Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 8 +25 Bonus I paced back and forth in my room, feeling what little sanity I had left drain away along with my remaining dignity. Christian's message blinked on my phone screen like a flashing disaster warning: "Our conversation isn't over, sweetheart." "Okay, it's fine," I muttered to myself, rubbing my face with both hands. "I confused a billionaire CEO with a gigolo." Who was I kidding? That doesn't happen. Not ever. To anyone normal. My phone buzzed again. Annabelle had sent more screenshots of the social media comments. My name plastered across every gossip account imaginable.

[Who is the mysterious woman who stole Christian Kensington's heart?] [Billionaire CEO appears smitten! Is the country's most eligible bachelor finally settling down?] [Christian Kensington's new fiancée comes out of nowhere! Mystery or scam?] I scrolled through them, my stomach sinking lower with every comment. [She looks like a gold digger.] [Wow, he could have anyone and he chose her?] [She's pretty, but you can tell she's plotting something.] [I ship them! #Chriszy] I let the phone drop onto my bed, a lump forming in my throat.

It wasn't just the humiliation of mistaking a billionaire for a high-class escort. It was the same old story all over again-people judging me, deciding I wasn't enough, questioning what someone like him could possibly see in someone like me. Elise's words echoed in my mind, poisoned barbs sinking deeper. "You've always been so boring... You've never had anything special." And now the entire world seemed to be agreeing with her. I sank onto the edge of the bed, hugging myself like I could shield my body from all the stares and whispers.

to "golddigger" or "opportunist." All I wanted was to crawl under the covers and never come out again. But I needed air. I needed to think. I needed to do something other than

a calm day. Or at least, that was what I thought until I stepped into the market and felt something was off. 1 At first, I chalked it up to paranoia. Until I noticed people were... subtly turning their phones in my direction. My mom noticed immediately. "What's going on?" She frowned, scanning the crowd. 1/3 Chapter 8 +25 Bonus I plastered on a fake smile and grabbed a bag of rice like it was going to shield me from the

a mess!" "Zoey." I exhaled, avoiding her eyes. "Fine, I

look but let it drop. At least until the cashier also tilted her phone toward me while ringing up our groceries. If hell had a special level, I was standing right in it. "Excuse me, miss... can I get a selfie?" the cashier asked with a nervous smile. "Me?" "Yes! You're Christian Kensington's fiancée, right? I follow

Mom. At home." But things didn't get any better once we got home. All I wanted was to dodge the interrogation from my mom, put on some dumb series, forget my life was imploding, and pretend everything would magically go back to normal in a few hours. Instead, the moment