Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 263

Chapter 263

Nathaniel’s POV

“You talk like Annie doesn’t have a choice,” I said, leaning back in my chair to look him straight in the eye.

Marcus paused, then leaned forward slightly, wearing that calculated smile that irritated me to the core. There was something about him that always suggested he thought he was three steps ahead of everyone else, like he was the only one who could see the whole board.

“She has a choice,” he said, adjusting his posture. “But it seems something is keeping her in London. Something that’s making her hesitate about accepting an opportunity that’s clearly better for her career.”

He leaned forward even more, studying my face with a sharp, probing gaze. It felt like he was dissecting every microexpression, searching for any flicker that might reveal what I really thought.

“Would that something be you, Nathaniel?”

The question dropped between us like a live bomb. I kept my expression neutral, but inside, it landed like a punch to the gut.

“No,” I said, trying to sound confident. “Annie is a competent professional who makes her own decisions based on rational criteria.”

But even as the words left my mouth, my thoughts were spiraling. Was it me, Nate? Was it Wanderer? Or was it simply the job she loved so fiercely? The truth was, I didn’t know what really anchored Annie to London anymore. Was it her passion for the position she’d fought so hard to earn? The tangled, confusing feelings between us as Nathaniel and Annie? Or the intimate connection she was building with Wanderer?

Marcus laughed softly, a sound that made it very clear he didn’t buy a single word of my answer. He leaned back, relaxing even further into the chair.

“If it’s not you keeping her here, then you won’t have any issue encouraging her to go to the Imperial City, right? ” he said, crossing his arms. “After all, it would be the best thing for her.”

Then he launched into a list, as if he were giving a corporate presentation, “Starting fresh somewhere far from all the gossip and rumors. Keeping her professional reputation intact in a region where no one knows the messy details of what happened. Working in a growing market where she could genuinely make an impact.”

He paused, locking eyes with me.

“And it would be better for you too. It would shift the attention away from the rumors that are threatening your credibility. Without Annie around and without that tension everyone with functioning eyesight can see between you, you’d be able to focus on your work without distraction.”

Everything he said made logical sense, but the way he treated the situation with cold pragmatism grated against everything inside me. For me, this wasn’t a chess move. It was messy, human, and emotional.

“And it’s better for you too, isn’t it?” I shot back, deciding to go straight for the jugular. “A new chance with the woman you called ‘fun’?”

Marcus’s jaw tightened-just slightly, but it was there. The first crack in his polished façade. I’d hit a nerve. He didn’t respond immediately, letting the silence stretch as he processed the jab.

“My personal motives don’t change the fact that it’s the right decision for everyone,” he said at last, though his tone had lost some of that infuriating confidence.

I decided to push further, following a suspicion that had sparked during our conversation.

I sank into my chair, running both hands through my hair as I tried to process everything. Marcus had been right about a lot of things, and I hated how much that bothered me. Annie would face fewer complications in the Imperial City. Her reputation would stay intact, she’d have Matthew nearby for family support, and working on the Ascia expansion would be a genuinely incredible career opportunity.

And me… well, I probably would focus better on my job without the constant tension of having her around. Without the temptation of her messages as Wanderer. Without the impossible task of pretending I didn’t want her every time she walked into a room. Without the complication of having feelings for someone who, professionally, I shouldn’t be touching with a ten-foot pole.

Maybe Marcus was right. Maybe the Imperial City really was what was best for her.

The question that clawed at me was: Was I capable of doing what was best for her even if it meant letting her go?

Even if it meant watching her leave with Marcus, knowing Joseph would likely support or even encourage a relationship between them?

The answer should have been yes. If I truly cared about Annie, I should want the best for her, no matter what it cost me. But the selfish part of me that had fallen apart listening to her voice last night, the part that felt whole every time she texted Wanderer, the part that melted every time she smiled at me in the office… that part wanted to fight.

But looking at the dossier of evidence on my desk, remembering the threat hanging over our careers, considering the very real possibility that Annie could build a better life away from all this…

I started to wonder if real love might actually be this: having the courage to let her go.

I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was forty-five minutes until the meeting that would decide our careers, and possibly whatever future Annie and I could ever have.

And I still didn’t know what choice I was going to make.