Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 730

Chapter 730

Gwen’s POV

There was a kind of silence that only existed in the middle of the night.

A comforting silence.

Even with the lights on and the hospital still running, the world felt stripped down to the essentials. The low hum of the air conditioning. The distant beep of a monitor. The soft shuffle of nurses moving through the halls like they were carrying the balance of the world on their shoulders.

I sat in bed with Clara in my arms.

Her tiny face was a collection of details I tried to memorize, even though I knew I couldn’t. The little mouth. The skin still carrying that just-arrived-into-the-world tone. The delicate nose. The heavy eyelids opening and closing like she was testing out her own body.

Nick sat beside me, leaning against the headboard, his arm stretched behind me in a quiet, protective gesture.

He didn’t say much.

He just looked.

Like silence was the most honest way to say, I don’t believe this and I do at the same time.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

I could’ve answered with a whole list.

‘I’m tired. I’m sore. I’m scared. I’m whole. I’m happy.’

Instead, I looked at him and said the only thing that fit.

“I am.”

Nick rested his face against my hair for a second, and I felt his breath loosen, like something inside him had finally unclenched.

Clara made the smallest sound, a soft murmur, and my hand tightened around her instinctively, like I needed to confirm she

was real.

The door opened gently.

A nurse walked in with that same professional tone that manages to be kind without getting personal.

“How are we doing?” she asked, her eyes going straight to the baby.

“Good,” I answered.

She came closer, checked a few things, made sure Clara was calm.

“Time for Clara to get some sleep,” she said, firm but gentle. “And you both need to rest too.”

I made a face without meaning to.

“I can’t,” I admitted, looking down at my daughter.

The nurse smiled, understanding.

“No one can the first night,” she said. “But your body will make you.”

She held out her arms.

176

“I’m going to place her in the bassinet, right here beside you.”

+25 Bonus

The idea of letting go of Clara bothered something irrational inside me. Like even a foot of distance was too much.

But I let her.

The nurse took Clara carefully, like she was made of glass and miracles, and laid her in the clear bassinet beside the bed. She adjusted the blanket, checked her face, then looked back at me.

“If you need anything, call,” she said. “You did a great job today.”

I almost laughed.

Like giving birth was a task you checked off a list.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

When the door closed, the room slipped back into silence.

Nick adjusted the pillow behind me.

“Lie down,” he said.

“I am lying down,” I lied. My body was, but my mind was wide awake.

He let out a quiet laugh.

“Gwen.”

I looked over at the bassinet.

Clara slept with her mouth slightly open, like the world was too heavy to keep everything closed.

I watched her.

And watched.

And tried to understand how someone could be so perfect without having done anything except exist.

Nick turned off the main light, leaving only the soft glow of the bedside lamp.

“Get some sleep,” he said again.

“I’ll try,” I promised.

I closed my eyes.

Opened them again.

Clara was still there.

My heart was still whole.

I closed them again, this time a little longer.

When sleep came, it was like falling into something deep without noticing.

And when I woke up, it was to the soft sound of someone knocking on the door.

Morning had already slipped into the room before anyone else.

A gentle light filtered through the window, and for a second, it took me a moment to remember I wasn’t home.

Chapter 39

+25 Bonus

Then I saw the bassinet.

And remembered.

Nick sat in the chair by the window, phone in hand, wearing the expression of a man who’d spent the entire night dividing himself between staying awake and loving someone.

“You slept,” he said, like it was a victory.

“A little,” I answered, my voice still rough.

He got up and kissed my forehead.

“Christian’s coming,” he told me.

“Now?”

“Now.”

I fixed my hair as best I could, not fooling myself into thinking I looked presentable. Nick placed Clara back in my arms, and I felt her weight settle into me like an anchor.

The door opened.

Christian walked in first.

Zoey right behind him.

They both paused for a second at the entrance, like the room itself demanded respect.

Christian didn’t say anything at first.

