Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 26 The question hung between us, heavy and unavoidable. Christian held my gaze for a long moment, as if weighing how much truth I deserved to hear. Then, surprisingly, he smiled-not that confident smile he showed the world, but something softer, almost resigned. "It's not something you get over overnight." He threw my own words back at me, and somehow, that hurt more than any other answer could have. I looked away, suddenly fascinated by the pattern of the carpet under our feet. Christian stepped closer, though he still kept a respectful distance.

1 "Not in the way you're thinking," he clarified. "I don't feel love for her. Not anymore. But I feel the mark she left." He ran a hand through his hair, that telltale gesture I had come to recognize as discomfort. "Her betrayal didn't just affect my family's business. It affected my ability to... trust." The vulnerability in his voice caught me off guard. This wasn't the confident CEO or the skilled charmer. This was just a man, scarred by love gone wrong, like me. "I understand that more than you realize," I murmured, the anger I'd been carrying slowly dissipating.

Christian sat down on the edge of the bed, his shoulders slightly hunched. It was a posture I had never seen on him before. "I'm sorry for the way I acted at dinner," he said, staring down at his hands. "It was... inappropriate." "It was," I agreed, though without hostility. "But I understand why." He looked up at me, surprised. You do?" "Seeing Alex and Francesca on the same night couldn't have been easy," I explained, taking a seat in the armchair across from him. "And then... well, you saw us on the stairs." Christian nodded slowly.

"It wasn't just that." He hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully. "It was seeing the way he looked at you. Like he still had some claim over you." "He doesn't," I said firmly, with more conviction than I actually felt. "No matter what confusing feelings I still have, Alex lost every right to me the moment he chose Elise." A comfortable silence settled between us. It was strange how, in the middle of all these lies and deals, we could still find moments of almost brutal honesty with each other. "Tomorrow will be a long day," Christian said after a while, changing the subject.

image."" 1/3 +25 Bonus The disdain in his tone made me smile. "You don't agree?" "Don't get me wrong." Christian stood and walked to the window. "I understand the importance of social media. But Kensington has four generations of tradition. I wanted something that

pillows, fairy lights. It could be any brand, any product. None of that says 'Kensington."" He shook his head. "But Marcus insisted we needed a stronger social media presence, and Elite PR is 'the best in the market right now."" "The best?" I let out a scoff. "Please. They're pathetically generic-you said it yourself." Christian looked at me curiously. "And who would you

heat, but I held his gaze. "You forget I graduated alongside Elise." I shrugged, trying to sound casual. "In the same field?" "Public Relations and Marketing. Yes." Christian frowned, clearly surprised. "But you sell wedding dresses." "Because I needed a job, and that's what was available." I looked away, feeling oddly vulnerable as

luxury of following our dreams right away." Something in his expression softened. "But you've never actually worked in PR?" "No." I smiled faintly, tinged with sadness. "But people have to start somewhere, don't they?" Christian moved closer, sitting on the armrest of the chair where I was. "You're serious? About PR being your dream?" I hesitated. It was something I rarely admitted out loud, something

I gave a humorless smile. "Besides, after Elise became so successful in the field, it was easier to just... let