Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 11 I swallowed hard, organizing my thoughts. "I don't want my family to know I'm doing this for money.' His face stayed unreadable, but a flicker of understanding passed through his eyes. "You want to keep the deal a secret." "Exactly. For them, this has to look real." I ran a hand through my hair, nervous. "I mean, obviously they'll think it's strange, but... we have to convince them. They can't know about you paying off the debt-or about our agreement." Christian nodded slowly. "Alright.

That makes sense." "And when you decide to end things with me," I went on, my voice firmer now, "you can't just disappear like... like Alex did." Something shifted in his expression. A subtle hardness, like even hearing Alex's name bothered him. "What do you mean?" "You can't vanish without an explanation, understand? You can't leave me to tell my family why my supposed fiancé suddenly evaporated. We need a story. A reason for the breakup that won't have my parents worrying about me for the rest of my life." One corner of his mouth tugged up slightly.

"Maybe we won't need to break up." I frowned, confused. "What?" "Maybe after this trip, you'll decide you don't want to end our deal." I let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "That's not on the table, Christian. I only agreed to the trip." He shrugged, looking perfectly relaxed. "We agreed to renegotiate after, didn't we?" I rolled my eyes, catching his game loud and clear. But he'd already used his trump card-saving my family's house. What else could he possibly offer that would make me keep up this farce? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. "Whatever.

Should we go give my family the 'good news' now?" He extended his hand, holding out the ring box. "Aren't you forgetting something?" I looked at the little velvet box and shivered. Wearing that ring would make everything official. It would mean actually stepping into this madness. 1/3 Chapter 11 +25 Bonus He opened the box, revealing the diamond that seemed to hypnotize me with its shine. I froze, staring at that jewel that probably cost more than everything I'd ever owned in my life combined. Christian lifted the ring from the box and took my right hand.

A fake commitment. An empty promise. But when I looked down at the ring on

doing this for years. When we stepped into the living room, every pair of eyes turned to us. My dad, my mom, Matthew, Annabelle. All waiting for an answer. "So..." my dad began,

second frozen in time where no one knew exactly how to react. And then- "Oh, my God!" my mom gasped, shooting to her feet. "This is... this is..." She seemed at a loss

good. Matthew stepped forward, giving Christian a playful punch on the shoulder. "Man, you work fast!" Annabelle was the only one who stayed where she was, watching me with eyes that cut right through the act. She knew. Of course she knew. She knew I'd never accept a proposal this sudden after

laced with a warning only I could understand. She'd want answers. The next few minutes blurred together with hugs, questions about the date, about where we'd live, about how it all happened. Christian handled every one of them with enviable ease, spinning a love story so smooth it might've 2/3 Chapter 1 +25 Bonus convinced me, if I didn't know the truth. "Actually, we'll be traveling this week," I heard myself saying. "Christian's taking me to see his family's winery