Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 728

Chapter 728

Gwen’s POV

Florentia had a way of making everything feel bigger.

The lights always seemed more intentional. Every place carried enough history to feel like a set. Even the sound of people talking held a kind of beauty.

Right at the entrance of the event, I felt that sense of scale.

The flow of guests. The understated carpet. The carefully positioned photographers pretending to be there by chance, even though they already knew exactly who they wanted to capture. The wall with the name of the line in elegant lettering- Valemont Line by Kensington-and beside it, the label blown up like it was a piece of art.

And maybe it was.

I smoothed my dress with a small gesture and took a deep breath before stepping in. Nick stood beside me, impeccable and very aware of himself in that space, like every step had to prove he belonged there.

I laced my fingers through his.

“Breathe,” I murmured.

“I am breathing,” he said, but his voice came out tight.

I almost smiled.

“Then make it look like it.”

He let out a breath, the kind a man takes when he doesn’t like the spotlight but is trying to convince himself this is just another

job.

Christian saw us first.

He stood near the center of the room, exactly where he always stood, because a CEO doesn’t “show up”-he occupies. Zoey was at his side, her eyes lit up like she had her own spotlight. She didn’t look like just a Kensington wife that night. She looked like the woman who had designed the entire evening as a strategy.

Christian opened his arms as we approached.

“Tonight is about you,” he said, direct, like there was nothing to negotiate.

Warmth spread through my chest.

“Thank you,” I said, sincerely, because I knew how many details hid behind an event that looked effortless.

Zoey pulled me into a quick, excited bug.

“Isn’t everything, beautiful?” she whispered, like it was a fun secret. “I deserve an award ”

“You’re the only person who could make this look easy,” I said.

Zoey smiled, proud.

“I’m PR, darling,” she said, like it was a noble title. “And I love a good narrative Tonight’s narrative is love, legacy, and a brand that’s going to sell like water.”

Nick stayed quiet, looking around.

I recognized the tension without him saying a word.

1/5

Chapter 28

+25 Bonus

Most people there knew my last name before they knew my face. And his last name told a different kind of story. It wasn’t a name built in ballrooms. It was a name rooted in the land.

I felt his hand tighten around mine.

“This is your world,” he said quietly, like the thought had been unavoidable.

I turned to him.

“It’s ours,” I corrected, simple and steady.

He looked at me like I’d just set both his feet firmly on the ground.

“You always make this feel so… possible,” he murmured.

“Because it is,” I said.

Before he could answer, a camera approached and asked for a picture.

I gave the lens the kind of smile it expected, and Nick did what he always does when he doesn’t like attention-he went too serious and somehow even more handsome.

When the photographer finally moved on, I spotted Martina across the room.

She was with Bella.

Bella wore a simple light-colored dress, with a delicate bow and little flats that sparkled just a bit more than they probably should. Her hair was neatly done, and she held her grandmother’s hand like she was holding official authority.

When Bella saw me, her face lit up.

“Mom!” she called, her voice soft because someone had clearly taught her this wasn’t the place to run.

I walked over with a smile I couldn’t hold back.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

Bella looked at Nick.

“Dad,” she said–and the way she said it was different. Full of pride.

Nick bent down and kissed her forehead.

“You look beautiful,” he told her.

Bella straightened her shoulders like she’d just been handed a medal.

Martina gave me a look full of warmth.

“She asked to come,” Martina said, like she needed to explain, but I knew she didn’t.

“I wanted to see Daddy with his wine,” Bella said. “It’s all very fancy.”

I laughed.

“Your dad is very fancy,” I confirmed.

Nick let out a quiet sound that was equal parts embarrassment and happiness.

The room filled quickly.

Glasses circulated. Servers passed small bites. The Valemont label moved from hand to hand with the kind of care wealthy people reserve for things they plan to post later.

2/5

Chapter 128

+25 Bonus

I watched Nick walking beside me and saw the exact moment he stopped feeling like an outsider.

