Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 285

Chapter 285

We came downstairs for dinner already dressed with me in a navy-blue dress I’d brought specifically for the occasion, and Nate looking flawless in a dark green dress shirt that made his eyes stand out even more. The dining room was absolutely stunning. Elizabeth had outdone herself with the Christmas décor. The table was set with fine china, crystal glasses catching the golden glow of the candles, and a simple but elegant centerpiece of pine branches, red candles, and small gold ornaments.

The piano music had stopped, and Richard was already seated at the head of the table, wearing a dark blazer that somehow made him look even more distinguished. Elizabeth moved around the room making last-minute adjustments, clearly nervous but pleased with how everything had turned out.

That was when we heard the front door open, followed by excited voices and… barking?

“Oliver’s here,” Nate said, laughing as the unmistakable clatter of paws on hardwood echoed through the house.

Oliver appeared in the dining room doorway with a pretty brunette woman beside him, her smile warm and bright, and behind them trotted a visibly pregnant golden retriever who immediately began sniffing every corner of the room.

“Sorry we’re late,” Oliver said, slightly out of breath. “And sorry for canine Sarah too. She could go into labor any minute, and I promised Mr. Brown I’d keep an eye on her through the holidays.”

The golden retriever, as if understanding she was being introduced, marched straight up to the dining table and started sniffing the chair legs, her tail wagging wildly.

“Sarah,” the woman beside Oliver said, extending a hand to me with a genuine smile. “The human one. It’s nice to meet you, Annie. Oliver doesn’t stop talking about you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” I replied, instantly liking her warm energy. She reminded me a little of Zoey-someone who just naturally made people feel welcome.

“And this is Sarah the Golden,” Oliver added, gesturing to the dog now trying to reach something on the table. ” Soon-to-be mom of five or six puppies. She could go into labor at any moment, so I couldn’t leave her alone tonight.”

Elizabeth shook her head with that unmistakably maternal expression that clearly said, my son and his animals

“At least keep her away from the table, Oliver,” she said with affectionate resignation. “Before she decides half the dinner belongs to her.”

“Of course, Mom,” Oliver said. “Mr. Brown would panic if he knew I left her alone on Christmas. And I promised I’d be there for the birth.”

Tori, already seated with a glass of wine in hand, watched the whole scene with the effortless elegance that seemed to be her trademark. She wore a deep red dress that complemented her fair skin perfectly, and her hair was pulled back into a low chignon that screamed sophistication.

“At least she’s well-behaved,” she commented, taking a sip of wine.

As if on cue, Sarah the golden chose that exact moment to try stealing a napkin from the table, knocking a fork to the floor in the process.

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“Spoke too soon,” Sarah the human laughed, bending down to retrieve it.

We settled around the table-me beside Nate, Sarah near Oliver, and Tori perfectly positioned to observe the entire family dynamic with queen-like poise. The golden retriever finally curled up in a corner of the room, clearly exhausted from her enthusiastic tour of the place.

“So,” Elizabeth said as she served the first course, “how was your outing in Bath? I hope you two enjoyed yourselves.”

“It was beautiful,” I answered honestly. “Bath is enchanting this time of year. The lights, the architecture… everything feels like it came straight out of a fairy tale.”

“What did you manage to visit?” Oliver asked, cutting into his food with genuine curiosity. “I imagine most places were closed.”

“Most of them were,” I confirmed, exchanging a quick glance with Nate. “But Nate had a few special surprises. The Jane Austen Centre opened just for us, and then we visited the Roman Baths.”

Oliver burst out laughing.

“Oh, my brother’s always been great at getting what he wants,” he said, pointing his fork at Nate with that easy humor I was already beginning to love. “He’s just not as good at explaining how he did it.”

The table laughed, but something about that comment lingered in my mind. There was truth there-an observation that seemed to carry more weight than Oliver intended.

“With the right person, anything’s possible,” Nate said with a laugh. He seemed shy about talking openly about how he used his influence.

“He couldn’t be more right,” Tori added, raising her glass slightly. “That’s exactly what I always say. The right person opens doors.”

A strange silence settled over the table for a few seconds. I could sense a subtle tension, like there were layers of meaning I wasn’t quite catching.

“It was just a joke,” Nate said quickly, clearly uncomfortable with where the conversation was headed.

“Speaking of getting impossible things,” Tori said, shifting the subject slightly but keeping it centered on Nate, “remember that time in Eisenwald when you got us into Neuschwanstein Castle after hours? The guide said it was absolutely impossible, but you talked to him for fifteen minutes and suddenly we had private access.”

“How did you do that?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“I just talked to him,” Nate replied modestly. “Found out he was a fan of English history, so we talked about some connections between the monarchies.”

“You all always loved traveling then?” I asked the table in general.

“Oliver and I did,” Tori said. “But Nate was always the adventurous one. He even traveled all over Euradia after finishing school.”

“Before college,” Oliver added, clearly switching into embarrassing older brother story mode. “He even had a blog where he wrote everything down. Every city, every experience… What was the name again, Nate? Wanderer?

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“Wanderlust,” Nate said faster than seemed normal.

I choked on my wine.

The word hit me like a punch to the stomach. Wanderer. The same name as the mysterious man from the app used. I coughed a few times, trying to hide it, but my heart was pounding.

“Are you okay?” Sarah asked, concerned.

“Yes, yes,” I managed, wiping my mouth with a napkin. “The wine just went down wrong.

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It was just a coincidence. It had to be. Wanderer was a common word, after all. Plenty of people would use that name, especially someone who loved to travel. And it wasn’t even the name Nate used for the blog-Oliver had mixed it up with something similar. It couldn’t mean anything.

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