Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 9 I didn't think. I just grabbed Christian's wrist and dragged him out of the room before anyone decided to start throwing confetti at us. He was smiling the whole time, like he was actually enjoying this insanity. I stormed down the hallway, ignoring my mom's and siblings' confused looks, shoved him into the kitchen, and slammed the door shut behind us. "What the hell was that, Christian?!" He adjusted the sleeve of his suit, totally relaxed, like proposing to a complete stranger was something he did every Thursday.

"A marriage proposal." "I noticed!" I rubbed my forehead, a tingling starting behind my eyes. "What I want to know is, why?!" He gave me a look of pure amusement, like he couldn't understand why I was having a meltdown. "I thought we'd already established this. You asked me to be your fiancé at your ex's wedding. I just decided I want to keep playing the part." He decided?! "I didn't ask you to stalk me and show up at my house with an engagement ring, you lunatic! Not to mention you lied to me!" "Well, technically, I didn't lie.

You never asked if I was your gigolo." "You let me think you were!" He arched an eyebrow, looking way too entertained by my crisis. "I just didn't correct you." "Why?!" He shrugged. "You said I'd get to kiss you. Sounded pretty convincing to me." I gawked at him, my face heating, my stomach twisting even though part of me wanted to punch him. "Are you kidding me?!" He laughed softly, but then his expression turned more serious. "Zoey, listen. You might think all this is ridiculous right now, but believe me... I wasn't the one who started this mess. You were." I blinked, stunned.

"Excuse me?" "Your little scene at the wedding. The 'my rich, perfect fiancé' game. That, along with the photos, caused a stir in the media." "So what? Do you care? It's the internet. They'll forget about us as soon as they find something else to talk about." 1/4 Chapter 9 +25 Bonus He let out a short laugh. "I wouldn't care... if it wasn't for the fact that my grandfather saw it." My eyebrow shot up. "So what about him?" For the first time, Christian looked a little frustrated.

of vulnerability I hadn't seen before. "My grandfather is very traditional, Zoey. He thinks I'm a lost cause, that I'll never settle down or build something solid. And now, suddenly, he sees headlines saying I'm engaged?" I swallowed hard, already feeling the weight of where this was going. "And he believed it?" Christian folded his arms. "He wants to meet you." My brain twisted into knots. "Okay. This just passed the bizarre threshold." He sighed,

have to be married." I blinked, completely rattled. "You're serious?" He just stared at me. And that was the moment I realized he really was serious. I let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "Well, then you'll have to find someone else to pretend to be your fiancée, because I'm out

said this time you'd be the only one to lose?" My breath caught. His gaze was serious. Honest. It was the first time he'd spoken without jokes, without teasing- and it scared me. I looked away, swallowing hard, trying to ignore how much those words rattled me. "It doesn't matter. I'm not playing this game." He went quiet for a moment, then sighed. 2/4 Chapter 9 +25 Bonus "Okay." I frowned,

fiancée to be with me." "I'm sorry, but..." "You could come with me, just to see how this dynamic works." "Christian, no." "Just a few days." "No!" He looked me straight in the eyes and said exactly what I didn't want to hear. "I'll pay you." 11 My mouth opened and closed a few times before a disbelieving laugh escaped me. It came out weaker than I wanted. "You think you can buy me?!"

fake fiancé. But this was different. I wasn't a call girl. "Your father..." he began, and my spine stiffened. "What about my father?" Christian sighed, like he already knew I wasn't going to like what came next. "He has a large debt. Very large." My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms. "I know that." My family had been struggling with it for months. The late bills, the cutbacks, the hushed conversations my parents thought