It happened when a gray-haired man in an expensive suit, carrying himself like someone used to being obeyed without raising his voice, approached us with a glass in hand.

Christian stepped in beside us, recognizing him immediately.

“Nick, this is Mr. Reynolds,” Christian said. “Importer.”

The man extended his hand.

“I tasted it,” he said, his tone polite but cool. “And I want it.”

Nick blinked.

“You want…?”

“A large order,” Reynolds finished, swirling his glass as if studying the light. “The market falls in love quickly. And forgets just

as fast.”

He lowered the glass, assessing.

“I need something that lasts. This lasts.”

I saw Nick’s body react before his mind caught up.

He didn’t smile right away. He just nodded, like he was holding the emotion in so it wouldn’t spill over.

“We can deliver,” Nick said.

Reynolds tipped his head.

“I know.”

Christian placed a firm hand on Nick’s shoulder, and Zoey appeared out of nowhere with her phone already up.

“Official label photo with the man who just made your husband look ten years younger,” she announced.

I laughed.

Nick tried to protest, but Zoey had already positioned us.

The picture was taken.

And when I saw the flash, one thought hit me

The world saw

A tightness curled low in my belly, like a quick pressure. A wave that came and went.

I blinked once, trying to ignore it.

Took a deeper breath and kept walking like nothing had happened.

“You okay?” Nick asked, too attentive.

“I’m fine,” I lied, with the ease of someone who’s been lying to herself for a long time.

I spotted Paula across the room.

She was with Dante.

Dante, in a suit, looked like the kind of man who was born to crack jokes at expensive events and still come out looking good in

315

Chapter 78

+25 Bonus

every photo. Paula was laughing at something he said, the way she held her glass close to her body giving away how comfortable she felt.

Matthew stood near the bar with Mia.

Mia looked bored and elegant at the same time. Matthew looked… happy. A quiet kind of happy, like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to be.

I caught myself smiling at that.

Life had snapped pieces back into place.

And I was seeing the result without feeling afraid of what came next.

When the music lowered and the lighting shifted, I knew it was time for the speeches.

Christian went up first.

He took the mic, thanked the guests, thanked the team-Zoey especially-thanked the trust, and said only what needed to be

said.

“Tonight, we’re launching a line that carries the name and the heart of a family,” he said, and I saw heads nod like it was something brilliant. “And now I’d like to call up the one who deserves this stage-Nick Valemont.”

The room filled with applause.

Nick froze for a second.

I felt his hand reach for mine.

“Come with me,” he said quietly.

I didn’t argue.

He pulled me along, and we stepped up together.

The microphone looked too big in his hand, but his posture held steady in a way that came from somewhere deeper.

From the land.

From the work.

He looked out at the crowd, then at me.

And when he started speaking, it wasn’t about sales.

It was about family.

“I didn’t grow up imagining I’d stand in a room like this,” he said, and the honesty quieted the space. “I grew up imagining land that wouldn’t slip away. A place I could hold on to.”

My throat tightened.

“And I learned that legacy isn’t just a name,” Nick continued. “It’s care. It’s persistence. It’s loving a place until it becomes home.”

He squeezed my hand.

“I spent years loving wine like it was the only thing I knew how to love without making noise,” he said, and a few people smiled like they understood. Maybe they did. “And when I thought I’d lost everything, I realized I could still build something.”

The pressure in my belly came back.

Stronger.

I breathed through it.

“Tonight, I’m bringing to the world-” Nick started, and that’s when my body betrayed me.

A sudden warmth.

A silent snap.

And then-

Wet.

A small, involuntary sound slipped out of me.

Nick stopped mid-sentence.

“What is it?” he asked, alarmed.

I looked down at the floor.

My eyes widened.

He followed my gaze.

And understood instantly.

I swallowed hard.

“Clara’s coming,” I said, unable to hide the shock.

Comments

凹

Support

Share

+25 Bonus

5/5

Cyter 72

+25 Bonus