Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 709

Chapter 709

Gwen’s POV

I walked into Kensington headquarters like I was coming home and, for a second, I almost forgot I wasn’t officially supposed to

be there.

The lobby moved at its usual pace. People in too much of a hurry to look around, badges tapping against their chests, screens flashing numbers pretending to mean stability.

“Even on leave you can’t stay away?”

The voice came from my right, playful in that way that only works when someone knows just how addicted you are to your job.

Mia.

She had a coffee in her hand and a crooked little smile on her face, like I was a sick kid showing up to school just to prove I could still make it through the day.

“Go live your life, Gwen,” she added.

I didn’t smile.

“I need to talk to you,” I said. “And Dante.”

Mia rolled her eyes, full theatrics.

“Oh, great. I love when you start sentences like that. It always ends with someone threatening to sue us.”

“He’s here today, isn’t he?” I asked, already walking. “Or at the estate?”

Mia fell into step beside me.

“I think so…” She glanced at her phone like she was checking the mood of the universe. “But if you’re in ‘I need him now’ mode, he can teleport if he’s not.”

We stepped into the elevator. I hit the floor without thinking twice.

Mia looked at me sideways.

“Are you… okay?” she asked, and the okay carried the weight of everything we didn’t have time to unpack right there.

“I’m functioning,” I replied.

It was the only truth available.

The elevator opened on Dante’s floor and I didn’t slow down.

Mia made a gesture, like she was about to remind me of basic manners.

“You gonna knock?”

I opened the door without knocking.

Dante sat behind his desk with papers scattered everywhere and a laptop open. He looked up the second we barged in, his expression shifting from tired to sarcastic in less than a heartbeat.

“Cousins!” he announced, spreading his arms like he was welcoming two celebrities onto a talk show. “To what do I owe such beauty gathered this early in the morning?”

Mia went in first, pushing through the air like Dante had filled the room with smoke.

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“Cut it out,” she said.

I closed the door behind me.

“I have a mission for you,” I said.

Dante let out a dramatic sigh and leaned back in his chair.

“Gwen… as much as I love spending practically twenty-four hours of my day locked in a room staring at paperwork…” he gestured to the chaos on his desk like it was evidence of his suffering, “…or handling the final details of a construction site full of noise and dust…”

“Dramatic,” Mia muttered.

“…I think my time is a little limited at the moment, you know?” he continued, like she didn’t exist. “Not that I haven’t considered stealing Christian’s spot for a bit and taking over all of Kensington’s problems. You know how much I love a good problem.”

He looked at me with fake humility.

“But even I have limits.”

Mia leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms.

“Right. The only problem you love is between some woman’s legs.”

Dante pressed a hand to his chest, feigning outrage.

“I am a deeply misunderstood man.”

I sat down in the chair across from his desk.

“Exactly,” I said.

Both of them stopped.

Mia opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

Dante blinked, like I had just spoken in another language.

“What?” he asked, finally.

I pulled the brown envelope from my bag and set it on the desk.

“That’s more or less the assignment,” I added.

Mia took an automatic step toward the desk, too curious to pretend otherwise.

Dante picked up the envelope with two fingers, like it might be contaminated. He opened it and spread the photos out.

He looked at one. Then another.

Mia leaned over his shoulder, standing, reading along from above.

Dante reached the profile page. His eyes moved across it quickly, and then he let out a loud, completely unrestrained laugh.

“Sin in Lace?” he repeated, laughing again. “I appreciate the gift, cuz, but I don’t usually pay for sex.”

Mia made a horrified face.

“Dante!”

He raised both hands, still laughing.

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“What? That’s objective information.” Then he added, pointing at the page, “And if I did, I’d prefer something a little more straightforward. Like… Silk Lips.”

“Gross!” Mia shot back immediately.

I didn’t move.

“It’s Renee,” I said. “Isn’t it?”

They both answered at the same time.

“No idea,” Mia said, honestly.

“Absolutely,” Dante replied, without a shred of hesitation.

He seemed to realize how eager he sounded and cleared his throat.

“Not that I’ve spent much time analyzing her body, obviously.”

Mia turned to him like she could set people on fire with a look.

“Obviously.”

I ignored it.

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“Well… at least I think it is,” I said. “Her face isn’t clear in any of the profile photos, but the detective wouldn’t have sent this if it

wasn’t relevant.”

Dante tapped the profile page lightly.

“That’s her.”

“I need to be sure it’s her,” I said. “I need to tie this to something that’s more than just ‘it looks like her.””

Mia straightened.

“Gwen…” she started, like she was about to gently scold me.

“No lectures,” I cut in. “I’m not here to debate ethics. I’m here because she’s using everything against us. Everything.”

I felt my throat tighten, but I didn’t let it reach my voice.

“If Renee is doing this…” I touched the page with the tip of my finger. “…I need to know.”

Dante watched me for a second, more serious now.

“And what do you want me to do?” he asked.

I held his gaze.

“I want you to book an… appointment.”

Mia made a sound that was not quite a laugh and not quite a choke.

Dante, on the other hand, smiled slowly, like someone had just offered him an extreme sport.

“I’d love to,” he said. “But you’re forgetting she knows me.”

I closed my eyes for a second.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” I admitted.

Mia made a wide gesture, like she was summarizing my entire personality.

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“Of course you didn’t. You just thought of the most obvious person for a job that involves women.”

“I thought of someone who knows how to investigate,” I shot back.

“And who never misses a chance to turn any problem into entertainment,” Mia added, looking at Dante.

Dante shrugged.

“I’m an altruist.”

I pulled the papers back toward me, gathering everything carefully.

“So who?” I asked, blunt.

Mia went quiet for two seconds.

“I think I know someone who would be perfect for the job…”

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