Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 11

I swallowed hard, organizing my thoughts.

"I don't want my family to know I'm doing this for money."

His face stayed unreadable, but a flicker of understanding passed through his eyes.

"You want to keep the deal a secret."

"Exactly. For them, this has to look real." I ran a hand through my hair, nervous. "I mean, obviously they'll think it's strange, but… we have to convince them. They can't know about you paying off the debt—or about our agreement."

Christian nodded slowly.

"Alright. That makes sense."

"And when you decide to end things with me," I went on, my voice firmer now, "you can't just disappear like… like Alex did."

Something shifted in his expression. A subtle hardness, like even hearing Alex's name bothered him.

"What do you mean?"

"You can't vanish without an explanation, understand? You can't leave me to tell my family why my supposed fiancé suddenly evaporated. We need a story. A reason for the breakup that won't have my parents worrying about me for the rest of my life."

One corner of his mouth tugged up slightly.

"Maybe we won't need to break up."

I frowned, confused.

"What?"

"Maybe after this trip, you'll decide you don't want to end our deal."

I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

"That's not on the table, Christian. I only agreed to the trip."

He shrugged, looking perfectly relaxed.

"We agreed to renegotiate after, didn't we?"

I rolled my eyes, catching his game loud and clear. But he'd already used his trump card—saving my family's house. What else could he possibly offer that would make me keep up this farce? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"Whatever. Should we go give my family the 'good news' now?"

He extended his hand, holding out the ring box.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

I looked at the little velvet box and shivered. Wearing that ring would make everything official. It would mean actually stepping into this madness.

He opened the box, revealing the diamond that seemed to hypnotize me with its shine. I froze, staring at that jewel that probably cost more than everything I'd ever owned in my life combined.

Christian lifted the ring from the box and took my right hand. My breath caught when his fingers touched mine—gentle, careful.

"Excuse me," he murmured, sliding the ring onto my finger.

It was strange how something so small could feel so heavy. Not just because of its material worth, but because of what it represented. A fake commitment. An empty promise.

But when I looked down at the ring on my finger, something inside me shifted. For a fleeting moment, I let myself imagine what it would be like if it were real. If someone actually wanted to spend the rest of their life with me.

I pushed the thought away quickly.

"Let's just get this over with," I muttered, turning toward the door.

I took a deep breath before opening it. Christian moved to stand beside me, his arm sliding around my waist in a way that felt disturbingly natural. Like we'd been doing this for years.

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