He just walked over to the bed and looked at Clara like he was seeing something no money or power could buy.

“Hey, little one,” he said softly.

Zoey covered her mouth.

“She’s…” Zoey started, then gave up on finishing. “Oh my God.”

I smiled.

“Welcome to the beautiful chaos,” I murmured.

Christian rested his hand on my shoulder, firm.

“The whole family knows,” he said. “They’ll probably come by in the next few days. To visit you at home, properly.”

“Good,” I said, because the idea of too many people in the hospital already made me tired.

Christian gave a small smile.

“And Grandpa is over the moon,” he added. “He wants to meet his newest great-granddaughter as soon as possible.”

I laughed, and the laugh tugged at something sore in my body, reminding me I was still recovering.

“He wants us to build him a soccer team,” I said.

Zoey raised both hands dramatically.

“I’m out,” she declared. “One was already a full-time job.”

Christian let out a short laugh, and Nick did too.

3/6

Chapter 730

+25 Bonus

I felt a simple kind of happiness. The kind that didn’t come with adrenaline. Just belonging.

Then Zoey’s tone softened.

“Enjoy this moment,” she said quietly. “It’s magical.”

I looked down at Clara, at her tiny mouth opening in a soft yawn.

“I’m trying,” I said.

Zoey stepped a little closer.

“Don’t try,” she corrected gently. “Just enjoy it.”

They stayed only a few minutes.

Zoey took a quick picture-no flash, no fuss-more to keep than to show. Christian spoke quietly with Nick about logistics, about the house, about making sure no one disrupted our rest. Then they left like people who understood exactly what this

moment was.

When the door closed, the room became ours again.

And still, I knew “ours” had grown.

Later, when the sun was higher and I’d finally managed to eat something, I heard Martina’s voice in the hallway.

I would recognize that tone anywhere in the world.

Martina came in first.

Her eyes were red, but her chin was steady, like she’d decided crying was allowed-but only in small doses.

Bella followed behind her, slower.

She paused at the door for a second, like she needed permission to step into this kind of happiness.

“Hi, Mom,” Bella said, her voice soft.

My chest tightened.

“Hi, my love.”

Martina came to the bed and looked at Clara like she was staring at a miracle.

“My second granddaughter,” she murmured.

I saw her hand tremble as she touched the blanket.

“She’s so tiny,” Bella whispered, stepping closer.

“Because she just got here,” I explained.

Bella studied her sister’s face, her expression full of pure amazement.

“She looks like a…” she paused, searching for the right word.

“Like what?” Nick asked, amused.

Bella looked at Clara and decided:

“A little bread roll.”

I laughed, and it almost turned into tears.

4/6

Chapter 730

+25 Bonus

“A little bread roll,” I repeated.

Bella moved closer.

“Can I touch her?” she asked.

“You can,” I said. “Just one finger. Very gentle.”

Beila slowly reached out, like she was touching something sacred.

Clara’s tiny hand instinctively closed around her finger.

Bella’s eyes went wide.

“She grabbed me!” she announced, and the shock turned into laughter instantly.

“She likes you,” Nick said.

Bella looked at me, triumphant.

“It’s because she knows I’m going to take good care of her.”

“I have no doubt,” I said.

Bella watched her finger wrapped in that tiny hand, then said, like she was settling something very important,

“Mom and Dad said your name is Clara…” she told the baby, like Clara could answer. “But your nickname is going to be Princess Glitter.”

Nick let out a laugh.

“You really like that name, huh?”

Bella nodded, serious.

“She deserves it.”

I looked at Nick.

He looked at me.

And there, in a hospital bed, with a newborn in my arms and a little girl with her finger caught in a tiny hand, we both laughed.

Martina wiped away a tear without making a scene.

Bella stayed there, completely mesmerized.

And I felt it-without urgency, without doubt-

Family wasn’t an idea.

It was this.

This moment.

5/6

+25 Bonus