The Billionaire’s Secret Heirs (Celine and Hunter) novel Chapter 20

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Chapter 20

Chapter 20

-CELINE’S POV-

The next morning, Bianca was watching me like she was waiting for me to trip over something. Her eyes were sharp, unforgiving.

Like she was still tasting the sting of my hand on her cheek from the night before.

I let her stare. Let her think whatever she wanted. I had bigger things to worry about than her bruised pride.

I spent most of the day doing what I always did–working myself into a sweat, pretending I was invisible. It was easier that

way.

Until it wasn’t.

I was wiping down the dining room table when I heard it.

A scream. High–pitched. Sharp enough to crack through my skull.

“Where is it?!”

Charlotte’s voice echoed down the staircase, and the weight of it sank straight into my bones.

“My gold bracelet is missing!”

I turned, cloth still in my hand, as Charlotte descended the stairs like some furious queen whose castle had just been robbed.

Her hair bounced with every step. Her rage multiplied with every second. And all I could think was: ‘Don’t look at me. Don’t look at me.

The staff froze. Silent. Waiting. And then- Bianca.

She tilted her head. Sweet as sugar. Rotten underneath. “This is serious, Miss Hill,” Bianca said, her voice almost gentle. And then she looked at me.

Right at me. The corners of her lips pulled up like she was already celebrating. “Maybe we should search everyone’s things… just to be sure.”

I stopped breathing. Because I knew what this was. Bianca wanted me gone. And this? This was how she’d do it. Frame me.

The head maid hesitated for half a second before nodding.

“Fine,” she said. “Everyone. To your quarters.”

I didn’t argue. Didn’t flinch. I walked. Quiet. Steady. Even though my heart was threatening to split open. Bianca hummed behind me as she followed.

Like she was already singing my funeral song.

They tore through my room like I wasn’t standing there. Like wasn’t even human.

And it didn’t take long. Of course, it didn’t. “Oh,” Bianca gasped, like she hadn’t expected this.

She reached under my folded clothes and pulled out something that sparkled under the dim lights. Charlotte’s gold bracelet.

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Chapter 20

The room was so quiet, I could hear myself breathe. Or maybe that was me trying to breathe. I couldn’t tell. Bianca turned to the others like she was on stage.

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Holding the bracelet high. “I found this hidden in her things,” she announced. Her voice was thick with triumph. “I guess we know why she’s here.”

The whispers started immediately. Like a ripple in the water. Nods. Glares. Eyes that wouldn’t meet mine.

“I didn’t take that,” I said. But my voice sounded like it belonged to someone else. “I swear, I didn’t—”

“Liar.” Bianca crossed her arms.

“You’ve been playing innocent this whole time, but we knew,” she said. Her eyes flicked up, toward the ceiling. “Why else would the boss keep you around?”

And that- That was the one that landed hardest. I could feel it twist somewhere deep inside my chest. I shook my head. This wasn’t happening.

I turned to the headmaid. Begging her to see me. But before I could speak- “My mommy didn’t steal anything!”

The voice was small. But loud enough to slice through everything. I spun around.

Caesar.

Standing there.

Tiny fists balled at his sides. His face is red and furious and heartbreakingly brave. “You’re lying! Mommy would never steal!”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “Oh, that’s cute,” she sneered. “Now you’re hiding behind your kid?”

I reached for him. Tried to pull him back. But he didn’t move. He stood his ground like he was made of something stronger than both of us.

And then- Another voice. Low, Cold. Final.

“That’s enough, what is going on here?.”

The room stilled. Like it always did when Hunter spoke. I felt the breath I’d been holding rattle out of me. And in that moment, I knew- This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

-HUNTER’S POV-

I heard the noise from my study. I ignored it. At first.

I’ve learned the hard way not to get involved in every little drama that takes place in this house. Staff bickering. Women whining. All of it–background noise.

But then I heard Caesar’s voice. And I moved. When I reached the main floor, I took in the scene with a practiced detachment.

Charlotte’s bracelet.

Celine, pale and still, her fingers trembling where they gripped Caesar’s hand. Bianca, smirking like she’d just won something.

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Chapter 20

For a moment, nobody moved. They were all waiting for me.

I walked forward. Slow. Controlled. The way I always did when I needed to remind people who was in charge.

The staff shifted away, making a path. I stopped in front of Bianca and held out my hand. She placed the bracelet in my palm with a look that said she thought she’d won.

She hadn’t.

I turned the jewelry over once, then again. Gold. Useless, if you asked me.

My gaze moved to Celine. Her breathing was shallow. Her lips parted like she wanted to speak but didn’t trust the sound of her voice.

“Tell me the truth,” I said. Quiet. Sharp. “Did you take this?” She shook her head immediately.

“No,” she whispered. “I didn’t.”

Bianca laughed under her breath. “She’s lying,” she said. Confident. Like she knew something I didn’t.

I slowly lifted my gaze to Bianca. She faltered. Good.

“You take me for an idiot?” My voice cut through the air.

Her brows pulled together. “What?”

I turned the bracelet over again, letting the silence stretch. “You expect me to believe Celine stole this? That she’s been working here for months without issue, and now–coincidentally–she chooses to steal from Charlotte Hill?”

No answer. Just the faint sound of someone swallowing their fear. “If you’re going to frame someone,” I said, taking a step closer, “do it properly.”

Bianca’s face drained of color. “I–I found it—”

“Enough.”

The word sliced through her weak defense. I turned my attention to the head maid. “I want her gone.”

Bianca spun toward me. “But, sir, you can’t-”

“I can,” I cut in. “And I just did.”

The staff exchanged wide–eyed glances as Bianca stumbled back. Desperate now.

“Sir-”

“I’m not in the habit of repeating myself,” I said, my tone low, final. “Pack your things. You have until sunset.”

I didn’t wait to see if she obeyed. I glanced back at Celine. She was still holding Caesar’s hand, her knuckles white from the grip. Her eyes were wide, conflicted.

Relief.

Disbelief.

And something else. I clenched my jaw, shoved the bracelet into my pocket, and turned away. I needed a drink. But my

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Chapter 20

phone buzzed in my jacket.

I pulled it out and stared at the screen. The investigator.

I answered. “What?”

There was a pause on the other end. And then- “Mr. Reid. We found something.”

I sighed. “Spit it out.”

Another beat of silence. Then- “She was at a club that night. I think 3 years ago.” I stopped walking. My fingers flexed around the phone.

“What Club?”

The investigator didn’t answer right away. But I wasn’t patient. “It explains why she looks familiar,” he said.

My gaze slid back to Celine. She was watching me now. But she wasn’t seeing me. She was hiding something. Maybe she wasn’t the only mystery here.

But I was about to uncover every single one of her secrets. And when I did― She wouldn’t be able to run.

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