The Billionaire’s Secret Heirs (Celine and Hunter) novel Chapter 197

Chapter 197

Chapter 197

-HUNTER’S POV-

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The bass line from the club’s sound system felt like a sledgehammer against my skull, but it was nothing compared to the pounding of regret in my chest.

Vincent had dragged me here against my better judgment.

“You need to get out of that suite before you do something even stupider,” he’d said, practically wrestling me into the elevator.

Now I sat in our VIP section, surrounded by Frederick’s bachelor party crew, watching amber liquid spin in my glass while my world fell apart twenty floors above us.

Celine was out there somewhere with Caroline, Blake, and Mia.

The thought of Mia near her while she was hurt and vulnerable made my jaw clench so hard I thought my teeth might crack.

‘You’re drinking like the world’s ending,” Frederick observed, settling into the chair across from me His earlier joy had been replaced by concern that made me feel even worse.

This was supposed to be his night.

‘Maybe it is.” I drained my whiskey and immediately signaled for another.

‘It’s guilt eating him alive,” Clancey said from his spot across the table, his voice carrying just enough satisfaction to make my blood boil.

‘Can’t say I blame him. Those were some pretty harsh words to throw at someone you supposedly

ove.”

Vincent’s glass hit the table with enough force to splash alcohol onto the white tablecloth. “Shut the hell up, Clancey.”

I’m just saying.” Clancey raised his hands in mock surrender, but his smile was quick. “Truth hurts sometimes. Personally, I would never say something that cruel to Celine, no matter how jealous I got.”

“You don’t get to be jealous,” Vincent snapped, leaning forward like he was ready to vault over the

table.

“And just because she kissed you doesn’t give you the right to run your mouth about things you

don’t understand.”

“Vincent, calm down,” Frederick interjected, but his voice had an edge. “And Clancey, quit talking. You’re making this worse.”

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Chapter 197

I laughed.

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The sound came out hollow and bitter, nothing like humor. When I looked up at Clancey, I let him see exactly what I was thinking.

“Savor it,” I spoke softly, my words slicing through the sound of the club like a knife. “Savor every second of that kiss, because it’s the last time you’ll ever touch my woman. Next time you try, you six feet under.”

I’ll

The temperature in our VIP section dropped about twenty degrees. One of Frederick’s friends cleared his throat nervously.

Another suddenly became very interested in his phone.

Frederick rubbed his face with both hands..

“I hate this atmosphere. Hunter, you messed up with Celine. Badly. But sitting here drinking yourself stupid and making death threats isn’t going to fix it.” He stood up, his authority as the groom finally announcing itself.

“Get your shit together and go get your woman before it’s too late.”

put

He turned to Clancey with ice in his voice. “And you – be a good cousin and help make this bachelor party worth remembering instead of turning it into a funeral.”

Vincent stood abruptly, slapping me hard on the back. “You know what? Frederick’s right. Let’s toast to the groom and stop wallowing in Hunter’s self–inflicted misery.”

He grabbed his glass and held it high, his voice booming over the music. “To Frederick Tyson Morrison, who has the balls to get married and the sense to choose a woman who actually wants to be with him!”

The toast was brutal in its meaning, but it worked. The tension broke slightly, nervous laughter rippling through our group.

Three of Frederick’s college friends, sensing an opportunity to salvage the evening, started calling over some of the club’s hostesses.

More drinks appeared. The music seemed to get louder, the lights brighter, the whole scene more desperate.

Vincent dropped into the chair next to me as the others got distracted by alcohol and female

attention.

“You’re an idiot,” he said conversationally.

“I know.”

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Chapter 197

“A complete, total, unmitigated idiot.”

“I get it, Vincent.”

“Do you?” He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper only I could hear.

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“Because that woman just publicly admitted she might consider dating another man, then immediately clarified that she chooses you. She chose you, Hunter. In front of everyone. And your response was to fantasize about her replacement.”

The words hit like physical blows.

I closed my eyes, but I could still see Celine’s face when she’d answered that question. The way she’d looked down at her hands, the careful honesty in her voice.

“In another life, maybe. But I’m not in another life. I’m in this one, with Hunter, and that’s where I

want to be.”

She’d chosen me. Publicly, completely, without hesitation about what mattered.

And I’d destroyed her for it.

‘You better have one hell of an apology plan ready,” Vincent continued. “Because if I were her, I’d be on the next flight back to New York.”

I pushed back from the table, my head spinning slightly from the alcohol and the realization of how badly I’d screwed up.

‘I need some air.”

‘Don’t do anything stupid,” Vincent called after me, but I was already walking away.

The club’s main floor was a maze of bodies and strobing lights. I made my way to the bar, needing water, needing space, needing to figure out how to fix the unfixable.

“Hunter.”

The voice behind me was soft, familiar, and completely unwelcome,

I turned to find Mia Blackwood standing there, her black dress making her look like a beautiful shadow against the club’s neon chaos.

“I thought you might need someone to talk to,” she said, moving closer with predatory grace.

I laughed, the sound harsh even over the pounding music. “How long have you been hiding those claws, Mia? You must have been thrilled to hear me say that to Celine.”

For a moment, her mask slipped, and I saw pure satisfaction flash across her features.

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Chapter 197

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“I was,” she admitted with startling honesty. “I didn’t even have to do anything. You destroyed your own relationship all by yourself.”

She reached out to touch my arm, her fingers soft against my skin. I brushed her hand away like it

burned.

“You know what you did tonight changes everything,” she continued, undeterred. “Celine might not ever trust you again. Some wounds don’t heal, Hunter.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

“Why?” Her voice rose slightly, frustration bleeding through her composure. “Why do you keep fighting what we could have? We’re perfect for each other. Same world, same expectations, same understanding of what it means to have power.”

I stared at her for a long moment, seeing her clearly for the first time. The calculation behind her beauty. The emptiness behind her smile.

The way she collected people like trophies.

You want to know my mistake tonight?” I said quietly. “My mistake was letting jealousy turn me into someone I don’t recognize. Someone cold and cruel and calculating.”

I stepped closer, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet my eyes.

‘Despite that loaded question you and Jessica orchestrated, Celine still chose me. She told a room full of people that in this life, she was my woman. And I was too busy bleeding from my own insecurities to give her the answer she deserved.”

Mia’s confident smile wavered.

‘In this life or any other,” I continued, “I would always choose her. Not because she’s convenient or expected or appropriate. Because she’s Celine. Because she makes me better than I am. Because when she looks at me, she doesn’t see Hunter Reid, heir to an empire. She sees someone worth loving.”

I turned away from her, heading back toward the VIP section.

“Hunter, wait….”

“We’re done here, Mia, We were done before we started.”

As I walked away, I felt something settle in my chest. Clearness, maybe. Or just the understanding that some choices weren’t really choices at all.

I had to find Celine.

I had to make this right.

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And I had to hope that the woman I’d fallen in love with would give me the chance to prove I was worth forgiving.

Even if I wasn’t sure I deserved it.