Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 674 Gwen's POV The letter stayed in Nick's hands like it had a pulse of its own. He stood in the middle of the living room, shirtless, his hair still messy from sleep, and somehow he looked... official. As if his body understood that our home had just turned into a courtroom. His hands were trembling. Barely. Almost imperceptible. But | saw it. | always saw everything when it came to him. | leaned against the kitchen counter, trying to keep the air inside my lungs. The coffee I'd just started brewing suddenly felt wrong. Like it belonged to a different world.

A world that didn't exist anymore. My phone vibrated on the marble It was a video call from one of the lawyers. His name flashed on the screen, and for a second, | considered letting it ring. As if ignoring it might buy us a little more time before reality hit. Nick looked up at me. In his eyes, a silent command. ---- 'Answer it.' | accepted the call. "Mr. Cross," | said, already trying to steady my voice. His face appeared on screen. Framed too neatly. Background too neutral. The kind of image that already carried bad news. He didn't smile. "Ms. Kensington. Mr.

Valemont." He took a measured breath. Professional. "I'm afraid | have... less than pleasant news." "Yeah. We know. The notification just arrived." Behind me, | heard the paper crumple slightly. Nick had tightened his grip, like he could crush the idea and shove it back inside the envelope. The lawyer blinked slowly. As if confirming what he suspected. "She moved quickly," he said. "And she did it strategically." Nick stepped into frame from the side, like the camera was a doorway he was about to storm through.

"What does she want?" he asked, his voice low and tight." Exactly what does she want?" The lawyer held his gaze. Unshaken. That was his job. ---- "She filed an emergency request. A temporary injunction. In simple terms, Renee is asking the court to make an immediate temporary change to custody while the main case is pending." Nick went completely still. Something cold slid down inside me. "Temporary how?" | asked before his anger tured into something we wouldn't be able to contain. "Temporary as in... the child spending a period of time with the mother. Or expanded visitation for her.

"Here's what happens next. The court schedules an urgent hearing. At the same time, the judge may

be interviews. It depends on the judge and what was alleged in her petition. She'll try to frame this as emotional instability. She'll use the incident at school. She'll use the move to another city. She'll use anything that can be interpreted as ' turbulence." Nick closed his eyes for a moment, and | saw the muscle in

for a second that felt too long. "Your chances are good," he said plainly. No sugarcoating. "As long as your position is very clear and very consistent: stability, bond, routine, care. And most importantly... if the child expresses a desire to remain with her father." ---- The word "most" hung in the air

he got nearer. "Is her opinion decisive? One hundred percent?" he asked. And underneath it, | heard what he didn't say. Tell me she can't be turned against me. The lawyer didn't soften it.

best interest' of the child, and when a child verbalizes fear, discomfort, or refusal... that becomes part of the decision." | felt Nick's entire body go rigid. "So Renee is..." he began, "She's trying to build a narrative," the lawyer finished for him. "A narrative in which the girl appears emotionally unsafe in her father's home. A narrative where the mother is