Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Christian’s POV

I stared at Marcus for a few seconds, trying to process the urgency in his voice. Zoey was beside me, clearly confused and worried, and I could see the tension tightening her features. This was exactly the kind of stress she didn’t need right now- especially after what had happened in Solara when Elise had confronted her.

“Let’s talk in the hallway,” I said, standing up and gently touching Zoey’s shoulder. “It won’t take long.”

“Christian…” she began, her voice laced with concern, but I cut her off gently.

“I’ll hear him out first, and then I’ll tell you everything, I promise, I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead, feeling the warmth of her skin, still tense from hours of waiting. “Stay here and rest. If there’s any news about Joseph, call me right away.”

Zoey nodded reluctantly, torn between wanting to know what Margus had found and the relief of not having to handle more stress right now.

Marcus understood perfectly. He gave me a knowing nod, aware I was trying to protect her.

We stepped out of the waiting room and walked to a quieter part of the hallway, near a window overlooking the hospital’s inner garden. It was far enough that no one would overhear us, but close enough to get back quickly if there was news about Joseph’s surgery.

“Go on,” I said, folding my arms, bracing myself for whatever Margus was about to tell me.

He looked around to make sure we were alone, then took a deep breath, as if organizing a flood of information he didn’t want to deliver.

“The forensic analysis of Elise’s devices revealed way more than we expected,” he began, his voice low but steady. “The IT team managed to recover deleted emails, WhatsApp conversations she thought she’d erased, hidden temporary files, even unsent message drafts.’

He paused, watching me closely to make sure I was following.

“Christian, everything’s documented-dates, timestamps, metadata. Elise and Francesca were working together for at least six months. They exchanged detailed, methodical correspondence. Their goal was simple: to sabotage you, destroy Kensington’s reputation, and break you and Zoey apart.”

My jaw clenched. A cold, controlled fury began to burn in my chest

“What kind of correspondence?” I asked sharply.

“Emails outlining specific strategies to damage Kensington. Step-by-step plans to isolate Zoey from you. Timelines for each stage of the operation. Even discussions about using Sunvale as a front for their schemes,” Marcus explained, gesturing subtly. Christian, they had a shared document in Google Drive called Project Separation, where they tracked every single move.”

The sheer calculation of it made my stomach twist.

“Elise pretended to be Zoey in her communications with Edward, Marcus went on. “She was the one leaking confidential information-development timelines, production data, even early Vintara formulations-and making it look like it came from your wife.”

“Bitch,” I muttered through gritted teeth, anger pulsing in my veins.

“Their plan had been the same from the start,” Marcus continued, his tone darkening. “Elise wanted revenge. She blamed Zoey for ‘ruining her happiness,’ even though she was the one who destroyed their friendship. And Francesca…” He hesitated, his gaze steady on mine. “Francesca wanted you back. At any cost.”

He held my eyes for a long moment.

“They genuinely believed that if they could destroy your trust in Zoey and tank the family business, you’d turn on her. Francesca was convinced that once you thought Zoey had betrayed you, you’d go running back to her.”

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to take in the full weight of what Marcus had just said. The betrayal. The manipulation. The sheer madness of it all.

“And what about the accident?” I asked, my voice coming out tiglier than I meant.

“That’s where things get really interesting,” Marcus said, his expression darkening even more. “Apparently, the accident was a message thread completely impulsive decision by Elise. Francesca was absolutely furious when she found out. There’s an entire where she tears Elise apart, saying the goal was never to hurt you physically, that it had gone way too far.”

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