Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 238

Chapter 238

Friday afternoon rolled in with a different kind of energy. My apartment, usually a quiet retreat after work, was suddenly alive with upbeat music and the sound of my friends laughing.

Zoey, Gwen, and I had decided to get ready together, turning the pre-party routine into its own little event. The coffee table was covered in makeup, wine glasses were scattered around the living room, and three different dresses were draped over the couch while I tried to pick one.

“The black one is classic,” Zoey said as she held up the sleek dress I’d bought last month. “You can’t go wrong with it.”

“But the wine-red one is bolder,” Gwen countered, lifting the deep burgundy dress with the open back. “And that color looks gorgeous on your skin.”

“Decisions, decisions,” I muttered, eyeing both. “Why does choosing an outfit have to be so complicated?”

“Because you want to impress the charming Franconian,” Gwen said with a mischievous grin. “Don’t even try to deny it. I saw you melt yesterday when he kissed your hand.”

“I did not melt,” I protested, though my cheeks warmed. “He was just being polite. Franconian people do that.”

“Of course they do,” Zoey said, laughing. “All Franconian men kiss random Verdanian women’s hands in front of apartment buildings.”

“Okay, okay,” I sighed. “Maybe I was a tiny bit impressed.”

“Aha!” Gwen crowed. “I knew it. Henry is perfect for you. Elegant, smart, successful, and clearly into you.”

While Gwen went on about Henry’s virtues, Zoey shot me a look I knew all too well. It was the big-sister look. The one that said she could tell I wasn’t telling the whole story.

“Gwen,” Zoey said lightly, “mind giving us a minute? I want to show Annie something in the bedroom.”

“Sure,” Gwen said, already drifting toward the mirror to touch up her lipstick.

Zoey tugged me into the bedroom and pushed the door halfway shut.

“Alright,” she said, crossing her arms. “What’s actually going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Annie, I’ve known you since the day you were born. You might be excited about Henry, but something else is going on and you’re not saying it.”

I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Henry seems genuine,” I admitted. “He’s polite, interesting, respectful. He’s everything I’m supposed to want.

It was frustrating how my mind worked. Henry had every quality I claimed to look for in a man. He was polite without being patronizing, smart without being arrogant, interested without crossing boundaries. No drama. No professional complications. No tangled past. He was exactly the kind of healthy, straightforward relationship any sane person would choose. So why did it feel like I was forcing something that should come naturally? Why did I find myself comparing his smile to another one I knew by heart?

“But?”

“But I don’t know if I’m actually into him or if I’m just trying to distract myself from feelings that are… messier.

Zoey sat beside me.

“Feelings for who?”

I stayed quiet, fiddling with the hem of my dress.

“Annie,” Zoey said softly, “are you still hung up on Nate?”

The question hung in the air between us. I wanted to deny it. I wanted to say I was completely over that whole complicated situation. But the words wouldn’t come.

“It’s complicated,” I said at last.

“Love lives always are,” Zoey replied. “But you can’t run from your feelings forever.”

“I’m not running. I’m being practical.”

“So you’re going to use Henry as a distraction?”

“That’s not what I’m doing,” I said quickly, though maybe it was exactly that. “Henry is a real possibility. Nate is … impossible.”

Zoey burst out laughing.

“Oh my God. We’re merging the Kensington and Bennett families from all sides, apparently.”

“It’s not like that!” Gwen protested, though her guilty smile absolutely betrayed her. “Matthew offered to go together when he heard I didn’t have a date. It’s practical!”

“Of course it is,” I said dryly as I buzzed him in. “Super practical.”

When Matthew came upstairs, he looked incredible in a tux. He kissed Zoey and me on the cheek, then turned to Gwen with a smile that was definitely not “just friendly.”

“You look beautiful,” he told her. Gwen blushed so hard I realized there was probably more going on than she’d admitted.

“You two are ridiculous,” I said, shaking my head with a laugh.

We spent the next twenty minutes finishing makeup, adjusting hair, and doing final dress fixes. There was something comforting about being surrounded by family and friends, even with all the emotional chaos the night was bound to bring.

“Ready?” Zoey asked, tucking one last strand of my hair into place.

“Ready,” I said, though I wasn’t sure I meant it.

We all headed downstairs. Christian was already waiting in the car. Matthew and Gwen climbed into his.

During the drive, I stared out the window as Westcliff drifted past. The city lights were just starting to glow in the early evening. In a few minutes, we’d be at the party, and I’d be with Henry. I’d be trying to enjoy the company of a man who was genuinely interesting.

When the car stopped in front of Alexandra’s mansion, I saw elegant lights and camera flashes through the gates. The party was already in full swing. There was no turning back now.

“Let’s do this,” Zoey said, giving my hand an encouraging squeeze.

“Yeah,” I breathed, steadying myself. “Let’s go.”

The night was only beginning.