Chapter 26 Chapter 26: The First Time We Met
Catherine’s P.O.V
I remember the first time I met Hunter clearly, because Xavier and I had just gotten married then, and he was still proud in that sharp, possessive way that made him keep his hand at the small of my back whenever we entered a room. We’d only been married about a year when he took me to that charity auction, all polished smiles and crystal glasses, that made me feel completely out of place.
“Just smile, Cathy. It’s for a good cause.” Xavier had leaned down to murmur, clearly noticing my discomfort.
“Relax, I know how to behave.” I had smiled, even though my stomach was in knots.
He kissed my cheek like he was already preparing for battle. When the emerald ring was brought out…deep green, old, heavy with history, the auctioneer calling it a sixteenth-century piece from England, Xavier straightened immediately.
“That,” he said under his breath, “would look perfect on you.”
“Are you bidding because you want it, or because you want to win?”
He smirked, lifting his paddle. That was when the man across the room raised his too, calm, almost amused, and someone whispered behind me,
“OMG! That’s Hunter Powell.” “Didn’t know he was here. He usually avoids these events, doesn’t he?”
The bidding turned sharp fast, despite the hushed whispers all around me at Hunter Powell’s emergence at this auction.
“Five hundred thousand,” Xavier said, voice steady.
“Six,” Hunter replied smoothly, not even looking at the ring but at me.
I leaned toward Xavier and whispered, “You have competition.”
“I can see that,” Xavier muttered, clearly in a bad mood.
“Seven,” Xavier said.
“Eight,” Hunter said, slow and deliberate.
I couldn’t help glancing at him, and when our eyes met he tipped his head slightly, like we shared a private joke. I frowned. Why was he looking at me like that?
“Don’t look at him,” Xavier warned quietly, irritated.
“I’m not,” I lied, my eyes finding Hunter’s once again.
“Nine,” Xavier snapped, drawing my attention.
“Ten,” Hunter said, without hesitation.
The room went silent for a beat, the auctioneer barely containing his excitement. But before Xavier could say a number, I gripped his hand tightly. “Don’t.” I whispered. “This is an extremely high price for a simple ring and you know it. Don’t play into his tricks.”
Xavier exhaled sharply and lowered his paddle, jaw tight.
“Sold,” the auctioneer announced.
Hunter finally looked away from me, clapping once before turning back with a grin.
“Beautiful piece,” he said loudly, then added, just for us, “Some things are simply meant to be won.”
After that, Hunter made a point of finding me.
“Catherine Hanshaw, is it?” he said when Xavier was momentarily pulled away by a donor.
“Dalton,” I corrected coolly.
“Hunter,” he replied, offering his hand.
“I know.” I tried to move away, but Hunter didn't let me.
“We’ve met, technically,” he smiled, looking me in the eyes.
“Over a ring?”
He chuckled. “Over history. Your husband bids aggressively.”
“So do you,” I answered.
“I usually get what I want,” he said lightly, and it felt like he wasn’t talking about the ring anymore.
When Xavier returned, Hunter’s smile widened.
“Xavier,” he greeted, all charming. “Still sore about the emerald?”
“Enjoy your purchase,” Xavier’s response was clipped.
Hunter shrugged, an amused look on his face. Now, I knew he was baiting Xavier and he was falling for it.
“I will. Though I suspect it would’ve looked better on your wife.”
Xavier stiffened, and I cut in quickly,
“Goodnight, Hunter.”
Hunter only laughed.
“We’ll see each other again, Cathy.”
And we did. After that night, every time Hunter appeared, he made sure to say something just sharp enough to irritate Xavier and just playful enough to sound harmless.
“You look bored, Cathy,” he’d say at charity dinners. “Blink twice if you need rescuing.”
“Xavier, you really should loosen up…your wife’s laughter is wasted on tension.”
Xavier lost investors to him, lost deals he’d been courting for months, and each time he came home furious, throwing his jacket aside and saying, “That man does it on purpose.”
“Then don’t let him see it bothers you.” I’d tell him, but I knew it wasn’t enough.
“Easy for you to say,” Xavier would scoff. “Dalton’s and Powell’s had never had problems until Hunter took over and decided to make my life living hell. Be careful around him, Cathy, he’s dangerous.”
But through all of it, Hunter never felt dangerous to me. Annoying, yes. Calculated, absolutely. But a threat? No. To me, he was just a man who enjoyed poking at my husband’s pride, a man who liked winning things…rings, deals, and reactions and I never once thought he’d be anything more than that.
He was cunning in business, building empires overseas while Xavier stubbornly clung to his roots, proud and unyielding in ways that made him predictable, even comforting sometimes. Hunter… Hunter wasn’t predictable. He was a risk I wasn’t sure I was ready to take, and yet, I felt more at ease next to him than I ever did next to Xavier, my own husband.
I knew he was a player. I’d see him with new models and businesswomen every month, always in a different city, always with that same slick confidence that made people forget they’d just been used.
But then everything had shifted suddenly, on Christmas. He had kissed me. Out of nowhere. No warning, no hint, nothing and I didn’t know why it felt different this time. I didn’t know if I could trust him now. But I had watched it play out too many times to convince myself otherwise. Hunter was probably fooling around, messing with me.
Yet here I was, two days later, stunned in a way I hadn’t expected.
“You kissed me,” I said, still unable to hide the disbelief in my voice though it had happened two days ago.
He smirked, leaning back against the seat like it was nothing serious. “Yeah. I did. You’re staring like it’s a crime.”
“It’s not normal,” I said. “You get on Xavier’s nerves yes, but you never actually tried anything before. You don’t do that.”
“Maybe I do now,” he replied, and for a second, the arrogance I hated so much was gone, replaced by something I couldn’t name.