Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Annie was perched comfortably on the edge of my bed, her legs swinging carelessly like a teenager’s, watching me closely as I applied the final touch of mascara in front of the vanity mirror.

“Do you think this lipstick’s too dark?” I asked, leaning in closer to the mirror and turning my face from side to side, studying how the color caught the soft bedroom light.

“It’s absolutely perfect,” Annie said confidently, absentmindedly picking up one of my pearl earrings from the vanity and holding it up to the warm glow of the lamp. “It matches the elegant tone of your dress exactly.”

I was wearing a long-sleeved burgundy dress Christian had picked out for me a few months back, before everything in our lives had spun into emotional and physical chaos. It was elegant without being too formal, comfortable enough for an evening I instinctively suspected would be far more complicated and longer than Christian was letting on.

“You know,” Annie said casually, still playing with my earring and scattering tiny dots of light across the wall,’ it’s really strange to think that just a few days ago you were unconscious in a hospital bed, and now you’re here getting ready for a family dinner.”

“It feels surreal,” I admitted. “Sometimes it’s like I’m still drifting through a long, confusing dream, not entirely sure where reality ends and my mind’s blurry impressions begin.

“At least it’s a dream that looks like it’s heading toward a happy ending,” Annie said with a warm smile. “You’re recovering well, Matt’s growing stronger every day, and soon you’ll all be home together, finally a real family.”

“I hope so,” I murmured, adjusting the pearl necklace around my neck. “Sometimes I still have this irrational fear that something else is going to go terribly wrong.”

“Nothing else is going to go wrong,” Annie said with surprising conviction. “Especially after tonight.”

There was something deliberate in the way she said it. That made me glance at her through the mirror, trying to read the faintly secretive glimmer in her eyes.

“Why do you sound like you know something I don’t?” I asked suspiciously.

“Maybe because I actually do,” Annie said with a teasing grin, her eyes sparkling with that mischievous gleam I’d known since childhood.

“Annie…” I began, turning in my chair to face her directly.

“Speaking of people who really deserve unpleasant things happening to them,” she interrupted abruptly, her tone shifting to something heavier, more serious. “Did you happen to see Elise while you were at the hospital?”

Just hearing that name made my stomach tighten instantly, as if the syllables themselves carried poison.

“Thank God, no,” I said, my voice hardening with the anger still simmering just beneath the surface. “Honestly, I don’t even know what I’d do if I saw her. For the sake of my spotless criminal record, it’s probably best that our paths never cross again in this lifetime.”

“You’ll definitely enjoy seeing her,” Annie said slyly, her voice laced with a wicked satisfaction that made me frown in curiosity and concern.

”’Enjoy’ is a strange and slightly alarming word choice,” I said, turning fully to face her, trying to read between the lines of her expression.

“It’s just that… well,” Annie continued, clearly relishing whatever secret she was holding onto, “I really, really

want justice to handle Elise properly as she deserves every bit of it. But karma… oh, karma already did a spectacular job on its own.”

I stood abruptly, the blush brush slipping from my fingers and clattering onto the vanity.

“What exactly are you talking about, Annie?”

Annie laughed softly. It was that unmistakable laugh from our childhood. The one she used whenever she knew something I didn’t… and was savoring every second of it.

“Remember what we talked about earlier,” he said quietly, his face still close to mine, his voice low and intense. ” If at any point you feel uncomfortable, tired, overwhelmed, or you just want to leave, you can. Immediately. No explanations. No guilt. Understand?”

“Alright,” I said, studying his face closely, trying to read what exactly he wasn’t saying.

I slipped my arm through his, and together we descended the elegant staircase toward the dining room. From below, I could already hear the low hum of polite conversation, the faint, musical clinking of crystal glasses, and

the soft murmur of familiar voices.

The dining room was beautifully arranged, a masterpiece of culinary presentation. Everyone was already seated, chatting in small, pleasant clusters that blended into a gentle symphony of warmth and family.

But the moment we stepped inside, that soft chorus of conversation began to fade, like waves retreating from the shore. My eyes instinctively moved from face to face, mentally greeting each person I loved, letting that comforting sense of belonging settle around me.

Until my gaze landed on one particular face.

And in an instant, my memory detonated like a flash of lightning. The office room. The intimacy. The betrayal. The exact reason Elise had been so desperate to silence me.

A strangled, high-pitched gasp escaped me, slicing through the elegant quiet of the room like a blade. Every head turned toward me, faces filled with shock and confusion. My nails dug into Christian’s arm hard enough to leave marks, my whole body trembling with the impact of the realization.

“You remember everything now, don’t you?” Christian murmured softly, his voice carrying a mix of relief, apprehension, and something darker… almost like grim satisfaction.

“I remember,” I whispered.