Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 724

Chapter 724

Nick’s POV

The four of us got into the car almost at the same time.

Bella dove into the back seat, sliding across it like it was the couch at home. Her small backpack in her lap. Hair still rumpled from the morning. The unfiltered excitement of someone who doesn’t store anxiety in her body.

“Seatbelt,” Martina warned automatically, before she had even sat down.

“I know, Grandma,” Bella replied, clicking it in with a dramatic sigh, just to perform that she was being forced.

Gwen closed the passenger door carefully and settled in slowly, her hand going to her belly in an instinctive gesture. I got into the driver’s seat, put the key in, and for a second just stared ahead, feeling the good weight of having everyone there.

I started the engine.

It turned over and something inside me did too.

Gwen glanced at the back seat. Bella had already stretched her legs out and was swinging her feet in the air. Then she looked at me with a smile that was too innocent for the woman she was.

“We’re going to need a bigger car soon,” she commented casually, like she was talking about replacing a couch.

I didn’t take my eyes off the rearview mirror.

“What? Mine can handle it.”

Martina turned toward me with the look of someone who had just heard a crime against humanity.

“Stop being cheap, Nick,” she shot back. “Our products will start selling through Kensington soon. Investing in your family’s comfort is essential.”

Gwen laughed, satisfied.

“Martina couldn’t be more right.”

I pointed at the two of them with my chin, feigning outrage.

“Hey. Are you all going to gang up on me now?”

Bella raised her hand from the back seat like she was in class.

“Yes, Daddy. I’m on Grandma’s side.”

Gwen paused theatrically, like she was listening to something.

“Oh,” she said. “Clara just kicked. She agrees too.”

The three of them started laughing like they had rehearsed that chorus their entire lives.

I shook my head, defeated, pulling the car out of the space.

“I’m doomed,” I declared. “Surrounded by temperamental women.”

“Temperamental is a compliment,” Martina replied.

“It is,” Gwen confirmed.

I left Florentia with the car full of voices.

The road to Montelira had always felt solemn to me. Not because it was beautiful. Though it was. But because it was a path I

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knew with my body. Curves I took without thinking. Hills I recognized by smell. But that morning, I wasn’t alone with the

landscape.

I was bringing my family home.

When we finally pulled into Montelira, I felt a pressure in my chest I couldn’t name.

The estate appeared at the end of the dirt road like it had been placed there to prove a point.

The construction was finished.

No more debris. No hammering. No improvisation. The walls were clean. The windows installed. The courtyard organized. The place looked ready for life.

Dante was there.

Leaning against a car with the smile of someone who has fun even while working. Beside him, Paula was talking to one of the employees, clipboard in hand, her hair pulled into a rushed but still elegant bun.

I noticed the way Dante looked at her before he looked at me.

It wasn’t the look of a friend.

It was a look that lingered a second too long.

I got out of the car and closed the door calmly.

Dante spread his arms in a theatrical gesture.

“Welcome to the Valemont empire. Dust free edition,” he announced.

Paula rolled her eyes.

“He’s been unbearable since they finished,” she commented.

“I’m a man who appreciates art,” Dante replied.

Paula let out a small, reluctant laugh.

I looked at Gwen.

She gave a minimal nod, like she was saying I saw it too.

And for a moment, I felt genuine amusement. A simple lightness we forget exists.

Martina got out of the car slowly.

She stood there in front of the estate like she was seeing her youth again. I saw her eyes shine, saw her hand tighten around her purse, trying to hold her emotions in place.

“It’s beautiful,” she said quietly.

Bella didn’t wait for ceremony.

She ran off.

“I’m going to check it out!” she shouted, like she owned the place.

Gwen tried to call her back, tell her to slow down, but Martina was already laughing.

“Let her,” Martina said. “She needs to run.”

I followed them inside.

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The house smelled like new wood and old stone.

Bella raced through the rooms, opening doors, pointing at windows. Paula explained the finishing details with precision. Dante pretended to be a tour guide and made up names for every space just to annoy Paula.

By the time we finished the main tour, Martina’s eyes were red, Bella’s hair was even more of a mess, and Gwen was smiling with her whole chest.

I waited for the noise to die down.

Then I said, “That’s not all.”

Gwen turned toward me, suspicious.

I held out my hand.

She placed hers in mine without asking.

I led her back to the car.

“Where are we going?” she asked as she got in.

“It’s close enough to walk or bike,” I replied, starting the engine. “But we’ll drive because of Clara.”

Gwen let out a small laugh and rested her hand on her belly like she agreed with the logic.

I drove for a few minutes and parked.

When Gwen looked out the window, I saw her whole body go still.

In front of us stood a restored house.

Old stone. New wood. Clean lines that didn’t erase the heart of the place.

Gwen froze.

She turned toward me, her eyes already wet before she spoke.

“Nick… what is this?” she asked, emotional.

I took a deep breath.

“I had it renovated,” I said. “After our conversation.”

She blinked slowly, trying to understand.

“I thought…” I continued, the words coming out with effort. “I thought it might be uncomfortable for us to stay in the main house. We can keep that one for guests.”

I looked at her.

“Want to see inside?”

Gwen nodded quickly, like she was afraid her voice would fail.

“Of course.”

I opened the door, walked around, and took her hand again.

Inside, it was functional and welcoming at the same time. Like someone had thought about what a family needs, not just what a house should look like.

I walked slowly, pointing things out.

Chapte 724

“This is Martina’s room,” I said. “Even though I think she’ll prefer staying in the main house.”

Gwen smiled, knowing it was true.

We moved down the hallway.

“And this is Bella’s room.”

The door was open.

There were butterflies on the walls. Colorful. Cheerful. Chosen with conviction.

“She picked them,” I explained.

Gwen let out a laugh that sounded like a held back sob.

“That’s so her…”

I nodded.

“In the middle…” I continued, opening the next door, “our room.”

Gwen stepped inside and looked around like she was walking onto something she still couldn’t believe was hers.

“It’s beautiful,” she said softly. “Oh my God… you made me a closet.”

I gave a half smile.

“I don’t know if it’ll fit all your stuff,” I teased, hearing my own short, almost shy laugh.

Gwen laughed.

“I’ll make it work.”

I kept going. There was one last door.

I paused for a second.

I felt her hand tighten in mine.

“And here…” I said, opening it carefully, “Clara’s room.”

Gwen’s tears came before any words.

She brought a hand to her mouth and stepped inside slowly, like she didn’t want to startle the future.

I stayed close, saying nothing, letting the gesture speak for me.

“I built the crib,” I said quietly. “Like I promised.”

Gwen ran her fingers over the wood like she needed to confirm it was real.

She turned to me, crying in a way that was both beautiful and painful.

“It’s perfect,” she said. “Our family is perfect.”

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Chap 725

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