The Billionaire’s Secret Heirs - Chapter 64: Chapter 64

~HUNTER~
My heart stopped when Baron called. Celine was gone. Disappeared.
I called Caroline right away, my hands shaking as I pressed her number. "Hunter? What's up?" Caroline answered, sounding cheerful.
"Is Celine with you?" I asked, not bothering with hello.
"No, she dropped Caesar off earlier. Why? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I lied, ending the call before she could ask more questions.
I ran my fingers through my hair, pacing my office. I was already dealing with the press, the hotel issues, and now this. Celine vanishing.
She came into my life and turned everything upside down. Now the thought of her gone… gone…made me shake.
I couldn't lose her. That was all I knew. The idea of her leaving, being away from my sight... I wasn't sure I could bear it.
Grabbing my keys, I headed outside to wait. I stood in the driveway of my mansion, watching for any sign of Baron's car. If they didn't come back soon, I would go look for her myself.
The memory of our kiss flashed through my mind. The hurt in her eyes when I told her it was a mistake. Again. So much for not wanting to hurt her when all I seemed to do was push her away.
My phone rang. It was my private investigator calling about the tabloid story.
"Mr. Reid, we found the source. It was a reporter from The Daily Eye. Paid off by someone to run the story."
"Who?" I demanded.
"Working on that. Should have a name by tomorrow."
"Good. When you do, make sure they understand the consequences of trying to ruin my name. Especially when they drag someone innocent into it."
I hung up just as my phone buzzed with a text from Baron: "Found her. Heading back now."
Relief washed over me, followed by anger. Why did she run off? What was she hiding?
I tried to act cool, telling headmaid Sally to inform Celine to meet me in my room when she got back. Sally looked at me with surprise, but I ignored her and went upstairs to my room.
I needed to calm down. A shower would help clear my head. The cold water did nothing to cool the worry—or the anger—burning inside me.
Thirty minutes later, a knock sounded at my door. I had just gotten out of the shower and was about to work on my laptop. I had on sweatpants but no shirt, my hair still damp, falling into my face.
I unlocked the door. Celine's eyes widened as she stared at me, but she quickly composed herself.
"Where the hell did you run off to?" I demanded. "Why didn't you let Baron go with you? What if a reporter had gotten hold of you and things went sideways?"
Celine lowered her head, muttering, "Sorry. I just needed to get something." She bit her lower lip, a habit I noticed she had when nervous.
I said nothing, just watched her. There was an urge building inside me to grab her and pull her into my arms, into my room, never letting her go while I explored every part of her body...
Celine lifted her head. "Did you not remember meeting me three years ago?" she suddenly asked, catching me off guard.
"What?" I asked, curious about why she was bringing up that night. A night that was still blurry to me, if I had to admit it.
I was about to speak when Celine held up her hand. "Forget I asked. I have laundry to do before Caesar gets back home." She turned to leave, but I caught her hand.
"Hunter," she said softly, "if you're going to say what we might share right now would end up being a mistake again, it would be better if you save yourself the stress and just let me go."
Her words shocked me. I stared at her tired, sad eyes before slowly releasing her hand. I watched her disappear out of sight before going back into my room and shutting the door behind me.
Does she remember what happened that night? Why couldn't I remember? And what is she so desperately trying to fucking hide from me?
~CELINE~
I couldn't relax. Mrs. Reid's threat ran through my thoughts over and over. Two million dollars to disappear. Or risk losing Caesar in a custody battle with Hunter.
I didn't hear Caesar or Caroline walk into my bedroom at the staff quarters until Caesar called, "Mommy!"
I looked up with a smile as Caesar ran into my arms. Caroline smiled, making a joke about how energetic Caesar was and how he'd eaten half the cookies they bought.
"Thank you for taking him off my hands today," I said to Caroline.
"Anything for my godson," she replied with a wink. "Were you able to do what you wanted with Caesar being with me?"
I nodded, not telling her the truth. It was best no one knew but me.
