Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Christian looked away, his fingers drumming nervously against the polished wood table. The starlight danced through the wine in his glass, casting reddish reflections across his tense face.

“I’ll tell him when he comes back,” he finally said, his voice low and measured, as though he weighed every word carefully. “He has too much on his mind right now.”

“What do you mean?”

He made a vague gesture with his hand, as if brushing away an uncomfortable thought.

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that yes, I intend to tell him. I’m just waiting for the right moment.”

“When is he coming back?”

“Probably on the last day of the event.”

I pushed back from the table harder than I meant to, the wine in my glass trembling and spilling a few drops onto the white tablecloth. A storm of emotions churned inside me.

“So you brought me back to the mansion knowing your grandfather will return in just a few days?” I glared at him, the pieces clicking into place in my mind like some dark puzzle. “How convenient. Almost like you want him to find me here.”

“I offered you a place to stay because you were in a difficult situation. Because you had nowhere to go after sacrificing your job to help me.” He drew a deep breath, as though trying to steady himself. “Not everything has to be part of some grand scheme, Zoey. Sometimes people simply… help each other.”

“Right, because you never manipulate situations for your own benefit,” I shot back, the sarcasm slipping out before I could stop it. “You never use people as pieces in your personal chess game.’

He leaned across the table, his eyes locked on mine, too intense for me to look away.

“Is that what you think of me?” His voice carried a controlled chill now, like thin ice over deep water. “That I’m always manipulating people? Using them?”

“You paid me to fool your grandfather, didn’t you?” I crossed my arms-a gesture that felt more protective than defiant.

“An arrangement that benefitted us both.” His eyes flashed with a mix of hurt and anger, the CEO mask

momentarily slipping. “Or have you already forgotten that your father’s debt was resolved?”

“I’ll never forget what you did for us. But that doesn’t mean I can keep being your rented fiancée whenever you need to impress your grandfather or advance your business plans.”

His expression darkened, something raw and wounded flickering across his gaze before he forced it back down.

Finally, driven by the need to clear things up with Christian before everything grew even more complicated, I got up. I took a quick shower, letting the hot water wash away at least some of the tension weighing on me, and dressed simply. I tied my hair back in a no-nonsense ponytail, determined to at least look in control, even when inside I felt like I was falling apart.

As I descended the stairs, the smell of fresh coffee guided me through the main hall. Voices drifting from the kitchen caught my attention. I immediately recognized Christian’s deep voice, followed by a lighter laugh that could only belong to his cousin, Marcus.

I moved closer quietly, not wanting to interrupt what sounded like an easy conversation. I was just about to announce myself when I heard my name.

“So Zoey warned you about the sabotage? You must really be in love with that girl to bring someone from the competition straight into your house.”

I froze in the hallway, just a few steps from the kitchen entrance, holding my breath without meaning to. My heart pounded faster-not from hearing my name, but from the implication in Marcus’s words. And even more, from what Christian’s response would be.

“Of course not,” Christian’s voice came, hard and distant. Even without seeing him, I could picture his closed-off expression, the impenetrable mask he wore in negotiations. “She’s just… convenient. After all that mess in the media, I need to convince her to keep up appearances until I get what I need.”

Each word was like a small blade. Convenient. Keep up appearances. Get what I need. So that’s all I was to him-a useful piece, a means to an end.

“And after that?” Marcus pressed, his voice carrying a curious, almost mischievous edge.

There was a pause, silence hanging heavy in the air for several endless seconds. Then Christian’s voice again, lower now, more final, “After that, it’s over. It’s not like she’s really the kind of woman for someone in my position. It was a temporary arrangement from the beginning.”