed slightly.


    “You’re very observant, Mia. Maternal instinct is strong, isn’t it? We should talk about this more. Are you free for lunch tomorrow?”


    Something in her voice made my pulse quicken. This wasn’t just about apologies or damage control. Eleanor Reid had a n.


    “The Four Seasons? One o’clock?”


    “Perfect. And Mia? This conversation should remain between us for now. Hunter is… emotionallypromised <b>at </b>the moment.”


    The line went dead, leaving me staring at my phone with growing expectation.


    <b>13:05 </b>Fri, <b>8 </b><b>Aug </b>


    The Four Seasons restaurant buzzed with the kind of understated elegance I had grown up taking for granted for <b>months</b>. <fn176f> Chapters first released on Find_Novel(.</fn176f>


    Crystal sses caught the afternoon light, conversations hummed at the perfect volume, and the waitstaff moved with skillful <b>invisibility </b>


    Eleanor was already seated when I arrived, looking impable in cream Chanel and pearls that probably cost more than most people’s cars.


    She rose to greet me with air kisses and a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.


    “You look lovely, dear. That color is divine on you.”


    “Thank you.” I had chosen my outfit carefully…a navy sheath dress that was professional but feminine, jewelry that suggested wealth without screaming it.


    “I have to say, I’m curious about what couldn’t wait until our next scheduled dinner.”


    Eleanor’sugh was musical and cold. “Direct. I like that. Your father raised you well.”


    We ordered–Eleanor barely nced at the menu, clearly a regr–and made small talk until the waitstaff pulled out.


    Then Eleanor leaned forward slightly, her expression growing serious.


    “What happened yesterday was unfortunate but illuminating,” she began. “I think you saw a side of my son that few people witness.”


    “He was protecting someone he cares about.”


    “He was being manipted by someone who knows exactly which buttons to push.” Eleanor’s tone was matter–of–fact<b>, </b>like she was discussing the weather.


    “Tell me, what did you think of Celine?”


    I considered my words carefully. “She seemed… devoted to her son.”


    “Devoted, yes. But to which son, I wonder?”


    Eleanor’s suggestion filled the room with a weighty meaning.


    It was clear that she was hinting at something specific, something that made me feel both excited and anxious.


    “I’m not sure I follow.”


    Eleanor smiled, and for the first time since I had known her, it looked genuine. Predatory, but genuine.


    “My dear girl, you’re far too intelligent to y coy. You saw that little boy yesterday. Those eyes. That bone structure. The way Hunter reacted when Ceasar was upset.” She paused to sip her wine.


    “Children can be such perfect weapons when wielded correctly.”


    The pieces clicked into ce with stunning clearness. Ceasar wasn’t just some random child Hunter had grown fond <b>of</b>. He was Hunter’s son.


    And Celine…in,monce Celine….was the mother of Hunter Reid’s heir.


    “How long has Hunter known?” I managed to ask.


    “That’s the delicious part–I don’t think he wants to acknowledge it. Or if he suspects, he hasn’t acted on <b>it</b>.” Eleanor’s eyes glittered <b>with </b>nasty joy.


    “Which means we have an opportunity.”


    <b>“</b>We?<b>” </b>


    “Don’t look so shocked, Mia. You want my son, and I want what’s best for his future. That woman and her child represent chaos, <b>scandal</b><b>, </bplications that could destroy everything Hunter has worked for.” Eleanor leaned back in her chair, studying me with calcting eyes


    “But you represent stability. Breeding. The kind of partnership that builds dynasties.”


    My mind raced through the meaning.


    <b>If </b>Ceasar was Hunter’s son, then Celine had been lying to him for years. Keeping his child from him, letting him believe she was just <b>some </b>employee he had developed feelings for.


    The deception was breathtaking in its audacity.


    “What exactly are you proposing?”


    “Information, my dear. Carefully ced truths that reveal Celine’s true nature. Hunter is infatuated, but infatuation rarely survives the cold light of reality.” Eleanor’s smile was sharp as a de.


    “For instance, did you know that Celine has a rather colorful employment history? Multiple jobs, multiple terminations, always moving on when things getplicated?”


    “You investigated her?”


    “I investigate everyone who enters my son’s orbit. It’s called being a good mother.” Eleanor signaled the waiter for another wine.


    “There’s also the matter of her family. A sister who only contacts her when she needs money, parents who abandoned her when she <b>got </b>pregnant so young. Not exactly the kind of stable background one wants in a daughter–inw.”


    Each revtion was a knife twist.


    Not because I felt sorry for Celine–I didn’t–but because they painted a picture of exactly the kind of woman who would trap a man like Hunter with a pregnancy.


    “<i>And </i>if Hunter refuses to see reason?”


    “Then we make the choice for him.“Eleanor’s voice was calm and steady.


    “Men like my son…powerful, sessful men….they need to be protected from their own urges sometimes. It’s our job as the women who love them to guarantee they make the right decisions.”


    Our food arrived, interrupting the conversation, but my appetite had vanished. Not from disgust–from excitement.


    For two months, I had been ying defense, trying topete with a ghost, someone I couldn’t see or fight.


    Now I knew exactly who my enemy was, and she was far more vulnerable than I had imagined.


    “What do you need from me?” I asked when the waiter left.


    “Be patient, have a n, and above all, be ready to support Hunter when his current situation falls apart.” Eleanor cut her salmon <b>precisely</b>.


    “You’re young, educated, from the right family. When this affair burns out–and it will–you’ll be there <b>to </b><i>offer </i>him <b>something </b><b>real</b><b>. </b><b>Something </bsting.”


    <b>13:06 </b><b>Fri</b><b>, </b><b>8 </b>Aug


    “And if she fights back?<b>” </b>


    Eleanor’sugh was like breaking ss.


    “With what weapons? She’s a maid with a bastard child and a troubled family. You’re a senator’s daughter with impable breeding and unlimited resources.” Her eyes met mine across the table.


    (


    “This isn’t a fair fight, Mia. It was never meant to be.”


    The rxed cruelty of it should have disturbed me.


    Instead, I felt something loosen in my chest, some knot of frustration and uncertainty finally unwinding.


    I had spent my entire life being told I was destined for greatness, raised to marry well and maintain the family legacy.


    But until now, I had never had to actually fight for what I wanted.


    “When do we start?”


    Eleanor’s smile was triumphant. “We already have, dear. We already have.”


    As we finished lunch, Eleanor wrapped up the all–around strokes <i>of </i>her n. Nothing dramatic or obvious….Hunter was too smart for that.


    Instead, a careful action of revtion and advice.


    Show him Celine’s past, her instability, her unsuitability.


    Meanwhile, position me as the stable choice, the woman who could give him the life and family he deserved.


    It was ruthless. It was summed up. It was exactly the kind of strategic thinking that had gotten the Reid family where they were today.


    And as I walked back to my car, I realized I felt more alive than I had in months.


    The woman who had Hunter’s heart might have won the first battle by virtue of getting there first.


    But I had something she didn’t…Eleanor Reid as an ally, unlimited resources, and the breeding to y a long game.


    Celine might have won Hunter’s heart with her doe–eyed innocence and her son’s maniption.


    But love was temporary. Marriage was forever.


    And I intended to be thest woman standing.


    The game was no longer about winning Hunter’s attention. It was about destroying thepetition entirely.


    Let the real hattle hesin


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