The Billionaire’s Secret Heirs (Celine and Hunter) novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17

-CELINE’S POV-

The kitchen was chaos.

Pots clanged. Footsteps pounded against the tile. Orders were barked across the room, sharp and urgent. The air was thick with heat and stress, and everyone scrambling to prepare for Hunter’s guests.

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I moved quickly, arms full of fresh linens, weaving through the frenzy. My back ached. My legs burned. But stopping wasn’t an option.

Hunter had made it clear–tonight had to be perfect.

I dropped the linens onto the counter and wiped the sweat from my forehead, barely catching my breath before-

“Celine!”

I knew that voice.

I closed my eyes for a second before turning.

Bianca stood with her arms crossed, a smug tilt to her lips. Two other maids hovered behind her, hanging onto her every word like she was the queen of this damn castle.

“The dining room floor still looks dirty,” she said, inspecting her nails like the floor was my problem and not hers. “Go clean it again.”

I gritted my teeth. “I already cleaned it.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Well, clearly not good enough. Unless you’d rather explain to the head maid why you can’t do a simple job?”

I knew exactly what this was.

Bianca loved making me jump through hoops.

She made sure I had twice the workload of everyone else, always piling on extra tasks while she barely lifted a finger. She was testing me, waiting for me to crack.

I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

I grabbed a cloth and nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

Her smirk deepened like she had won some imaginary battle before she turned back to her gossiping.

I clenched my jaw and walked away.

By the time I made it to the dining room, I wanted to scream. The floor was already spotless, but I scrubbed at it anyway, my fingers aching from hours of work.

This wasn’t about cleaning. It was about control.

A quiet giggle pulled me from my thoughts.

I turned, finding Caesar in the corner of the kitchen, rolling his toy car over the surface of the table.

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9:09 pm

Chapter 17

He was behaving, just like I had asked. But still–he shouldn’t have to be here.

I had to get through this shift as quickly as possible. Finish the work. Take him home. Get out.

But Bianca wasn’t done with me yet.

“The silverware needs polishing,” she called from behind me, her nails tapping against the counter. “Make sure you do it properly.”

I swallowed the irritation crawling up my throat. I had spent all day biting my tongue. What was one more task?

I reached for the silverware, but before I could start, Bianca sighed dramatically.

“Actually,” she said, tilting her head, “Mr. Hunter requested a specific bottle of wine for tonight. Go down to the cellar and bring it up.”

Something about the way she said it made my stomach twist.

I hesitated. “Which bottle?”

She smiled. Too sweet. Too fake. “You’ll find it. I’m sure Mr. Hunter would be very upset if you brought the wrong one.”

I wiped my hands on my apron, glancing at Caesar. “Stay here, okay?” He frowned, his small fingers curling around my sleeve.

“Can I come with you?”

ated. The wine cellar. Bianca’s smirk. The way my gut told me don’t go.

ad, nodding. “Fine. But stay close.”

noved down the narrow hallway, the air growing colder with each step. The scent of aged wood and expensive wine ung to the walls, wrapping around me like a warning.

The wine cellar was massive. Rows of shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, each bottle lined up like it belonged to some kind of sacred collection.

I scanned the labels, my pulse steady–until I spotted it.

The bottle Bianca had sent me.

Top shelf.

Of course.

I clenched my jaw, my fingers curling into fists. She had known. She had known.

I glanced around, spotting a wooden stool tucked near the corner. Dragging it over, I positioned it beneath the shelf and stepped up, balancing carefully as I stretched my fingers toward the bottle.

Even on my toes, it was barely within reach.

“Caesar, stand back,” I warned, shifting slightly, trying to get just a little closer.

The tips of my fingers brushed against the glass. Almost. I stretched further- The stool wobbled beneath me.

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9:09 pm GGGG.

Chapter 17

And suddenly, everything happened too fast. A sharp gasp tore from my throat as I lost my balance. The bottle slipped. Then another.

And another.

The sound of shattering glass filled the cellar, sharp and violent. Wine splattered across the floor, dark red spreading like blood.

For a second, everything was silent. Then—

“Mommy!” Caesar’s wail ripped through the quiet.

My breath came out in shudders as I stared at the mess. The wine had soaked into my dress, my hands trembling as I lifted them, careful not to touch the jagged glass around me.

I swallowed hard. I was so screwed. Hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. A shadow appeared in the doorway.

The head maid.

Her sharp eyes landed on the disaster in front of her, her expression morphing into pure horror. Then–her voice, like a blade slicing through my panic.

“What have you done?”

I opened my mouth, ready to explain—ready to beg if I had to. But before I could get a single word out, Bianca let out a dramatic gasp, her hand flying to her chest like she’d just witnessed a murder.

“Oh no,” she breathed, shaking her head with pure, practiced disappointment. “That was the last bottle of Mr. Hunter’s favorite wine.”

My stomach dropped.

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1. me.

nter.

anged looks, their whispers hissing through the space, quiet but sharp. They all knew what this meant.

meant. Then–footsteps. Heavy. Measured. A presence filled the doorway, thick and suffocating.

ve to look up. I already knew.

His energy wrapped around the room like a vice, squeezing the oxygen straight from my lungs.

Every tiny hair on my body stood on end as I felt his gaze land on me–on the wine staining my dress, on the glass scattered around me, on Caesar still hiccupping in the doorway.

The silence was unbearable.

my

head.

Then–his voice. Low. Controlled. Lethal. “What the hell is going on here?” I forced myself to lift

Hunter’s expression was unreadable, his piercing blue eyes locked onto mine like a loaded weapon.

I opened my mouth-

“She broke it,” Bianca said quickly, turning to him with a perfectly rehearsed frown. “The last bottle.”

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Chapter 17

My hands curled into fists.

Hunter didn’t blink. He took a step forward. One slow, deliberate step that sent my pulse into a tailspin.

“You have five seconds,” he said, voice smooth but laced with a quiet, simmering fury, “to explain yourself before I decide what to do with you.”

I inhaled sharply, my hands trembling. “I–I was trying to reach the bottle. It was too high, and I slipped-”

His expression didn’t change.

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“That doesn’t explain why Caesar is down here.” His eyes flicked toward my son, who was still sniffling, clutching his toy car to his chest. “Why was he even near the cellar?”

I hesitated, scrambling for words, but Bianca got there first.

“She brought him with her,” she said, her voice dripping with false concern. “Even when she knew how important this was. And now look at this mess.”

The way she said it–like I had done this on purpose like I had wanted to fail–made something inside me snap.

“I told him to stay back!” My voice shook, but I didn’t care. “I didn’t plan for this to happen, I-”

“Enough.”

Hunter’s voice cut through mine like a blade. Silence slammed back into the room. His stare was heavier now. Colder. More dangerous.

And as I sat there, covered in spilled wine and humiliation, I realized one terrifying truth.

I had no idea what he was going to do next.

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