Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 230

Chapter 230

Nathaniel’s POV

“Was it you who sent the flowers?” Gwen asked, her eyes locked on mine. “Are you the guy from the app?”

“Of course not,” I said immediately, trying to sound offended by the idea. “What are you talking about?”

“It is you,” she insisted, leaning forward in her chair. “Everything makes sense now. The way you look at her, the way you always find excuses to work with her, the way you froze when I mentioned the mystery guy…”

“Gwen, Annie and I are friends. Just friends.”

“Cut the friend act,” she said, waving her hand impatiently. “You two have been obsessed with each other ever since you hooked up on that plane.”

My jaw tightened. How dare she be that invasive? How dare she talk about something so personal in such a crude way? Being Annie’s friend did not give her the right to shove herself into my private life. Or to reduce what happened between Annie and me to a hook-up.

“Gwen,” I said, raising my voice and slipping into my most authoritative tone, “let me remind you that I am your boss.”

“And let me remind you that I am a Kensington,” she shot back without flinching. “I can ask my brother for access to the security feeds. Christian would love to investigate a safety concern.”

The threat was clear. And effective. Gwen knew that as a Kensington, she had connections I couldn’t just brush off. Christian would approve the request in a second if his sister said it was about employee safety.

“Be my guest. Explain to Christian that your big, urgent security concern is a bouquet of red roses. I am sure he will take it very seriously.”

Gwen stared at me for several seconds, then let out an exasperated sigh.

“I’m just worried about my friend, okay?” she said, her voice losing some of its edge. “Annie has dealt with every type of idiot those apps can throw at her. And if you are the one she’s talking to, honestly, I’d be relieved. At least I’d know you’re not a serial killer.”

She paused, studying me again.

“I just think you two should stop pretending already. You’re not her boss once you’re outside this office. And you’re both adults who can handle the difference.

She held my gaze, and I held hers, keeping my expression neutral. For a few seconds we sat there in silence, locked in some kind of psychological duel.

“It’s not you, is it?” she asked finally, her voice softer but still suspicious.

“No,” I lied, hoping I sounded believable.

“Alright,” Gwen said slowly, like she was trying to convince herself. “If you say it’s not you…”

I could see she genuinely cared about Annie, that all this digging came from a place of real concern. I allowed myself to soften slightly.

“Look, I’ll review the footage, alright? But I can assure you the office is safe. Annie is safe. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Thank you,” Gwen sighed, looking a little more relaxed. “I know I’m being paranoid, but…”

When had I become that kind of man?

I grabbed my phone and opened our conversation on the app. My last question was still there, unanswered. And it probably would stay that way, because Annie had decided to delete everything.

Maybe that was for the best.

ally, it was definitely for the best. It was good that she had uninstalled the app. It was good that I ended this mole charade once and for all.

I had created Wanderer as a way to connect with Annie without all the professional complications, but in the process I had turned myself into exactly the type of man she was trying to avoid.

If I really cared about her, if I truly wanted what was best for Annie, then I had to let Wanderer go.

I opened the app one last time and stared at the profile I had created, at the carefully framed photos that never showed my face, at the polished little bio.

Then I closed the app and deleted it from my phone.

I looked through the glass wall of my office and saw Annie at her desk. She was focused on her computer, her expression serious, completely unaware of the storm that had just played out in my office.

Maybe Gwen was right about one thing. We were adults. We could keep boundaries. Work was work. Whatever existed between Annie and me would have to stay outside this building.

The question was whether there would be anything left between us to keep alive out there.