Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 398

Chapter 398

Marcus’ POV

The first ray of sunlight slipping through the bedroom window woke me before my alarm, just like it always did who I I had something important to deal with. It was a habit I’d developed over the years, working across time zones. My body simply knew when decisions were waiting for me.

Madeline was still asleep beside me, her breathing calm and even, her dark hair spread across the pillow like a silky halo. There was something almost magical about seeing her like that. In sleep, all the worry lines vanished from her face, leaving only the natural beauty that had fascinated me from the start.

I watched her for a few minutes, savoring the quiet. It was strange how, after only a week, waking up next to her already felt natural. As if my body had instinctively adjusted to her presence. As if this was how things were always meant to be.

I got up carefully so I wouldn’t wake her, my bare feet making as little noise as possible on the wooden floor. The morning was cool, typical of Highridge, and I could hear the distant sounds of workers beginning their day in the vineyards. Life on the estate started early, following rhythms passed down through generations.

I headed down to the mansion’s kitchen, where I found Carmen already in full motion, as always. She was preparing breakfast with the quiet, affectionate efficiency of someone who had run that house for decades- someone who knew every family member’s habits and preferences as if they were her own children.

“Good morning, Mr. Marcus,” she said with a warm smile that always made me feel at home, no matter how long I’d been away. “Shall I prepare something special for Mrs. Madeline?”

“Good morning, Carmen,” I replied, watching as she immediately began arranging a tray with her usual maternal care. “I think I’ll take breakfast up to her room today.”

“The first morning as a married couple deserves special treatment,” she said, her eyes shining the way they always did when she talked about family traditions-as if every.ritual were sacred.

I watched her prepare the tray with meticulous attention: freshly brewed coffee, warm bread she’d baked before dawn, jams, creamy butter, perfectly cut fruit. Everything arranged on fine china.

I carried the tray upstairs carefully, doing my best not to wake the rest of the house. When I entered the bedroom, Madeline was stretching slowly, her eyes still sleepy but already alert-that instinctive vigilance I was learning to recognize. It amazed me how she could shift from completely relaxed to fully aware in seconds, as if some part of her never truly let its guard down.

“Good morning, Mrs. Kensington,” I said, setting the tray on the bedside table and trying not to smile too much at her reaction to the new name.

She smiled, a soft, adorable blush rising in her delicate cheeks.

“I think it’s going to take me a while to get used to that,” she admitted, sitting up and pulling the sheets higher to cover the neckline of the silk nightgown she was wearing.

“You’ve got time,” I replied, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her, feeling the mattress dip under my weight. “Actually, speaking of time… I’ve been talking to Christian over the last few days about some changes we need to make.”

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Madeline froze with her coffee cup halfway to her lips, her eyes lifting to mine-curiosity mixed with apprehension.

“What kind of changes?”

“We decided I’m going back to work,” I explained, watching her reaction closely. “But not in Ascia. I’ll be taking over the operations in Valentia.”

“Valentia?” she repeated, as if the word belonged to a foreign language.

“Since that’s where most of the family’s historic vineyards are, and the base of all our traditional operations, the Florentia office operates independently from the rest of Euradia,” I explained, keeping my tone calm and measured. “Christian and I agreed it would be best for me to take charge there. It’s an important position, and… well, there are other factors too.”

She set her cup back on the saucer with a soft clink that echoed in the quiet room.

“So we’re moving?” she asked, her voice edged with surprise, and something that sounded a lot like disappointment. “I kind of thought we’d go back to Belmonte at some point.”

The expectation in her voice made it painfully clear she hadn’t fully processed yet that Belmonte wouldn’t be safe for us anytime soon. Maybe not for months.

“It’s safer for you and the baby,” I said gently, choosing my words carefully. “At least until we can do a DNA test and have legal certainty. If the baby really is a Kensington, Dominic won’t have any legal claim, no matter what he tries.”

I saw the change hit her instantly. The color drained from her face, and her shoulders stiffened, as if she were bracing for a blow.

“And if he isn’t?” she asked, her voice suddenly smaller, fragile. “Will you abandon him? Abandon me? What happens to us,

Marcus?”

The question punched me straight in the gut not because she asked it, but because of how she did. With raw vulnerability. Like she truly believed I might walk away from her and the baby if the test said he wasn’t biologically mine.

I set the tray aside and cupped her face in my hands, gently forcing her to look at me.

“Madeline,” I said, pulling together every ounce of conviction I had, “you’re my wife-now and always. I’m committed to making this work, no matter what we find out. This child… he’s mine. He already is a Kensington, by blood or by heart. The test is just so we know exactly how this war is going to be fought.”

She stared at me for long seconds that felt endless, as if she were searching my eyes for absolute truth-looking for hesitation, for cracks, for lies. Her gaze traced my face like she was memorizing every detail.

Finally, her shoulders relaxed a little, though some tension remained in the way she clutched the sheets.

“The doctor said I can’t do the test during the pregnancy,” she explained quietly, almost in a whisper. “I have to wait until the baby is born. Because of the placental abruption she saw on the ultrasound. Does that bother you? Waiting all those months without knowing?”

“Not at all,” I answered immediately, without a second’s hesitation. “Like I said, we just need to know which

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weapons we’ll need for this fight want out of life.”

Gainst Dominic. But regardless of anything else, I already know exactly what I

I leaned in slightly, making sure she heard every word.

and this child.”

D

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