Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 586

Chapter 586

It was already early afternoon when we arrived back at Valemont Estate, the cake carefully secured in the back seat. Bella greeted us at the front door, practically bouncing with excitement.

Part of it was because I was there for her party, just like I’d promised. But mostly it was because she was a child, and children have very clear priorities when it comes to birthday parties.

“Did you get it? Did you get my cake?” she asked, trying to peek inside the box Nick was holding well

above her reach.

“We did,” he confirmed with a smile. “But you can’t see it yet. It’s a surprise.”

“Dad!” she complained, but she was smiling so wide it was impossible to take her seriously.

Nick had decided to set up the party in a small area of the property near the main house, under the shade of several old trees that kept things cool even in the afternoon heat. It wasn’t elaborate. It wasn’t for the guests. Just family, a few close employees, and Bella’s school friends, who would start arriving in a couple of hours.

But simple didn’t mean careless. Nick paid attention to every detail with meticulous care.

“The chairs go here,” he said, pointing to a spot beneath the largest tree. “And the main table over there, where everyone can see when we cut the cake.”

Martina was inside preparing the food. Simple but delicious snacks, the smell already drifting out through the open windows. Sandwiches cut into fun shapes. Sliced fruit. Fresh juices in large glass pitchers.

Bella was everywhere at once, darting from place to place, helping carry napkins, arranging paper plates, moving the decorations three times because they weren’t “perfectly right.”

“Gwen!” she called at one point, running up to me. “Do you think we should put the purple balloons here

or over there?”

I looked at the two spots she pointed to, which honestly looked exactly the same to me.

“I think over there,” I said, choosing at random.

“I think so too!” Bella exclaimed like she’d just made the most important decision of her life. “Dad! Let’s move the balloons!”

Nick, who had tied those exact balloons in their original spot less than five minutes earlier, shot me a look of exaggerated exasperation that made me laugh.

Martina eventually came out with clean tablecloths and a stack of plates that we started setting out. Paula arrived soon after with a box full of colorful cups and extra decorations she’d picked up in town.

We worked together for over an hour. Setting up tables. Hanging “Happy Birthday” banners between the tree branches. Blowing up balloons until my lungs hurt. Arranging chairs in a semicircle around the main

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area.

Bella supervised it all with the seriousness of a general commanding troops, making constant adjustments and offering strong opinions on every aesthetic choice.

“That banner is crooked,” she pointed out at one point.

“It’s straight,” Nick argued.

“It’s crooked,” Bella insisted.

I took a look. It was, in fact, slightly crooked.

“She’s right,” I said, trying not to smile at Nick’s exasperated expression.

He climbed back up the ladder and adjusted it for the third time.

Eventually, Martina took Bella inside to give her a bath and help her change for the party. Paula went to check something at the front desk. And suddenly, Nick and I were alone in the decorated corner, with nothing but birdsong and the soft rustle of leaves around us.

“I think we did it,” he said, looking around with satisfaction. “It looks good.”

“It looks perfect,” I agreed, straightening one last napkin that had slipped out of place.

He walked over and stopped beside me, his shoulder almost brushing mine.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “For being here. For coming. I know you have responsibilities in Florentia. But it means a lot to Bella. To me too.”

I turned to look at him, and he was closer than I’d realized. Close enough to see the faint lines around his green eyes. Close enough to feel the warmth radiating from him.

“I wanted to be here,” I said honestly. “I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else today.”

Something shifted in his expression. His green eyes grew more intense, more focused.

“Gwen,” he began, his voice rough, “I-”

He didn’t finish.

Instead, he lifted his hand and gently brushed my face, his fingers tracing my jaw with a tenderness that

stole my breath.

I didn’t think. I didn’t plan. I just leaned in, closing the small distance between us.

Our lips met.

The kiss started soft, almost hesitant. Testing. Asking. His lips were warm and gentle against mine, and my heart took off in a way that was anything but gentle.

Then he deepened it.

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His hand slid from my face to the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair. My arms went automatically around his neck, pulling him closer. The kiss grew more urgent, more desperate.

I felt his hands on my waist, drawing me against him. Felt his heart racing against my chest. Tasted the faint trace of chocolate still lingering on his lips.

It was perfect.

Until someone cleared their throat.

We broke apart abruptly, nearly stumbling over each other as we rushed to put a respectable distance

between us.

Martina stood there, holding Bella’s hand. Both of them were staring straight at us.

Martina was trying very hard not to smile, but she wasn’t doing a great job. The corners of her mouth were trembling with the effort to stay serious.

⚫ Bella had no such restraint. She was laughing openly, her clear, musical giggles echoing through the

space.

“We… we were just…” Nick started, his cheeks visibly flushed as he ran a hand through his hair in that nervous gesture.

But he completely lost the thread, his words fading before he could form anything remotely coherent.

“You don’t need to explain anything,” Martina said gently, her eyes shining with something that looked very much like maternal approval.

Bella kept giggling, swinging her grandmother’s hand back and forth.

My face burned with embarrassment. I couldn’t bring myself to look directly at either of them. Instead, I glanced at Nick, who looked just as flustered, though he was smiling in that awkward, half-amused way.

“Let’s…” he said, clearing his throat, “let’s finish setting this up.”

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