Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 588

Chapter 588

Gwen’s POV

“Renee?”

Nick’s voice came out low and stunned, like he’d just seen a ghost.

And the name alone was enough.

Everything clicked into place before I even turned around. Bella’s mother. The woman who had

abandoned her family four years ago. The person Nick almost never mentioned, but whose absence still left visible wounds.

I turned slowly.

There she was.

A very beautiful woman, probably in her late twenties or early thirties. She looked just like Bella. The same dark eyes, the same delicate features, the same brown hair falling in perfect waves over her shoulders.

But what stood out most was her elegance that didn’t belong here.

She wore a clearly expensive dress, the kind you see in the window of high-end boutiques in Milan. High heels that sank slightly into the soft earth. A real leather handbag. Discreet jewelry, but unmistakably costly, resting at her neck and wrists.

She had money. That much was obvious. But it wasn’t the effortless elegance of someone born into it. It was the studied elegance of someone who wanted everyone to notice what she had.

Even I, someone who’d grown up around luxury brands and designer heels, knew this wasn’t the place for a display like that. I’d deliberately rebuilt my wardrobe for my time at Valemont Estate. Partly, yes, so Nick wouldn’t suspect who I really was. But partly because I genuinely wanted to fit in. To belong.

Renee clearly had no such concern. Or simply didn’t care.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was coming,” she said, her voice surprisingly soft, almost regretful. “But I wanted to surprise my daughter for her birthday.”

Her gaze shifted to Bella, and a smile curved her perfectly painted lips.

Bella’s reaction was immediate.

She climbed down from the chair so fast she nearly fell, tripping over her own feet in her hurry. She ran. Not toward the woman who called herself her mother. She ran straight toward me, her small hands

clutching my blouse, her body trembling lightly.

Without thinking, I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close in a protective instinct. I felt her shrink even further, trying to disappear completely behind my legs.

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“That’s quite a surprise,” Nick said, his voice bitter now, laced with a tightly controlled anger I’d never heard from him before. “After four years without a single word. No call. No message. Not knowing whether you were alive or dead. Yes. A beautiful surprise.”

Martina, who had been frozen until that moment, finally moved. Quietly, efficiently, she began gathering the other children.

“Come on, kids,” she said in a forced cheerfulness. “Let’s go inside. There are more treats waiting. And

ice cream.”

The children, sensing the strange tension but easily distracted by the promise of sweets, followed Martina toward the house. The other adults-staff and parents who had stayed-understood what was happening and began to drift away as well, casting curious glances but respecting the clear need for

privacy.

Everything happened at once. Movement and silence intertwined. People stepped back while the four of us remained standing there.

I bent down slightly, my mouth close to Bella’s ear.

“Let’s go inside, sweetheart,” I whispered gently. “With Martina and your friends.”

I wanted to give Nick and Renee privacy. I wanted to get Bella out of a situation that was clearly distressing. I wanted-

“And who are you?” Renee’s voice cut through the air, sharp now, all previous softness gone.

I straightened slowly, still keeping Bella behind me, still feeling her small hands gripping my clothes.

“Someone who’s trying not to make this worse for the child,” I replied calmly.

“The child?” Renee repeated, her eyes narrowing. “You mean my daughter? And who the hell do you think you are to tell my daughter what she can or can’t do?”

“Maybe you’d know who she is,” Nick said, stepping forward, placing himself partially between Renee and me, “if you’d been even minimally present in your daughter’s life. If you’d called once. If you’d shown the slightest interest in four years.”

Bella tugged harder on my blouse. I felt her trembling more intensely now.

“Daddy?” Her little voice came out small, frightened. “She… she’s my mom?”

The words landed like a punch.

She didn’t even recognize her own mother. Four years was too long. Bella had only been three when Renee left. The memories had faded, been replaced, almost completely erased.

“Yes, sweetheart,” Renee said, taking a step forward, trying to move around Nick to get closer. “It’s me. Your mommy. I’m back. And I brought you a beautiful present. It’s in the car. Do you want to come see?”

Bella shrank even further behind me, a small sound of distress escaping her.

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“No,” she whimpered. “I don’t want to. I want to stay with Gwen. I want Daddy.”

“Bella, honey…” Renee tried again, her voice growing more desperate. “I’m your mother. I know it’s been a long time, but-”

“You’re nothing to her,” Nick said, his voice low but charged with fierce intensity. “You gave up that right when you left. When you chose your new life over your daughter.”

“I made mistakes,” Renee admitted. “I know I did. But I want to fix them. I want to get to know my daughter again. I have rights-”

“Rights?” Nick’s voice rose slightly. “You think you have rights after-”

“Enough!”

Paula’s voice sliced through the air, coming from the doorway of the house.

Everyone turned.

She stood there with her arms crossed, her expression hard and unyielding.

“I called the police,” she said coldly. “You have exactly ten minutes to be off this property, or this will be considered trespassing.”

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