Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 468

Chapter 468

Madeline’s POV

The jet touched down in Verdania with a smoothness that couldn’t have been more at odds with the emotional. chaos inside me. As we taxled down the runway, a tight knot formed in my chest, like something could happen at any second. As if another bomb were waiting for us-hidden in every shadow, every suspicious movement, every person who came too close.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were walking straight into a trap. Every second we spent on Verdanian soil felt like another second of exposure to a danger I had chosen to face-dragging innocent people along with me.

We got off the jet in silence, all of us visibly tense despite our efforts to look normal. The private airport was discreet and luxurious, but I still felt exposed. Vulnerable. Like I was standing in an open field, waiting for the shot I was convinced would come.

While we waited for the cars that would take us away, I quietly moved closer to Christian. There was something I’d been thinking about the entire flight, and I needed to say it now.

“Christian,” I said softly, making sure Marcus and the girls weren’t listening.

He turned to me, his expression instantly alert. Years of leadership had probably trained him to recognize when someone was about to ask for something important.

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Of course.”

“Can you

take Olivia with you and Zoey?”

Christian blinked, clearly not expecting that request.

“All right,” he said after a moment. “But can I ask why?”

I took a deep breath, organizing my thoughts before answering.

“I’m not naïve, Christian. I know what’s going on, and I’m sure you’ll keep Zoey as safe as possible. And if Olivia is with her, she’ll be safe too.”

He nodded, but I could tell from his eyes that he had more questions.

“Are you sure about what you’re doing?”

The question was simple, but it carried the full weight of every consequence my decision had set into motion.

“No,” I admitted honestly. “I don’t like the idea of other people being put at risk because of me, especially a baby. And I wanted Marcus to leave me alone too, but…”

“But he would never do that,” Christian cut in immediately. “Because he loves you.”

That familiar ache pierced my chest at the sound of words I was sure weren’t true.

“You don’t have to lie,” I said, doing my best to keep my voice steady. “I already understand how things work with Marcus.”

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Christian blinked, confused.

“How they work?”

“I heard you two in the hospital wing at the camp,” I explained, the words coming out more bitter than I meant them to. “Him saying he couldn’t handle being married to me much longer, especially without knowing if that baby was really his.”

Christian looked at me intently, and I could see his expression shift as he tried to recall the exact conversation I was referring to.

“That’s not how the conversation went,” he said finally. “You probably didn’t hear what came after.”

“You don’t need to lie,” I repeated, exhausted by the whole thing.

Christian let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair in a gesture I recognized as frustration.

“You know, Madeline,” he began, his voice taking on a seriousness I wasn’t used to hearing from him, “having you in our family is… stressful.”

It felt like a slap. Exactly what I expected to hear, and it still hurt.

“I have to constantly try to anticipate your ex’s next move to protect us, and I’ve failed,” he continued. “I’ve failed so badly that last time we didn’t die because of… pure chance. Dumb luck. And I don’t like relying on things I can’t control. Do you understand that?”

“I do,” I said, swallowing the pain. “You don’t like me, or everything I bring into your family.”

Christian stayed quiet for a few seconds, as if carefully choosing his next words.

“That’s not it,” he said at last. “I like you. And more than that, I like what you bring to my cousin-the look in the eyes of a man who’s in love.”

My heart stopped for a beat.

“But,” he went on, “it would be easier to lie to you. Much easier to let you walk out of his life. Because if I ever have to choose between anyone on this planet and my wife and my son, I’ll choose my wife and my son. And my wife almost died. That makes me furious.”

There was an intensity in his voice that made it clear just how deeply the attack had shaken him.

“So yes,” he continued, “I could let you believe Marcus doesn’t love you. That he’s still too broken, too weighed down by his past to connect emotionally. And let you leave our family by… choice. It would be easier.”

He paused, looking straight into my eyes.

“And that’s exactly why it makes no sense for me to be lying when I tell you this: Marcus loves you. He might not know how to say it, but he absolutely knows how to show it. And he’s been doing that every single day, with every decision he makes. You just have to be willing to see it.”

I stayed silent for a moment, processing everything he’d just said. If Christian was right, then I’d misunderstood everything. I’d hurt both of us because of fear and misinterpretation.

“If it was easier to let me go,” I asked quietly, “why did you tell me all of this?”

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Christian smiled, and for the first time since we’d landed, I saw something genuinely warm in his expression.

“Because we’re Kensingtons,” he said. “And you’re a Kensington. And we protect our own.”

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