Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 47 The car glided silently along the winding road toward the mansion. Through the window, I watched the vineyards bathed in silver moonlight, somber and almost melancholic. The driver kept his eyes fixed on the road, discreetly ignoring the palpable tension between us in the back seat. Christian sat with his head leaned back, eyes closed, though he wasn't asleep. Physical and emotional exhaustion was etched into every line of his face.

When he finally broke the silence, his voice was hoarse, low: "You didn't have to do that." I kept my gaze on the passing landscape, as if the dark outlines of the vines could offer some kind of comfort. "I didn't do it for you," I replied, bitterness bleeding into my words. "I did it for your grandfather." "Even so," he insisted, and out of the corner of my eye I saw he'd opened his eyes to look at me. "Thank you." I could feel his gaze on me, but I refused to meet it.

I was afraid that if I did, he'd see too much-the hurt from the cruel words I'd overheard that morning, the confusion over my own feelings, the war between anger and compassion swelling inside me. "I've grown too attached to Joseph," I admitted at last. "Whatever I can do to spare him pain, I'll do." A brief silence. Then: "Even if it means marrying me?" The question lingered between us, heavy with meanings neither of us was ready to face. Finally, I turned to look at him. "Yes," I said firmly. "But I want a clear contract. Six months, not a single day more.

Joseph to recover from the surgery. After that, I leave, and I don't ever want to see you again." Something flickered across Christian's face-surprise, maybe hurt?-quickly hidden behind the controlled expression he wore so well. "There's something different about you," he said, studying my profile as I turned back to the window. "I know we've said things to each other, but... this anger... where

came out sharp, precise. "That I'm just a 'temporary arrangement."" Recognition flashed across his face instantly. He closed his eyes briefly, as if taking a physical blow. "You overheard my

a grimace. "After all, it was just an arrangement from the start, wasn't it? You never saw me as anything more than convenient," 1/3 Chapter 47 +25 Bonus I turned my face back toward

kind of woman for anyone." My voice cracked at the end, betraying the pain I tried so hard to hide. Christian leaned toward me, genuine anguish written across his face. "Zoey, it's not like that. You don't understand that-" "No." I cut him off, lifting my hand between us like a physical barrier. "I don't want to hear your excuses." Something in his eyes dimmed then. The frustration, the urgency to explain-everything faded, replaced by a kind of resignation that felt strangely final. "I understand," he said simply. The

saw the driver adjust the rearview mirror, glancing at us briefly before returning his focus to the road. "Even so," Christian finally said, "thank you for doing this. Especially after what you heard." His sincere gratitude only deepened my confusion. Why was he being kind? Why wasn't he reacting with the coldness I expected? It would be so much easier to hate him if he acted like the