Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 215

Monday morning I got to the office fifteen minutes earlier than usual. But Gwen was already there, sitting at her desk with a steaming cup of coffee and a pile of documents spread out in front of her. She looked up when I walked in, studying me with that curious expression I knew all too well.

"Good morning, princess," she said, taking a sip of her coffee. "How was your weekend exploring London?"

"It was interesting," I said lightly, hanging my coat on my chair and turning on my computer. "I bought a Beatles record for my dad," I added, heading to my desk without offering more details.

That was when I saw them two elegant packages were neatly placed beside my keyboard. One was slim, wrapped in simple brown paper with a tidy ribbon, and the second was the kind of velvet box that makes a woman's heart jump. A small cream-colored card sat propped between them.

"Oh," Gwen said, clearly noticing my shock and the way I had frozen. "Someone has a secret admirer."

I grabbed the card first, my hands shaking slightly. The handwriting was masculine and refined. "For the woman who brings the sun anywhere she goes. N."

A smile spread across my face before I could stop it, that helpless, giddy kind that shows up on its own. I opened the first package carefully, like I was handling something fragile.

Inside was a Japanese single in perfect condition. "Oh! Darling" by the Beatles, with "Here Comes the Sun" on the B-side. The vinyl was spotless, not a single scratch, and on the back there was a tiny yellowed sticker that read "Imported from Japan, Limited Edition 1969, Apple Records."

"Oh my God," I whispered, turning the record slowly in my hands. This was exactly the kind of rare item collectors spent fortunes on.

The second box took my breath away. Nestled in the navy velvet was a delicate white-gold necklace with a sun-shaped pendant. It wasn't tacky or over the top. It was elegant and refined, with small diamonds set in a way that caught the office light and bounced it back like little stars.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Gwen asked, standing up and hurrying over to my desk with thinly disguised excitement.

I showed her the gifts, still stunned and struggling to process everything.

"Jesus, Annie!" Gwen's eyes widened as she picked up the necklace gently. "This must have cost a fortune."

"We talked about the Beatles on Saturday," I explained, trying to sound casual while my mind scrambled to make sense of the scale of these gifts. "He's a friend who pays attention."

Gwen looked at me like I was the most naïve person alive.

"Annie, sweetheart," she said slowly, as if explaining something obvious to a child, "I don't know why you two keep pretending it's just friendship. This is not a friend gift."

"It is. We're friends," I insisted, placing the necklace back in the box with absurd care. "Just friends who have interesting conversations about music."

"Annabelle." Gwen leaned on the edge of my desk, slipping into the tone that meant a reality lesson was coming. "Friends do not give diamond necklaces to friends. Friends give books, maybe a bottle of wine, a CD. This is a man trying to win over a woman, absolutely."

I sighed, that familiar frustration tightening in my chest.

"Gwen, I know how people like Nate operate. And even people like you, because you're a Kensington," I said, keeping my voice low so it wouldn't echo across the still-empty office. "You grew up with money, you can get anything. You give expensive gifts when you want to get someone into bed. For you, dropping a thousand pounds on a present is like me buying a sandwich. It doesn't mean anything except strategy."

"First of all, that necklace wasn't anywhere near just a thousand pounds. Second... so you admit you know Nate wants to get you into bed?" Gwen asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Of course not!" I protested, a little louder than I meant to. "He gave me the gifts because we ran into each other on Saturday, we had a great conversation about music, and he wanted to be nice."

"And another thing. I walked past his office earlier. Alexandra was there. Again. Talking to him, laughing, touching his arm in that possessive way. She's the kind of woman Nate takes seriously. Sophisticated, elegant, perfect for him in every possible way. I'm... temporary entertainment. The exotic Verdanian girl who adds a little spice to his life before he settles down with someone appropriate."

Gwen stayed silent for a few moments, clearly frustrated, tapping her fingers on my desk.

"What are you going to do about the gifts?" she finally asked, her voice softer.

"I'm going to thank him. Politely," I said, closing the boxes with careful hands. "And I'll make it clear that even though they're beautiful and I appreciate the gesture, I can't accept the necklace."

She shook her head and went back to her desk, muttering something in Valentian that definitely sounded like a very creative swear.

I sat there staring at the closed boxes, feeling this strange mix of warmth, frustration, and melancholy. The gifts were beautiful. Thoughtful. They showed Nate had paid attention to every tiny detail of our Saturday conversation. But they were also... dangerous. Too intimate, too expensive, too full of possibilities I couldn't let myself explore.

I grabbed my phone and opened the dating app. A few new messages were waiting. Maybe it was time to set up another date, as soon as possible. I needed to stop daydreaming about Nate Carter and focus on finding someone actually available and appropriate for a real relationship.

Even if that person didn't make my heart race just by walking into a room.

Even if that person didn't remember the tiny details of our casual conversations.

Even if that person wasn't Nate.

Especially if he wasn't Nate.