Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 279

Chapter 279

We walked downstairs to dinner hand in hand, and when we stepped into the dining room, I was honestly stunned by the atmosphere Elizabeth had created. The table was set with this effortless, elegant simplicity-no showy decorations, just that quiet kind of sophistication that seemed to come naturally to a family like theirs. White porcelain plates, silverware that clearly had history, and low candles casting a soft, golden glow.

“It’s nothing too elaborate,” Elizabeth said as she came in from the kitchen carrying a steaming dish. “The official dinner will be tomorrow night. Tonight is just for us to get to know each other a little better.”

The aroma rising from the dish was comforting and completely unfamiliar to me-a mix of meat, spices, and something that smelled like buttery pastry.

“Shepherd’s pie,” Richard announced proudly as he helped Elizabeth serve. “House specialty.”

I tasted the first bite and couldn’t hide my genuine surprise. It was delicious. The layers of seasoned meat, vegetables, and mashed potatoes blended together in a way my palate had never experienced.

“It’s wonderful,” I said, and I caught Elizabeth’s satisfied smile. “The closest thing to British food I’ve had at pubs is fish and chips… and that’s it.”

“And barely fried right,” Oliver added, laughing as he poured wine for everyone.

Richard nodded with that calm, proud tone I was already learning was typical of him.

“Just know my wife’s cooking is the best you’ll taste in England.”

“I don’t doubt it!” Annie agreed.

“Especially paired with a Kensington wine,” Tori added, lifting her glass slightly in our direction.

There was something in the way she said it-not exactly hostile, but carrying a weight I couldn’t quite decode. Like she was connecting dots I hadn’t even noticed yet.

I tried to ignore the feeling and focused on being pleasant. I was there to meet Nate’s family, after all, and I genuinely wanted things to go well.

“Nate mentioned you work at an art gallery,” I said, turning to Tori with genuine interest. “That must be amazing.”

“It’s nice,” she replied, cutting delicately into her portion. “But my real plan is to work at Christie’s or Sotheby’s.”

I frowned a little, trying to place those names in my memory.

“Are those clothing or makeup brands?” I asked, genuinely confused.

Tori laughed a sound edged with surprise, like she couldn’t believe someone didn’t know those references.

–

Nate stepped in smoothly, making it seem like my question wasn’t strange at all.

“They’re auction houses. Very traditional ones.’

“Auction?” I repeated, still trying to grasp it.

“Rare books, manuscripts, antique furniture, photographs…” Tori explained, her tone taking on a spark of excitement I hadn’t seen from her until now. “But mostly jewelry.”

“In other words,” Oliver jumped in with that easy humor that seemed to be his trademark, “a bunch of billionaires trying to find new ways to burn money.”

Tori laughed-genuinely, for the first time since she’d come downstairs to meet us.

“And there’s no better place to be than right in the middle of them,” she said, with zero shame in her ambition.

There was something refreshing about how openly she admitted she wanted to be close to money and power. It was straightforward, no pretending.

Oliver burst out laughing, very pleased with himself.

“Oh, no! Not Sarah, my fiancée. Mr. Brown’s Sarah. The golden retriever.”

Everyone cracked up, the relief around the table almost tangible. Elizabeth swatted her son’s arm as she laughed.

“Oliver Carter, you nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” he said—not sounding sorry at all. “But the puppies are due right at Christmas. It’s going to be adorable.”

The conversation naturally drifted into lighter topics after that. Oliver told hilarious stories about the animals he treated, Richard shared memories of his first Christmases with Elizabeth, and even Tori chimed in with a few anecdotes about eccentric gallery clients.

I smiled, laughed in all the right moments, asked questions about their stories, and genuinely enjoyed hearing about their family dynamic. But something in me just wouldn’t fully relax.

Even when Elizabeth brought out a delicious dessert-a chocolate pudding she said was Richard’s grandmother’s secret recipe-and even when Oliver made me laugh until I had tears in my eyes with a story about a parrot that had learned to perfectly mimic the clinic’s phone ring, I still couldn’t shake the bitter taste in the back of my throat.

It wasn’t that Nate’s family was difficult. Richard and Elizabeth were truly warm, Oliver was impossible not to like, and even Tori wasn’t cruel, despite her comments. She was being honest about the way she saw the world.

And that was exactly what bothered me.

As I listened to Richard tell the sweet, romantic story of how he proposed to Elizabeth-something involving an improvised serenade at the botanical gardens in Bath-I realized I’d stepped into a world where last names still mattered more than feelings. Where connections counted more than competence. Where love, no matter how real, still had to pass through the filter of social acceptability.

And I, Annie Bennett, with my dad who grilled on weekends and my middle-class Verdanian family, clearly didn’t pass that filter.

Not for Tori, at least.