Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 84 +25 Bonus Chapter 84 Christian's POV Breakfast at the Kensington estate in Highridge Valley had always been a lonely affair for me. During my childhood and teenage years, it was rare to see my parents at the table. The staff kept a respectful distance, and I got used to eating in silence, mentally reviewing my day's commitments. Except when Joseph was there. "This is not breakfast!" my grandfather exclaimed, glaring at the black coffee and barely touched toast in front of me. "In my day, men ate like men! Eggs, fresh bread, ham..." He gestured toward his own abundant plate.

"That's why your generation is always anxious. You don't eat properly!" I smiled despite my exhaustion. I had slept poorly, waking several times during the night, my body instinctively reaching for Zoey beside me. The awkward phone call that morning had only worsened my mood. "I'm fine, Grandpa. Just not very hungry today." Joseph studied me with those sharp eyes that seemed to see through any façade. "It's your wife. You miss her." It wasn't a question. "Why on earth do you young people invent this nonsense of living apart? In my day, man and woman stayed together.

Simple as that." I sighed, already anticipating the speech to come. "Your grandma and I never spent a single night apart after we married. Not even when we fought! And we fought a lot since that woman had the temper of the devil!" A nostalgic smile crossed his face. "But we slept together. Woke up together. That's what marriage is." "Times are different, Grandpa." I took a sip of coffee, buying myself a moment. "The wedding and honeymoon happened very suddenly. Zoey needs time to organize the life she left in Solara. Her family's there." "Family?" Joseph frowned. "Then bring her family too!

They're good people. I met them at the wedding. That sister is a character! And this house is far too big for just an old man like me and a young couple." He swept his arms wide, encompassing the mansion around us. I smiled again, imagining my mother's reaction if I told her I had invited the entire Bennett family to move into the estate. The heart attack would be instant. "It's not that simple, Grandpa. Zoey has her own life, her own obligations." I hesitated, searching for the right words. "She needs time to adjust.

to explain that the world had changed a lot in the last sixty years. That women no longer gave up their careers and aspirations just because they got married. That Zoey was independent, determined, and above all, still adapting to a marriage that began as... well, that was something I definitely wouldn't explain. "She's coming to visit us this weekend," I offered, hoping to cheer him up. Joseph's face lit up instantly. "Really?" He clapped his

my chest. To Joseph, Zoey was already part of the family-no reservations, no conditions, no expiration date. "I'll show her the new seedlings in the organic project," I added,

business attire- surprising, considering his usual habit of arriving late to morning meetings. "Good morning, family!" he greeted, leaning down to kiss the top of Joseph's head before serving himself some coffee. " Christian, I need to talk to you about those new vines on the west slope." Something in his tone put me on alert. "Is there a problem?" Marcus hesitated, glancing sideways at

the office." "Nonsense," Joseph interjected. "I'm old, not senile. If there are problems in the vineyard, I want to know." Marcus and I exchanged a look, and he gave in with a sigh. "We've got a serious problem in the new organic sectors," Marcus said, his tone low and urgent. "Someone damaged almost the entire experimental section overnight." A wave of alarm

voice even further. "We found traces of chemicals in the soil. Strong herbicides, the kind that would kill anything planted there for the next few months." A heavy silence fell over the table. Vineyard vandalism wasn't unheard of-local rivalries, land disputes, or sheer malice existed even in the seemingly refined world of

reports from the team about any unusual activity in the past few days." "I'm already on it,"

competitors afraid of losing market share to new trends, even conservative members of our own board who considered the investment an unnecessary risk. "I don't know, Grandpa. But I'll find out." "We'll