Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 610

Chapter 610

Renee’s POV

I sat in my car, watching the school doors through the slightly fogged windshield.

It was Wednesday. Early afternoon. Kids were starting to pour out in loud clusters, backpacks bouncing against their shoulders, shouting over each other.

Nick had finally agreed to let me take Bella out alone. Not without making it painfully clear, in that annoyingly protective tone of his, that she’d have her phone with her and that if she called Martina even once, he’d come get her immediately.

I’d rolled my eyes and agreed.

And just to make sure I understood the rules, he’d added,

“Two hours. It’s a school day. She has homework.”

I spotted Bella walking out the main doors. Alone. She looked around with that slightly lost expression kids get when they’re searching for their parent in a crowd.

I stepped out of the car and walked toward her.

“Hi, sweetheart,” I said, forcing warmth into my voice.

She saw me and stopped short. She didn’t run to me or smile. She just stood there, her backpack slipping off one shoulder, looking at me with that cautious expression.

I felt irritation start to simmer, but I kept my smile firmly in place.

I understood. Technically. We didn’t have a real connection. Not after all that time apart. Not after I left when she was still so little she could barely remember me.

But understanding it didn’t make it less frustrating.

I needed to win Nick back. And I knew perfectly well that Bella was the only real way in. He would never give me a real chance unless I proved I was present. That I had truly come back.

I crouched down to her eye level, resting my hands on my knees.

“You don’t have to be scared of me,” I said gently. “I’m your mom, remember? Let’s do something fun together. What do you want to do?”

Bella didn’t answer. She just kept looking at me with those big, curious eyes.

My irritation flared again. I took a slow breath and kept smiling,

“I’ll take you to get a late birthday present,” I said, deciding for both of us. “Something really cool. What do you think?”

1/4

Bella shrugged lightly.

It was better than nothing.

I took her backpack and guided her toward the car.

The store I chose was one of the best in the city. Imported toys, designer kids’ clothes, everything expensive and perfectly displayed on spotless white shelves.

It had better be worth what I was about to spend. Because I couldn’t keep surviving the way I had been for much longer.

I had already sold almost all my real jewelry. The authentic handbags. The designer clothes. Every gift my ex had ever given me. In their place, I’d bought convincing replicas to keep up appearances.

While Nick thought I was comfortably staying in a luxury hotel, the truth was I’d only paid for one night. Just long enough to receive him that afternoon and make it look like I was doing well.

In reality, I was sleeping in a spare bedroom at an aunt’s house. Eating whatever she cooked.

But Nick didn’t need to know that.

“You can pick whatever you want,” I told Bella, watching her look around with wide eyes.

She moved slowly at first. Touching things. Picking up dolls. Putting them back.

“This one’s nice,” I said, grabbing an elaborate toy kitchen set. “Do you like playing house?”

“Sometimes,” Bella answered quietly.

That was progress.

“And this?” I held up a large doll with multiple outfits and accessories. “She’s beautiful.”

Bella studied it for a moment, then shook her head.

“I don’t really like dolls.”

“Oh?” I asked, genuinely surprised. “What do you like, then?”

“Books,” she said. “And games. Gwen taught me a really fun board game.”

Gwen again.

That irritating consultant Nick had hired, who apparently had become a central figure in my daughter’s life.

“That’s nice,” I said, keeping my tone neutral. “But today we’ll pick something different, okay? Something special just for you.”

Bella eventually chose three things. A building set. An activity book. And a large puzzle.

2/4

Nothing particularly exciting, but at least she was a little more open now. Talking a bit more. Smiling occasionally.

“And what about this dress?” I asked when we passed the clothing section. “I think it would look beautiful on you. Want to try it on?”

It was light blue with delicate detailing. Expensive. Exactly the kind of thing a thoughtful mother would buy for her daughter.

Bella hesitated, then nodded.

We went into the fitting room. I helped her take off her school shirt.

That’s when I saw it.

The necklace.

I had noticed the sparkle of those diamonds in a photo of Bella on the Valemont Estate Instagram page. That had actually been my first clue. If Nick was giving something like that to a seven-year-old, he clearly wasn’t struggling the way he claimed.

“Let me take that off so it doesn’t get in the way,” I said, reaching for the clasp.

I held the necklace carefully under the fitting room light.

Examining it.

It was real. Genuine diamonds. Small, delicate, but authentic.

Expensive.

“That’s a very beautiful necklace,” I said casually.

Bella immediately reached for it.

“It’s mine,” she said, almost defensive.

“I know, I know,” I replied quickly. “I was just complimenting it. I mean, diamonds, right? Of course it’s

beautiful.”

Bella took it back carefully and looked at me with curious eyes,

“What’s a diamond?”

I blinked, caught off guard.

“Oh,” I said, remembering she was just a child. “It’s something very, very valuable. Special. Something you give as a gift when you love someone very much.”

Bella smiled. Really smiled for the first time since I picked her up.

“Then Gwen loves me a lot,” she said with absolute certainty.

3/4

It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach.

“Gwen?” I repeated, my voice sharper than I intended. “She gave you this?”

Bella nodded, carefully fastening the necklace back around her neck.

“It’s our friendship necklace. I made one for her too.”

I stood there frozen, holding the blue dress in my hands.

Great.

Had I been completely wrong about Nick all this time?

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