Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 61 +25 Bonus The Valentian sunset painted the sky in shades of orange and rose as our car wound its way up a cypress - lined road . After twelve hours on a plane with my in - laws and an exhausting day in Virelia , my body begged for rest , but my eyes refused to close for even a second - not with so much beauty around me . " We're almost there , " Christian said , pointing toward the bend ahead . When the car finally rounded the last curve , my breath caught .

Rising before us , bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun , stood a Castorian villa that looked like it belonged in a film . Built from honey - colored stone , with tall windows framed by green shutters , the house stretched majestically atop the hill . Perfect rows of vines spilled down the adjacent valley , forming a hypnotic pattern of green and earth . " Kensington Villa , " Christian announced , pride threading his voice in a way I rarely heard when he spoke of the mansion in Verdania . " It's ... " I searched for words , but none seemed worthy . " Magnificent .

" When the car stopped at the grand entrance , I was immediately wrapped in the scents of Castoria - rosemary , thyme , sun - warmed earth , and something indefinable that could only be described as Valentia . A middle - aged man with sun - bronzed skin and a warm smile greeted us at the entrance , speaking Valentian in a lively rhythm I couldn't follow . Christian responded easily , slipping into the language with a fluidity that made him seem instantly more relaxed , more at home . " Anthony is the caretaker of the estate , " he explained to me .

" He says he prepared the villa especially for our arrival and hopes we have a wonderful stay . " Anthony bowed slightly to me , his " Benvenuta , Mrs. Kensington " needing no translation . Mrs. Kensington . It still felt strange , but here , somehow , it seemed less like a farce and more like a possibility- a glimpse into an alternate world where our marriage wasn't just a contract with an expiration date . The inside of the villa was even more breathtaking than its facade.

family since before they moved to Verdania , " Christian said as he guided me down an arched corridor . " My great - great - grandfather bought it at the

I asked , running my fingers across an old dark - wood table . " Spectacularly wrong . " Christian smiled , and his expression here was lighter , freer , as if some of the weight he always carried had lifted . " The wines from this region became some of the most prestigious in Valentia . " Anthony led us up a

bed dominated the center , its linen curtains swaying softly in the breeze that drifted through the open windows . The view was otherworldly - rolling vineyards , dotted with olive groves and cypress trees , stretching all the way to the horizon where the sun had almost disappeared . 1/3 Chapter 61

joining me by the window . " The estate stretches across nearly the entire valley you can see from here , " he explained . " The vineyards to the right are the oldest , planted by my great - grandfather . The ones to the left are more recent - an experiment with Franconian

casually . " Some families have been here as long as the Kensingtons . The Montgomerys , for example , have a property on the other side of the valley . " I noticed the faintest tightening of his shoulders at the

then added for me , " Lucy practically raised me during the summers I spent here . " The woman turned to me with a warm smile , taking my hands in hers . She spoke in Valentian too quickly for

on speaking animatedly , gesturing toward the room and then at me . " She wants to know if you'd like a hot bath after the long trip , "