Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 295

Chapter 295

The anger that ripped through me when Alexandra dropped that little bomb about Annie almost getting me fired was so intense I had to clench my fists under the table just to keep from exploding right then and there. It was exactly the kind of cheap manipulation I expected from her-throwing a sensitive, deeply personal issue onto my family’s dinner table, knowing Annie would feel cornered and I wouldn’t be able to react without turning everything into a scene.

“What?” my dad repeated, clearly confused and now genuinely concerned.

I took a slow breath, forcing my voice to stay even and controlled.

When

“It wasn’t like that, Dad,” I explained, shooting Alexandra a sharp look. She was wearing that expression of fake innocence I knew far too well. “Annie got dragged into a lie about a supposed data leak at the company. they found out we had… met before she officially started working there, a few members of the board thought she might have been involved in corporate espionage. And that I was… complicit.”

“Espionage?” Oliver nearly choked on his wine. “Christian thought that?”

“Not for a second,” I said quickly, wanting to be absolutely clear that my best friend had never doubted me. “But Christian was dealing with a lot in Verdania with his son, so the board handled it.”

“And what happened?” my mom asked, visibly worried.

“Annie was fully cleared,” I said firmly. “And so was I. There was nothing to find because we didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Not exactly,” Alexandra cut in with that breezy tone she always used right before causing damage. “Annie is still under supervision, isn’t she? Maybe it wouldn’t be wise for you two to show up together at the New Year’s party. Better to keep the relationship quiet for now.”

I felt Annie go rigid beside me, and my irritation with Alexandra spiked even higher.

“Keep it quiet how?” Annie asked, her voice carrying a dangerous kind of calm. “Last time it was you who leaked everything.”

“Was it?” Alexandra replied, her feigned surprise so exaggerated it would’ve been laughable if it weren’t infuriating. “Oh, I talk too much when I get excited…” She made a theatrical pause, touching her fingers to her lips like a child making a fake promise. “But I won’t say a word this time.”

The bitter taste of that conversation lingered through the rest of dinner, even though my parents did everything they could to steer things back into lighter territory. I could tell they didn’t suspect Annie-not for a second. They welcomed her completely. But the problem was, they didn’t suspect Alexandra either. To them, she was just the same long-time family friend she’d always been-Christian’s cousin, Tori’s friend, someone who’d always been welcome in our home.

But I knew Alexandra too well to trust anything that came out of her mouth.

The dessert my mother made, a chocolate pudding I normally adored, tasted like ash. Every casual comment from Alexandra, every smile she directed at Annie, every attempt to dominate the conversation grated on my

nerves more and more.

When we finally moved to the living room for tea and conversation, the familiar warmth of my family’s home

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suddenly felt poisoned by her presence. I watched her compliment my father on his latest composition, praise my mother’s Christmas décor, make Oliver laugh with stories about exotic animals she’d seen on her travels.

It was a flawless performance, and I hated every second of it.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the family began to drift away. My mom said goodbye to Alexandra with her usual kindness, my dad offered the guest room like he’d done countless times before, and Oliver wished everyone goodnight before heading out to check on Sarah’s puppies.

“I’m going up,” Annie said softly, touching my arm. “Are you coming?”

“I’ll be right behind you,” I told her, kissing her forehead. “I just want to finish a conversation with Alexandra.”

Annie studied me for a few seconds, clearly aware there was something unspoken in my tone, but she nodded and headed upstairs. Tori followed soon after, clutching her new shoebox like a priceless treasure.

At last, Alexandra and I were alone in the living room. She sat with perfect posture in one of the armchairs, taking the final sip of her tea as if she hadn’t caused any trouble at all tonight.

“We need to talk,” I said, my voice low but edged with steel.

“About what?” she asked, wearing that fake innocence that made me want to shout.

I stepped closer, the watch box in my hands.

“First, you’re taking this back,” I said, holding the box out to her.

“Nathaniel, it’s a present-”

“One I don’t want and won’t accept,” I cut in sharply. “Take it back, Alexandra.”

She sighed theatrically, but took the box from me with a show of wounded sadness.

“You can try to force your way into my life all you want,” I said. “You can keep showing up at family events, keep handing out expensive gifts, keep pretending you and I have some special connection. But that door will always be closed to you.”

I paused, making sure she absorbed every word.

“Annie and I are together. We’re good. And you’re not going to ruin that.”

Alexandra watched me for a few long seconds, the sugary mask finally slipping, revealing something colder and calculating beneath it.

“Won’t I?” she asked quietly, rising gracefully from the armchair. “Are you sure about that?”

She crossed the room and stood by the window, looking out at the snow blanketing my parents’ garden, her fingers idly toying with the bracelet on her wrist.

“Because I have a very useful card in my hand, don’t I?” she said, turning back to me with a smile that held nothing sweet. “Tori.”

My stomach sank. It was exactly what I’d feared. Alexandra didn’t see my sister as a friend. She saw her as a piece on a board, part of a game I still didn’t fully understand.

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Chapter

“Tori isn’t a card,” I said carefully. “She’s my sister.”

“Of course she is,” Alexandra agreed easily, though the gleam in her eyes told me she saw it very differently.” And a sister who adores me, trusts me, believes I have the Carter family’s best interests at heart.”

She paused, letting the weight of her words settle.

“Imagine what would happen if Tori discovered certain… pieces of information about Annie. Things that might make her question whether her new sister-in-law is actually the right person for her beloved brother.”

“What information?” I asked, even though part of me already knew I didn’t want to hear the answer.

“Oh, Nathaniel,” she said with that smile that always made me feel like I was standing on quicksand. “With the money I have? Any information I want.”

“Don’t threaten my family,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

“It’s not a threat,” she replied softly. “Just a reminder that information can be… interpreted in very different ways, depending on how it’s presented.”

“You know I will never be with you, right?”

“Maybe,” she said calmly. “But you know you’ll never be with her, either. Don’t you?”

She turned toward the stairs, pausing only long enough to give me a smile that looked almost pitying.

“Goodnight, Nathaniel. It truly was a wonderful Christmas.”

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