Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 147

Christian’s POV

I was leaning over my desk in the home office when Marcus appeared at the door, carrying a thick folder and wearing an expression that mixed relief with urgency. It had only been two days since we arrived in Highridge Valley, but I already felt the pull to take back control of the family business. The whole situation with Elise and the sabotage had forced me to neglect important parts of the company, and now it was time to set everything straight.

“How are things around here?” I asked, motioning for him to sit in the chair across from my desk.

Marcus settled in comfortably, opening the folder and spreading a few reports across the surface.

“Mostly good news,” he began, his voice carrying a note of optimism I hadn’t heard in weeks. “We’ve managed to completely stop the sabotage. The security team you hired did an incredible job. They identified and eliminated every vulnerability in the production process. We also fired the entire PR team, of course, but we’ll need to think about that soon. We can’t go too long without a communications department.”

I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. The attacks on the organic vineyards had been one of my biggest worries, especially knowing they were somehow connected to the threats against Zoey.

“And the grapes?” I asked, picking up one of the reports to skim through it.

“They’re doing better than we expected,” Marcus said, smiling with clear satisfaction. “The organic project not only survived the sabotage, it’s actually exceeding all our early projections. The winemakers are confident we’ll have an exceptional harvest.”

“Excellent,” I murmured, flipping through the impressive numbers. “And the contract with Ascia?”

“It’s going great,” Marcus replied enthusiastically. “The Niharan clients are more than pleased with the first shipments. They’re already talking about expanding the deal to include other Ascian countries-Jeonguk, Marina Quay, even some early talks with Longmin.”

That was better than I’d hoped for. The Ascian market represented exponential growth potential for Kensington.

“But,” Marcus continued, and I caught the shift in his tone, “I need to head back to Euradia as soon as possible. Gwen’s practically losing it trying to handle all the fallout from Anthony’s departure on her own.”

I frowned. The situation in Euradia was delicate, especially after firing Anthony from the board. Gwen was capable, but she’d never faced the pressure of managing international operations alone.

“We’ll need to revisit that completely,” I said, leaning back in my chair as I processed the information. “Now that Anthony’s out of Kensington for good, I need a new COO in Euradia. Someone I can trust completely.”

Marcus leaned forward, clearly intrigued.

“Would that someone be me?” he asked directly.

I considered it for a few seconds. Marcus was family, competent, and someone I trusted without question. But there were other factors to weigh.

“No,” I said finally. “With all the progress in Ascia, you’d be more valuable there.”

Marcus laughed, shaking his head with amusement. “You’re sending me to the other side of the world?”

“It’s the smartest move,” I replied pragmatically. “Someone from the family needs to be leading the new project.

The Ascian expansion is too important right now.”

“And Euradia?” Marcus asked. “Who do you have in mind?”

“Nathaniel Carter,” I answered without hesitation. “For COO of Euradia.”

Marcus thought about that for a moment, clearly assessing the choice.

“Nathaniel,” he murmured thoughtfully. “He’s not exactly a Kensington, but close enough. He’s been with the company since his intern days. Knows every corner of the Euradian operation.”

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