Chapter 602
Gwen’s POV
Nick led me across the property with a flashlight in his hand, lighting the uneven stone path that climbed toward the medieval tower. It was fully night now, the sky pitch black and scattered with stars in a way you only see far from city lights.
“Careful here,” he said, holding my elbow as we reached a steeper stretch. “The path gets tricky in the
dark.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, grateful for the help, especially with my hand still wrapped in bandages.
I assumed he wanted to share some new idea he’d come up with. Maybe a plan to turn the tower into another attraction for the guests. A lookout spot. A space for intimate events. Something like that.
I wasn’t prepared for what I found when we finally reached the top.
The entrance to the tower was lit by dozens of lanterns placed along the uneven spiral steps. Soft, golden light flickered against seven-hundred-year-old stone.
“Nick…” I began, confused.
“Come on,” he said simply, guiding me inside.
We climbed. The spiral staircase was narrow, our hands brushing occasionally when I needed support against the cool stone walls.
When we reached the top, I stopped cold.
The circular space had been transformed.
Colorful blankets covered the stone floor. Large, plush cushions were arranged into a cozy sitting area. More lanterns were scattered around, some hanging from old iron hooks on the walls, others resting on
the ground, casting that warm, intimate glow.
And in the center, a telescope pointed toward the sky through the open ceiling above:
“Oh my God,” I whispered, taking in every detail.
Then I noticed the charcuterie board, carefully arranged, Cheeses, fruit, nuts. And beside it, a bottle of wine with two glasses.
It was a Kensington. Not just any Kensington. The 2015 vintage, one of the best we’d produced in the last decade. Rare. Expensive. The kind of wine a man buys when he really wants to impress a woman,
The kind of wine Nick definitely couldn’t afford.
“If you’re trying to create a romantic space for guests, you nailed it,” I said lightly. “But the wine should probably be from the estate.”
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Chapter 602
+25 Bonus
I laughed and turned to face him.
“But you do realize what people are going to do up here if they’re alone, right?”
I started walking around the circular space, ideas already flowing automatically as I pointed to different
corners.
“Maybe it would make more sense to put a bed up here. Or fully decorate it and sell it as a premium room. Like a tower suite. You could charge a lot more for something this unique. And…”
“Gwen.”
The way he said my name made me stop mid-sentence.
I turned slowly.
He was still standing where I’d left him, hands in his pockets, watching me with that intensity that always made my heart pound.
“I didn’t create a romantic space for the guests,” he said, his voice low but steady. “I created a romantic space for you. For us.”
I froze, the moment stretching long and breathless between us.
Nick stepped closer, gently taking my uninjured hand and guiding me toward the cushions. We sat down, our bodies closer than they’d been in days.
He picked up the bottle, opened it carefully, and poured wine into both glasses. Then he handed one to
“I wanted to…” he began, staring into his own glass as if the words were written in the wine. “I wanted to apologize.”
“Nick…” I tried to interrupt.
“No,” he said firmly, lifting his eyes to meet mine. “I need to. I was an idiot when I said you were just a friend.”
He paused, taking a deep breath.
“I wasn’t in a good place that day. Renee had just shown up out of nowhere. My head was a mess. But none of that gave me the right to say that to you. Of course you’re not just a friend, Gwen.”
I nodded slowly, almost ready to ask what the real problem between us was then. Why we were still stuck in this limbo.
But before I could say it out loud, he kept going.
“I feel… overwhelmed by everything,” he admitted, his voice heavier now. “With the estate. With keeping other people’s dreams alive, even if they’re mine too. With raising Bella on my own. With all the debt my father left behind. And now Renee coming back, asking for rights over my daughter.”
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He took a long sip of wine.
“And then there’s you,” he continued, looking at me now. “And I like you so much. So much it scares me. But I don’t think it’s fair to drag you into all of this. I have nothing to offer except…”
His words trailed off, like he couldn’t even finish the sentence. Like he didn’t know what he had to give.
I moved closer, carefully setting my glass aside, and lifted my hand to his face. The rough scrape of his stubble brushed against my fingertips. His eyes closed briefly at the contact.
“Except the incredible way you take care of me?” I said softly. “Except the way you make me feel safe even when everything is chaotic? Except the way you love Bella with every fiber of your being? Except how you work yourself to the bone to keep your family’s legacy alive?”
My hand slid down to his neck, my thumb tracing along his jaw.
“Except how kind you are to your guests even when you’re exhausted? Except how you still trust people even after you’ve been betrayed? Except that smile that lights up everything when it’s real? Except the way you make me want to be better?”
I stopped, holding his gaze.
“It’s not your decision to make whether I get dragged into all of this, Nick. Because I already am. And I
don’t want out.”
I saw something shift in his expression.
ར ར པའི ལྟར ན དེ
“And in case I haven’t been clear enough…” I added, pulling back slightly in an exaggerated, almost theatrical way.
I cleared my throat and extended my hand toward him in an overly formal gesture.
“Friends?” I asked, unable to hide my smile.
Nick laughed. A genuine, light sound that echoed off the ancient stone walls.
Then he took my outstretched hand and pulled.
Hard enough that I tumbled into him, our positions flipping completely, my body pressed against his on
the soft cushions,
And he kissed me..
“So,” he murmured against my lips, his voice low and teasing, “what were you saying about what people might do up here when they’re alone?”
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Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian)
excellent epilogue!...