Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 541

Chapter 541

Nicholas’ POV

I was out in the courtyard checking the salt levels on the steps. The last thing I needed was another accident. That’s when I heard the sound of a car pulling in.

I turned and immediately recognized Gwen’s sleek black car parking near the main entrance. Gwen was behind the wheel, and when the passenger door opened, Paula stepped out.

The two of them had come together.

Paula said something I couldn’t hear, and Gwen replied. They were still standing close to the car when Gwen noticed me. Her face lit up instantly. That smile I was starting to know far too well. Genuine. Warm. The kind that reached her blue eyes and made them shine.

She walked quickly toward me, climbing the steps carefully. At least she’d learned that much. Then she rose onto her toes and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

My heart kicked hard, like it always did when she did that. Like my body had never gotten the memo that

none of this was real.

“Good morning,” she said, still smiling. “I’m going to grab breakfast with the guests. We’ll talk later?”

“Of course,” I managed, my voice rougher than I meant it to be.

Gwen gave me one more smile before heading into the villa, leaving behind that subtle trail of her perfume.

Paula stayed where she was, watching Gwen disappear inside. Her eyes narrowed slightly, that familiar suspicious look settling onto her face.

Once the door closed behind Gwen, Paula finally moved. She walked over with determined steps, grabbed my arm, and pulled me farther across the courtyard, away from any curious ears.

“She was in town,” Paula said without preamble, her voice low but urgent. “Using a computer at a café. I think she was working or talking to someone.”

I shrugged, trying to look unconcerned.

“If she managed to remember someone to contact, that’s great. It means her memory is coming back and

“Look, Nick,” Paula cut in, crossing her arms. “I’m not buying it. I don’t buy this whole story that she just hit her head and now thinks she’s your fiancée.”

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

“Right,” I said, my voice thick with irony. “Because obviously a perfectly sane person would throw herself down a staircase, deliberately hit her head, just to pretend she lost her memory and is my fiancée.

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Because… why exactly, Paula? Where does that make any sense?”

Paula rolled her eyes, that dramatic gesture she’d had since childhood whenever she thought someone was being especially stupid.

“Because you own all of this,” she said, sweeping a hand around the property. “An inn. A winery. Land…”

I laughed again, but this time there was no real humor in it. Just bitterness. Exhaustion.

“An inn that barely attracts guests,” I corrected, ticking points off on my fingers. “A small, artisanal winery that only sells to the few guests we do have and a couple of local shops. And land that costs more than it brings in. Maintenance, taxes, equipment breaking every month…” I shook my head. “Paula, if she’s after money, she picked the wrong target.”

But Paula didn’t back down.

Her eyes stayed locked on mine, sharp and unyielding.

“But she doesn’t know that,” Paula said calmly. “No one does. We’re good enough at keeping our problems… between us.”

She gave me a pointed look, and I knew exactly what she meant. The overdue bills I renegotiated every month. The loans I’d taken out just to keep everything running. The nights I spent awake, doing the same math over and over, trying to stretch every dollar.

All of it hidden behind the façade of a well-kept property and a happy family.

“So you think she got close to me because she’s interested in money?” I asked, my voice rough now. “In money I supposedly have?”

Paula hesitated before answering, choosing her words carefully.

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

There it was. The comparison I knew was coming.

I felt irritation flare in my chest.

“If you’re going to go back to that, I’m not staying here to listen-”

But Paula grabbed my arm, stopping me from walking away.

“Listen,” she said, her voice softening a little. “I just want what’s best for you. And this whole situation is very… suspicious.”

“Suspicious how?”

“I’ve been looking into her. Into this work with rural tourism in Florence that she claims she’s done.” Paula paused. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

“Maybe she’s making that part up too,” I suggested. “The doctor said her brain is filling in gaps, creating

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Chapter 641

plausible narratives. Maybe the marketing consultant story is-

“Or maybe she’s not making anything up at all,” Paula cut in, urgency creeping back into her voice. Maybe this is all a very well-crafted act.”

I shook my head, searching for an argument.

“It doesn’t make sense. You saw the necklace she gave Bella. That looked expensive. Something someone with money would own. Not something from someone who’d be trying to-”

“No, I didn’t see it,” Paula interrupted again, impatience clear now. “And you wouldn’t know a diamond from cubic zirconia even if your life depended on it, Nick.”

I fell silent. She wasn’t wrong about that.

“All I’m saying is, be careful,” Paula went on, her tone softening again. “I’m not asking you to kick her out or be cruel. Just… keep your eyes open. Don’t let yourself get fooled again.”

I shrugged, trying to project an indifference I didn’t fully feel.

“Paula, my only concern with this woman is that she recovers quickly and doesn’t sue us. You can relax.”

The words came out firm. Practical. Convincing.

But even as I said them, I knew they weren’t entirely true.

And Paula didn’t need to know that.

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