After Caroline left, I focused on Caesar, trying to push away thoughts of Mrs. Reid and her ultimatum. We had dinner, and I bathed him. He seemed quieter than usual.
"Are you feeling okay, sweetheart?" I asked, touching his forehead. He felt warm.
"I'm tired, Mommy," he said, his usually bright eyes looking dull.
I tucked him into bed early, checking his temperature. It was slightly high, but nothing too concerning. I gave him some children's Tylenol and kissed his forehead.
"Get some sleep, baby. You'll feel better in the morning."
I tried to work on some sketches, but my mind kept going back to those photos. Hunter and me, three years ago. Caesar, the spitting image of his father.
A father who didn't even remember me.
Around midnight, I heard Caesar whimpering. I rushed to the bed and gasped. He was burning up, his little body radiating heat.
"Caesar? Baby, wake up," I said, panic rising in my throat. His eyes fluttered open, glazed with fever.
"Hurts, Mommy," he whispered.
Without thinking, I scooped him up and ran to Hunter's room, pounding on the door. Hunter opened it immediately as if he hadn't been sleeping. His eyes widened when he saw Caesar in my arms.
"He's burning up," I said, my voice shaking. "I don't know what to do."
Hunter didn't hesitate. "Get his blanket. I'll call my doctor."
Within minutes, Hunter had arranged for us to go straight to the pediatric emergency room. He insisted on driving us himself.
"My doctor will meet us there," he said, carrying Caesar to the car while I followed with a bag of his things.
The hospital admitted Caesar right away. His temperature was dangerously high—104.2. They started him on IV fluids and medication while running tests.
"Probably a viral infection," the doctor said. "But we'll run some blood work to be sure."
They moved Caesar to a private room. Hunter must have pulled some strings. I sat beside Caesar's bed, holding his small hand, watching his chest rise and fall.
Hunter paced the room, making calls, and ensuring Caesar had the best care possible. When he finally sat down across from me, he looked exhausted.
"You should go home," I said softly. "Get some sleep. I'll stay with him."
Hunter shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere."
We sat in silence for a while, both watching over Caesar. Hunter reached out, gently brushing Caesar's hair back from his forehead.
"He's so small," he murmured. "Too small to carry so much."
Something in his tone made my eyes fill with tears. "You don't have to act like you care…”
"But I do," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "I do care, Celine. More than I should."
In that silent, sterile room, with the steady beep of machines monitoring my son, I felt something shift between us. Walls beginning to crumble.
"Why?" I whispered.
Hunter's eyes met mine across Caesar's bed. "I wish I knew. All I know is that when I look at him, at you... I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be."
A tear slid down my cheek. How could I tell him the truth now? How could I risk destroying whatever this was between us?
As the night wore on, exhaustion finally caught up with me. I drifted off, my head against the back of the chair, still holding Caesar's hand.
I didn't see Hunter watching me sleep. Didn't hear his phone vibrate with a call in the early hours of the morning.
~HUNTER~
I watched Celine sleep, her face peaceful despite the worry lines that had formed during the night. Caesar's fever had finally broken, his small body resting comfortably under the hospital blankets.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I stepped outside the room to answer.
"Mr. Reid?" The voice of my private investigator came through the line. "The paternity results you requested are ready."
My heart stopped. After our conversation earlier, after seeing Celine's reaction to my mentioning that night three years ago, I had made a desperate move.
I had my investigator obtain samples…Caesar's cup from the kitchen, my DNA from a hairbrush, and rush the testing.
"And?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Sir, the results show a 99.9% probability that you are the father of the child."
The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet. I looked through the window of the hospital room at Caesar's sleeping form. At Celine, curled protectively beside his bed.
Caesar was my son. My son.
The question now was: did Celine know? Had she always known? And if so, why had she kept it from me?
I ended the call and stood there, trying to process this life-changing information. Could I face this truth? Could I face Celine with what I now knew?
And more importantly….what was I going to do about it?