Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 296

Chapter 296

I was sitting on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly scrolling through my phone and glancing at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost midnight. Nate had stayed downstairs to “finish a conversation” with Alexandra, and I couldn’t pretend I was comfortable with that.

It wasn’t jealousy-at least not the childish, possessive kind that makes some women unravel. It was something subtler, and far more dangerous. A quiet understanding that Alexandra was an expert at working in the shadows, slipping in little comments that planted doubt, orchestrating “casual” moments that were anything but accidental.

I took a deep breath and reminded myself of the decision I’d made. I wasn’t going to let her shake me. I wasn’t going to give Alexandra the satisfaction of seeing me crack or spiral. Whatever she was trying to do, I was ready

for it.

Finally, I heard footsteps on the stairs, and the bedroom door opened. Nate walked in looking more serious than usual, but the second his eyes found mine, I saw real relief cross his face.

“Sorry I took so long,” he said, coming to sit beside me on the bed.

“Everything okay?” I asked, searching his expression.

“It is now,” he said, taking my hand and threading our fingers together. “I just needed to make some things clear to her.”

“Like what?”

“That her expensive gifts aren’t welcome. That she can’t just show up here acting like she’s part of the family. And that you and I are together… and she needs to accept that once and for all.”

There was something in the way he said it that told me he was leaving parts out, but I didn’t push. If it mattered, he’d tell me when he was ready. Our linked hands rested quietly between us, and I felt some of the tension bleed

out of him.

“And she took that well?” I asked dryly.

“As expected,” Nate said with a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “But at least it’s clear where I stand.

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He leaned in to kiss me. It was a soft kiss, but meaningful. When we pulled back, his fingers brushed gently along my cheek, as if he were memorizing the moment.

“Thank you for getting through all that today,” he whispered. “I know it wasn’t easy having her here, throwing out those insinuations all night.”

“We’re in this together,” I said simply. “Whatever she’s planning, we’ll deal with it as a team.”

The next morning, we headed downstairs for breakfast and found Tori and Alexandra already in the living room, speaking in low voices near the window overlooking the snow-covered garden. Their tone felt tense-Alexandra gesturing a little too sharply, Tori listening with laser focus, but the second they noticed us coming down the stairs, the entire energy shifted.

“…and that’s why the New Year’s Eve party is going to be extra special this year,” Alexandra was saying brightly,

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as if they hadn’t just been mid-argument.

“Good morning,” Nate said, his suspicion barely hidden.

“Good morning!” Tori answered cheerfully… almost too cheerfully. “We were just talking about how amazing the Kensington New Year’s party is going to be.”

I leaned toward Nate and whispered under my breath as we walked toward the breakfast table, “Bet she’s already tearing me apart for your sister.”

He squeezed my hand in answer.

Breakfast was a masterclass in how Alexandra could seamlessly insert herself into any conversation. When Elizabeth mentioned the weather, she suddenly had a story about skiing in the French Alps. When Richard spoke about music, she’d personally met the composer of a famous symphony that premiered in Vienna. When Oliver talked about the puppies, she’d already visited award-winning breeders in France and knew reproduction techniques that only top specialists mastered.

It was exhausting and impressive at the same time.

After breakfast, we all stepped out into the Carters’ garden to say our goodbyes, since Nate and I were heading back to London.

Sarah arrived shortly after, excited to see the puppies again and help Oliver with the newborn care. I took the chance to say goodbye to the golden retriever and her babies, who somehow seemed noticeably bigger in just two days.

“They’ve grown so much,” I murmured, watching their tiny bodies wriggle against their mother’s warmth.

“She’s an amazing mom,” Sarah said warmly. “Protective, devoted, always alert. She doesn’t take her eyes off them for a second.”

There was something in the way she said it that made me think of my own mother, and a sudden wave of homesickness hit me without warning. But it also made me think about protective instincts-how some were genuine, and some were nothing but performance.

As everyone began getting ready for our departure, I watched Alexandra interact with Tori in a way that bordered on possessive. She kept touching Tori’s arm when she spoke, looping her into every remark she made to the group. There was a forced intimacy there that made my skin crawl.

“Ready?” Nate asked, appearing beside me with our bags already loaded.

“More than ready,” I said honestly.

We said goodbye to the Carters with warm hugs and sincere promises to return soon. Elizabeth hugged me especially tightly, whispering that she’d loved meeting me and that I’d always be welcome. Richard gave Nate a paternal pat on the back, clearly proud. Oliver cracked jokes as usual.

Even Tori was polite, giving me two formal kisses on the cheek and saying she hoped I’d enjoyed Bath and their family.

We were already in the car with Nate placing the last bags in the trunk, when we heard hurried footsteps crunching over the stones behind us.

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“Wait!” Alexandra came running toward us, dragging an expensive leather suitcase that looked like it had been packed in a rush. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold and the sprint.

“You won’t believe this,” she said dramatically, stopping beside the car. “My car broke down this morning. Maybe because of the snow.”

She paused, breathless, perfectly positioned so the entire family could see her.

“Would it be possible to get a ride to London?” she asked, her smile equal parts vulnerable and calculating. “I know it’s an inconvenience, but…”

The way she’d arranged herself-right in front of everyone, luggage already in hand, asking something seemingly reasonable in a public way-made refusing her look unkind, even rude. It was a brilliant move. Manipulative, but brilliant.

My stomach tightened. This was exactly the kind of situation Alexandra excelled at-technically reasonable, socially hard to decline, personally unbearable.

Nate opened the passenger door for me, his jaw visibly tight. I got inside and watched him circle around to the driver’s side, where Alexandra stood waiting expectantly.

“You can call a tow truck,” he said flatly, without hesitation or guilt, before getting in and starting the engine.

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