The Billionaire Twins Need A New Mommy! - Chapter 353

Chapter 353: Million Reasons
Melissa’s entire body trembled, her hands gripping the vanity table in the room where she was supposed to change her dress. Her face, despite being flawlessly glammed up, had gone pale.

“What’s going on?” Her voice quivered as she recalled the image of Celestine smiling while casually chatting with Hudson. Her eyes shook, mind running wild with scenarios trying to explain what she’d just seen.

Did Hudson approach Celestine? Or was it the other way around?

“Impossible,” she whispered, shaking her head. “She couldn’t have known.”

Panicking, she snatched her phone with trembling hands. She scrolled through their chat history, finding countless messages from him—most of which she had ignored. The few times she replied, it was only to tell him she was busy or that she couldn’t give him more money.

Was this his way of threatening her?

But how did he find out about Celestine?

Melissa bit her thumb, heart racing as fast as her thoughts. To her, Hudson was a curse—a leech who would never let her go no matter how many times she rejected him.

“That—” she muttered, flinching when someone knocked on the door.

“Miss Melissa?” one of the makeup artists called from outside. “Have you changed yet?”

She gulped, eyes darting toward the door.

“Miss Melissa?”

“I’m almost done!” she called back, forcing her voice steady. “Almost!”

“Alright then. Your mother said to hurry — you shouldn’t make the guests wait.”

Melissa hissed under her breath and turned away from the door. Staring at her reflection, she gripped the vanity edge tighter.

“You have to calm down, Melissa,” she whispered to herself. “Breathe in… and out.”

She inhaled deeply, then exhaled until her shoulders dropped. When she reopened her eyes, she forced a nod at her reflection.

“I’m sure he hasn’t told anyone anything yet,” she said under her breath. “He’s just trying to scare me.”

How Hudson learned about Celestine didn’t matter. That man had a knack for making people miserable. He was cunning—like a fox—and easily her biggest mistake. Had she known what he was truly like, she would’ve never gotten involved with him.

But what was done was done.

Hudson was already a part of her life, and he would remain there… unless he disappeared.

A glint flashed across Melissa’s eyes. Her nails scraped the surface of the vanity before curling into tight fists.

“He’ll only stop if he’s gone,” she whispered.

The thought struck her like lightning, and with it came a calm clarity she hadn’t felt in years. There was only one way to stop Hudson’s harassment. One way to erase this curse from her life.

Slowly, her tense shoulders eased. She stared at her reflection and nodded to herself again.

Outside this room was her engagement party—a grand event filled with people from the upper echelon. Once tonight ended, she would officially become part of the Lancaster family. Her life was finally about to begin.

“I’ll have to close this chapter of my life,” she murmured, her voice steadying. “And he won’t be part of it.”

Resolve gleamed in her eyes. Melissa picked up her phone again and glanced at Hudson’s last message. Without replying, she tapped the call button.

When he answered, her tone was sharp. “Fine. I’ll give you more once the engagement is over. But unless you’ve done something you can’t undo, you’re not getting another cent from me. Do you understand?”

There was silence on the other end. Her brow furrowed.

“Did you hear me?” she demanded.

After several tense seconds, a low chuckle rumbled through the receiver.

“Of course,” Hudson said smoothly. “Miss Melissa, I heard you loud and clear. Just make sure you’re not giving me empty promises again. Otherwise, I might drop by Madam Celestine’s place for tea. I heard she’s not fond of coffee.”

A chill crept down Melissa’s spine. Her grip on the phone tightened. “You haven’t told her anything?”

“Melissa, Melissa,” Hudson drawled. “I may be a lot of things, but I keep my word. I’m only reminding you—families like the Lancasters are easy to learn about. Who matters. Who doesn’t. Who to watch out for.”

His tone dropped to a dangerous whisper. “If I told them what I know… things could turn very bad for you—or for your fiancé. Depends on whose lap the truth lands in. You know that, don’t you?”

Melissa’s breath stopped, and her neck stiffened. “I’ll contact you again tomorrow.”

She ended the call and dropped her phone onto the vanity. Her hands trembled, but her voice was steady when she muttered, “He needs to go. I can’t live like this anymore.”

*****

At the same time, in the event hall…

“I’ll contact you again tomorrow.”

Hudson heard the click of the call ending and smirked. He slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket, glancing lazily at Celestine.

“You promised I’d still get whatever money she gives me, right? On top of what you already paid?”

Celestine smiled faintly. “Of course. I have no need to take anyone else’s money.”

“Sweet!” he said, grinning.

“So,” she continued, “what did she tell you?”

“She said she’ll contact me tomorrow.” His grin widened, though his curiosity quickly replaced his amusement. “But, Madam, why are you doing this?”

“Doing what, exactly?” she asked, her voice light and almost amused.

“I thought you’d use the information I gave you to stop the engagement,” he said plainly. “But you’re not doing anything. You’re just scaring her.”

Celestine smiled, her gaze drifting across the glittering ballroom. The engagement truly was beautiful—lavish, elegant, and full of false charm.

“Stopping this engagement was never my plan,” she said, lips curling into a faint smirk. “The audacity to make me look like a fool was her mistake. But my nephew… he’s softhearted. Too kind. And his mother and I were close.”

She lifted her glass, the liquid swirling under the warm light.

“What I need,” she continued, “is not a reason for him to call it off, but a thousand reasons for him to realize—on his own—that a broken heart is better than a lifelong mistake.”

With that, Celestine rose gracefully to her feet. As she walked past Hudson, she stopped just long enough to look at him over her shoulder.

“Stay around for a while,” she said. Her smile was cool and deliberate. “She doesn’t deserve to be comfortable tonight.”