Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 636 Gwen's POV "No." The word came out before | even realized I'd made the decision. Sharp. Final. The kind that leaves no room for negotiation. Renee blinked, like she hadn't heard me correctly. "What?" | stood up from my chair. | could feel my hands trembling, but my voice stayed steady. "| said no. I'm not giving you a single cent. I'm not giving in to this pathetic blackmail." | pointed toward the door. "Get out. Now." She laughed. That elastic, grating laugh that always sounded more like a taunt than amusement.

"You're going to regret this..." "Get out!" | shouted, louder than | meant to. "Now!" ---- My voice ricocheted off the glass walls and came back at me. For a second, | startled myself. Renee stood slowly, calm as if she were leaving a café instead of the scene of an attempted extortion. She picked up her purse and adjusted the strap on her shoulder. "Fine," she said, walking toward the door. At the threshold, she turned back one last time. Her eyes empty of any trace of shame. "You'll pay for this, Gwen," she said coldly. "If not with money, then another way." And she walked out.

The door closed behind her with a soft click. | stood there. Then my body finally caught up. | grabbed my phone off the desk with the overwhelming sense that if | waited even one more minute, something irreversible would happen. This wasn't about me anymore. It wasn't about the vineyard, or the debt, or lies and secrets. It was about Bella. ---- About a mother with absolutely no scruples willing to use her own daughter as a bargaining chip in some twisted game of chess. I needed to talk to Nick. Now. | dialed his number with shaking fingers. It rang and rang, then went to voicemail.

"Damn it," | muttered, already calling again. Second try. Voicemail again. Third time. Same result. He wasn't answering. | closed my eyes for a second, took a breath, and hit the button to record a voice message. "Nick," | started, trying and failing to keep my voice steady, "we need to talk. It's important. Really important. Don't listen to anything your ex tries to tell you, okay? Nothing. | need to talk to you first. I'm on my way there now." ---- | hit send before | could overthink every word. | grabbed my bag and coat and rushed out of my office.

slid shut, and Renee's face flashed in my mind. "Youll pay another way." | shoved the fear down. This wasn't the time to shake. It was the time to move. | went straight to the garage, got into my Audi, and started the engine in one fluid motion my body

for now. | took the road toward Montelira. The city thinned behind me. Open countryside. Rolling hills. Occasional road signs. | pressed the gas a little harder. The

to a slower car ahead of me. | changed lanes to pass. A normal move. Something I'd done a thousand times. Signal. Check the mirror. Ease left. | was halfway through overtaking when the other car suddenly accelerated. |

dance that made no sense. Then | looked over. And saw Renee. Our eyes met. She recognized me. | recognized that cold and almost satisfied smile. She kept accelerating, holding me in the oncoming lane like it was some kind of sport. My stomach turned to ice. The road began to curve gently

the blast of displaced air as it roared past, the world shaking beside me. But I'd turned too fast and too hard. The rear tires lost grip. The car began to spin. | tried to correct it. Turned the wheel the other way. Hit the brakes on instinct, searching for control. Nothing. The world became a violent

my forehead, my cheeks. The car kept dragging, skidding. Another hit, harder, on my side. My body slammed against the seatbelt. Glass shattered. A hollow, crushing sound like something bending past its limit. My head snapped back and forth. There was pain. So much pain. And then, suddenly,