The CEO's Secret Obsession-Chapter 130: Pauline Reid

[Pauline’s House]

The morning sunlight filtered softly through the tall windows of Pauline’s living room, casting warm patches of light across the polished wooden floor.

Two weeks.

That was all that stood between now and the wedding.

Evelyn sat beside Alexander on the couch, his arm resting loosely behind her, not quite around her but close enough to be reassuring.

Margaret occupied her usual chair, cane leaning against the armrest, posture sharp and attentive and Pauline sat across from them, hands folded neatly in her lap, listening more than speaking.

"So," Margaret said briskly, breaking the lull. "There is one thing we need to settle before we get lost in flowers and guest lists."

Evelyn straightened slightly. "What is it?"

Margaret glanced at Pauline before continuing. "The post-wedding ritual."

Alexander frowned faintly. "Ritual?"

Pauline nodded gently. "It’s an old family tradition. After the wedding, the couple stays at the main Reid mansion for two weeks before moving into their own place."

Evelyn’s fingers curled into the fabric of her dress.

The Reid mansion.

Her unease must have shown because Margaret noticed immediately.

"You don’t like the idea," Margaret said plainly.

Evelyn hesitated, then chose honesty. "It’s not that I don’t respect traditions," she said carefully. "It’s just with everything that has happened—"

Alexander shifted, his jaw tightening just slightly.

Margaret waved a dismissive hand. "You won’t be alone."

Evelyn looked up.

"Pauline and I will be there," Margaret said firmly. "We have already discussed it."

Pauline nodded, her expression calm but resolved. "The mansion won’t be handed over to anyone else during your stay. Not emotionally, not otherwise."

Evelyn blinked. "You don’t have to do that for me," she said quickly, turning to Pauline. "If it makes you uncomfortable, I don’t want to—"

Pauline cut her off gently. "It doesn’t."

Then, after a pause, she added quietly, "And even if it did, I would still do it."

The room fell silent.

"I have spent years making things comfortable for others," Pauline continued, voice soft but steady. "Too comfortable. It’s time I do the same for my children."

Alexander looked at her then, really looked at her.

Margaret’s lips curved slightly. It wasn’t a smile but something close to approval.

Evelyn swallowed, emotion rising unexpectedly. "Thank you," she said softly. "I just want peace, at least during our stay there."

"You will have it," Margaret replied immediately. "Anyone who threatens that peace will answer to me."

There was something final in her tone.

Alexander exhaled slowly, then gave a small, wry smile. "If everyone is there," he said, squeezing Evelyn’s hand lightly, "I don’t see a problem. It’s just a couple of weeks. We will survive."

Evelyn smiled back at him, warmth blooming in her chest.

Pauline watched them quietly.

There was something settled in her eyes now—something determined.

Whatever storms were coming, she had already decided where she stood and this time, she wasn’t stepping aside.

.....

[Reid Enterprise — Executive Floor]

The executive floor of Reid Enterprise ran like clockwork.

Assistants moved with practiced efficiency, voices low, schedules tight. Nothing disrupted this space unless it was urgent or powerful enough to demand attention.

That morning, something did.

The elevator doors slid open and Pauline Reid stepped out.

She didn’t rush, she didn’t hesitate or announce herself.

Dressed in understated elegance—tailored coat, minimal jewelry, posture straight and composed—she looked like someone who had never needed permission to belong anywhere.

The assistant at the front desk looked up automatically and froze.

For a heartbeat, the years peeled back.

This was the woman whose name still appeared on legal documents, the woman whose signature held as much weight as Benjamin Reid’s, the woman who had vanished from this world without ever truly leaving it.

"Mrs. Reid," the assistant said instinctively, standing at once.

Pauline offered a polite nod. "Good morning."

The assistant didn’t ask questions, he didn’t need to.

He picked up the phone immediately.

"Sir," she said into the receiver, voice careful but urgent, "Mrs. Reid is here."

Inside the boardroom, Benjamin Reid halted mid-sentence.

Every head turned toward him.

He didn’t ask which Mrs. Reid.

He closed the file in front of him, stood up and said simply, "Pause the meeting."

He walked out without another word.

....

By the time he reached his office, the door was already closed.

Pauline sat behind his desk.

She was seated comfortably in his chair, hands folded neatly in her lap, posture elegant and unyielding.

The office looked strangely subdued around her.

Benjamin stopped just inside the doorway.

For a moment, he simply looked at her.

Then he walked forward and took the chair opposite his desk, sitting without a word.

Pauline’s gaze drifted around the room.

"It still looks the same," she said calmly. "Cold, efficient and loud without making a sound."

Benjamin’s lips curved faintly. "You always noticed details."

She looked at him then. "Someone had to."

Silence stretched—not uncomfortable, just loaded with twenty years of unspoken history.

"I came to inform you," Pauline continued evenly, "that after Alexander and Evelyn’s wedding, I will be moving back to the main mansion for the ritual period."

Benjamin nodded without hesitation. "It’s your house."

Her brows lifted slightly.

"You don’t need my permission," he added. "Or anyone else’s. You can stay as long as you wish. Make changes, rearrange. Do whatever you want."

There was something in his voice—quiet, sincere—that tugged at something old in Pauline’s chest.

For just a second but she ignored it.

"Very well," she said, rising smoothly from the chair.

Benjamin stood as well, out of instinct more than courtesy.

She walked toward the door, unhurried.

Then she stopped and turned.

"I stayed silent for twenty years," Pauline said softly. "I never questioned your choices. Your marriage, your household or your decisions."

Benjamin’s expression sharpened but he didn’t interrupt.

"That silence," she continued, "was not weakness. It was restraint."

She met his eyes fully now.

"But if your choices start interfering with my children’s life—their safety, their future, their happiness—"

Her voice didn’t rise, it didn’t need to.

"I won’t stay quiet anymore."

The words settled heavily between them.

Benjamin held her gaze for a long moment.

Then he nodded once. "I wouldn’t expect you to."

Pauline inclined her head with acknowledgment, not gratitude and turned to leave.

As the door closed behind her, Benjamin remained standing.

For the first time in a very long while, he wasn’t facing a corporate threat or a hostile takeover.

He was facing something far more dangerous.

A mother who had decided she was done waiting.

And Pauline Reid, after twenty years of silence, had finally stepped back into the game. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

....