Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 707

Chapter 707

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Chapter 707

Gwen’s POV

I woke up feeling like I’d swallowed glass.

Tension sat in places that shouldn’t even exist in a body. Behind my eyes. At the base of my skull. Between my ribs. I lay still for a few seconds, listening to the quiet apartment, trying to decide what the first emergency of the day would be.

The answer came on its own.

All of them.

I turned my head.

Nick was sleeping on his side. Not real sleep. The kind where the body shuts down from exhaustion but the mind is still somewhere else. His arm was stretched toward the empty space in the bed.

The space where Bella had slept just hours ago.

The bed felt too big without her.

I got up slowly, careful not to make noise, and went straight to the bathroom. I took a cold shower, like cold water could strip off what had clung to the night before. I tied my hair back. Put on lotion. My hand drifted to my stomach mid-motion. Habit more

than tenderness.

I was still trying to function.

In the closet, I opened the section with my work clothes and pulled out a blazer.

And froze.

The image hit me like something absurd. Me. Putting on a blazer. As if I hadn’t been accused of kidnapping a child on every screen yesterday.

I took a slow breath.

I was reaching for a blouse when my phone rang. The screen lit up with Christian’s name.

This early here meant the middle of the night there. That couldn’t be good.

I answered on the second ring.

“Gwen.”

His voice was direct. Low. The tone he uses when he’s already handled five crises and doesn’t have the energy left to fake calm.

“I saw,” he said before I could.

“I know you did,” I replied.

A short silence. Heavy with everything siblings don’t have to spell out.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“Florentia.”

“And Bella?”

My throat tightened.

“She went back to her mother last night.” I closed my eyes for a second. “Under the current court order.”

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I heard him exhale hard.

“Shit,” Christian said, no filter.

I almost laughed. Because even Christian saying shit felt more human than the rest of this.

“Listen,” he began. “I’m calling early because… you’re going to hear this anyway. I’d rather it come from me.”

I braced my hand against the closet counter.

“Say it.”

“The board met. I tried to hold it off, but they voted.” A pause. “They’re going to suspend you. Temporarily.”

A cold hollow opened in my chest.

“Suspended from what?” I asked, voice steady.

“Operations. Executive authority. Signatory power. Public exposure.” He sounded like he was reading from a memo. Administrative precaution.”

I closed my hand into a fist.

“Precaution,” I repeated flatly. “Like I’m a liability.”

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“It’s not about thinking you’re guilty,” Christian said quickly, and I heard him trying to grab me before I fell somewhere dark.” It’s about not letting the company look like it’s shielding you. They’re pushing the narrative that you’re using corporate power to cover up a case involving a minor.”

“That’s a lie,” I said, anger cutting sharp.

“I know.” His voice sharpened, steadier now. “I know it’s a lie. But the market doesn’t trade in truth, Gwen. It trades in

headlines.”

I sat down on the edge of the closet bench without even realizing I’d moved.

“You’re the CEO,” I said.

I didn’t mean it as an accusation. It came out like desperation.

Christian went quiet for a second. When he spoke again, his tone had shifted.

“I am the CEO,” he said. “And that’s exactly why I can’t make a move that looks personal. If I keep you in position while they’re calling you a kidnapper, I hand them the narrative.”

I pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose.

I thought about Bella.

I thought about Nick turning his back on the police.

I thought about the article saying I had “intuitively” known where to find her.

“How long?” I asked.

“They want thirty days. With review,” Christian replied. “I’m fighting to make sure it doesn’t turn into ‘until further notice.”

“Thirty days,” I repeated, tasting the bitterness of it. “Can I say no?”

“You can,” he said. “And then they reframe it as insubordination and release a statement saying you refused to cooperate with crisis protocol. Take a guess how that plays outside the building.”

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I closed my eyes.

He was right.

Again.

“So I get suspended and I’m supposed to be grateful,” I murmured.

“No.” His voice cut through, more brother than CEO now. “You don’t owe anyone gratitude. You just need to understand the board.”

I took a slow breath, forcing the anger to stay sharp instead of turning messy.

“And who do they want in my place?” I asked.

“Here’s what I managed to negotiate,” Christian said, and I could hear the weight of it. “I couldn’t stop the suspension. But I did stop them from installing someone you don’t trust.”

My shoulders dropped a fraction.

“Who are you sending in?” I asked.

“Matthew.”

For a second, I couldn’t speak.

The name opened a space inside me that felt like actual relief.

Matthew.

One of the only names that would make that blow hurt less.

“You’re bringing him back from Ascia?” I asked.

“Yes,” Christian said. “I already spoke to him. He’s catching a flight today. He’ll step in as interim head of operations there. Best -case scenario.”

I let out a slow breath.

“Thank you,” I said.

He didn’t celebrate. He just went quiet for a second, like he was tired too.

“I know what you’re dealing with isn’t easy, Gwen,” he said, and his voice lost the corporate edge completely.

I leaned my head back against the closet wall.

“I want my family back,” I replied.

“I know.” He exhaled. “But try… try to use this time to get your head straight too. Sleep. Eat. You’re pregnant. You’re not a machine.”

I almost laughed again.

“Whatever you need…” he continued. “I’m here. Even from Verdanial. It’s just a flight at the end of the day.”

I closed my eyes.

Christian had never been the kind of brother who said I love you easily. He was the kind who moved the world when it mattered.

“I know,” I said, and my voice wavered just a little. “I know.”

“Promise me you won’t respond to anything online,” he said.

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“I promise,” I answered. He was asking because he knew me.

“Okay.” His tone softened. “I’ll call later. I’ll keep you updated on what the board does.”

“Okay.”

“Gwen…”

“Yeah?”

“I’m with you.”

I swallowed.

“I know. Thank you.”

The call ended.

I sat there for a few seconds, staring at my reflection in the closet mirror. Hair pulled back. Blazer in my hand. Eyes that looked like they belonged to someone who hadn’t slept in a week.

I dropped the blazer onto the chair.

“Get your head straight.”

That was a beautiful idea for people who got to take a vacation from their own lives.

I didn’t.

I wasn’t going to use this time to clear my head.

I was going to use it to strike back.

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