Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 499

Chapter 499

Madeline’s POV

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Marcus. Of course it was Marcus.

I let out a slow breath, closing my eyes for a brief second before turning fully to face him. He was standing there in a wrinkled shirt, his hair still mussed from sleep-but his eyes were wide awake. And furious.

“I have to do this,” I said, keeping my voice steady despite my racing heart. “I have to save our daughter.”

“What did you get on that phone?” he asked, taking a step closer. His hand was still wrapped around my arm-not tight enough to hurt, but firm enough to keep me from getting into the car. “That message you said was spam. What was it, Madeline?”

There was no point in lying now. He already knew. He always had.

“A message from Vivian,” I admitted, lifting my chin defiantly. “She wants me to go to a specific place. Alone. And I’m going.”

“No,” Marcus said immediately, his voice hard as steel. “No, you’re not. We’re turning this over to-”

“To the police?” I exploded, yanking my arm free. “To the police you yourself admitted we can’t blindly trust? Seriously, Marcus? After everything you said about Dominic having connections, about not being able to trust anyone, now you want me to hand over the only lead I have to find my daughter to the police?”

“I’ve already taken care of that, Madeline,” he said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Aurora is a Valentian citizen as well as Verdanian. The consulate is involved. Interpol is issuing a red notice.

This is an international kidnapping now. They’re investigating and-”

“And wasting time!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the empty parking lot. “Wasting time while I know where my daughter is! Or at least where I can get information about where she is. I’m going there,

Marcus.”

“Don’t be stupid!” he shot back, and I saw the fear behind the anger in his eyes. “You’re giving them exactly what they want. You’re handing yourself over to Dominic on a silver platter. That’s what he wants,

Madeline. You.”

Something inside me snapped.

“1

“Stupid?” I repeated, my voice low and dangerous. I stepped closer, staring him straight in the eyes. Stupid? I’m not stupid, Marcus. I’m a desperate mother. And as long as there’s even the slightest chance there’s a gun pointed at my daughter’s head-any chance they could hurt her, scare her-I will do whatever they want. Do you understand? I will.”

I tried to turn away. Tried to open the car door again. But Marcus grabbed my arm more firmly this time.

1/3

“I’m not going to let you get yourself killed in the process,” he said, his voice breaking. “I won’t lose

can’t.”

And there it was. The truth beneath all the anger, all the attempts to control me, to protect me.

I stopped struggling. Turned fully toward him and lifted both hands to his face, holding him gently, forcing him to look at me.

“You don’t understand, do you?” I said softly, but firmly. “You have to stop trying to keep me inside a glass bubble because of things that happened in your past.”

I felt him tense beneath my hands.

you. 1

“Marcus, you need to let go of this need to control the world, to control people,” I continued, my voice gaining strength. “It doesn’t work like that. You can’t control everything. You can’t stop bad things from happening just because you want them not to.”

I saw the pain flash through his eyes, but I kept going. He needed to hear this.

“Aria wouldn’t want you to become this person,” I said, and I saw him flinch at her name. “She wouldn’t want you living so afraid of losing the people you love that you end up suffocating them. And I don’t want you to be that person either-because I see how heavy that weight is on you. I see it, Marcus. I see how much you blame yourself. How much you carry.”

My thumb brushed his cheek, wiping away a tear I hadn’t even noticed had fallen.

“I’m an adult,” I said firmly. “I can make my own decisions and take responsibility for their consequences. You don’t have to protect me from everything. You don’t have to carry the weight of the world alone.”

I let go of his face and took a step back.

“I’m not the one who needs protection right now,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. “It’s Aurora. Our daughter is out there with that monster, and every second we waste arguing here is another second she’s in danger.”

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to steady.

“And honestly?” I continued, calmer now. “I know Vivian well enough to know that if I want my daughter back, I have to do exactly what she wants.”

Marcus fell silent, processing my words. I could see the battle raging inside him-the instinct to protect me versus the understanding that I was right. That I had to do this. That there was no other option. That

there was no time.

I took advantage of his hesitation, turned, and finally opened the car door. I slid into the driver’s seat and put the key in the ignition.

My hand was shaking. Everything in me was shaking. But I couldn’t show weakness now. I couldn’t let Marcus see how terrified I was, because if he did, he’d try to stop me again.

2/3

I was just about to start the car when the passenger-side door flew open.

Marcus got in and slammed it shut, his movement firm and decisive. His eyes locked onto mine, and there was something different in them now-determination, resignation, and love. So much love it almost

hurt to look at him.

“You’re forgetting two things, Madeline,” he said, his voice calm now, controlled. “First: Aurora is my daughter too. And I want to protect her just as much as you do. I understand that I can’t put you inside a glass bubble. But my newborn daughter needs me.”

He leaned over, took the keys from my hand before I could protest, and got out of the car. He walked around the front and opened the driver’s door.

“And second,” he continued as he slid into the driver’s seat, while I automatically shifted to the passenger side, still trying to process what was happening, “I’m responsible for my own choices too. You get to make yours, and I respect that. But I get to make mine as well.”

He put the key in the ignition and looked at me.

“And I’m coming with you.”

BIG SALE: 3500 bonus free fou you

Comments

Support

Share

X

get it

3/3