Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 596 Gwen's POV Bella ran out of the gelato shop before | could even decide what to do. The glass door swung open with a chiming bell, and she came straight toward me, her quick little steps tapping against the cobblestone sidewalk. "Gwen! Gwen!" she shouted, her arms already reaching out. | instinctively bent down and opened my arms to catch her. She threw herself against me hard enough to almost knock me over, her small arms squeezing my neck with that too-tight hug only children give when they don't know their own strength.

"Hi, sweetheart," | said, feeling something tighten in my chest. " What a nice surprise." Of course Nick came after her. A protective father, not letting his little girl run into the street alone. He stopped a few feet away, hands in his pockets, his expression cautious. Our eyes met over Bella's head. Neither of us spoke. ---- "You can have gelato with us!" Bella said, pulling back just enough to look at my face, her eyes bright with excitement." Please? Please?" | glanced through the glass window into the shop.

Renee was still sitting inside, watching us with an expression that barely hid her irritation. "It's better if | don't," | said gently, brushing Bella's hair back. " You're busy." "But | want you to!" Bella insisted, pouting. "Please, Gwen!" "How about later, you and | have a really good cake from Grandma Martina? Just us two. Deal?" Bella considered it, clearly torn between what she wanted right now and the promise of something special later. "Are you going back to the estate?" Nick asked. His voice was more formal than usual. "Lam," | said, standing up.

"I came early because | had a meeting with an agency here in town." Something crossed his face. Surprise, maybe. Or confusion. "You didn't mention a meeting," he said. "Or that you were coming today." ---- "I didn't want to bother you," | replied evenly. "I mainly came because of the influencers arriving tomorrow. | needed to make sure everything was being prepared properly. The meeting was just convenient, since | was coming anyway." 'An awkward silence fell between us. Bella looked back and forth between us, sensing the tension even if she didn't fully understand it.

shifted in her expression. She grew more closed off. More resistant. She didn't want to go back to Renee. It was obvious. Nick and | exchanged a look. "If you'd like..." he began, leaving the sentence unfinished. "Yayyy!" Bella shouted before | could answer, grabbing

sending a shiver down my arms immediately. The sweet smell of waffles and chocolate filled the air. Renee watched us approach, her smile visibly tightening when she saw me. "Hello," she said,

is having gelato with us!" Bella announced happily as she settled in beside me. "That's... nice," Renee said, and it was impossible to miss the sharp edge beneath the word. | ordered a lemon gelato. Something light. Refreshing Something | could eat slowly while trying not to make the situation even more uncomfortable than it already was. The atmosphere was tense. Heavy silences broken only by forced conversation. ---- Bella talked mostly to

in now and then, but it was like watching someone struggle to enter a conversation they clearly didn't belong to. "Bella, sweetheart," Renee said at one point, her voice rising slightly, "don't you want to tell me about your music lessons? Your dad mentioned you started." "| haven't started yet," Bella replied without looking at her, far more interested in showing me how she could stack gelato on her tiny spoon. | saw frustration flash across Renee's face. "And school?" she tried again. "Did you do any presentations recently?"

a place that isn't theirs." ---- "Renee," Nick said quietly, his voice carrying a warning "What?" she said innocently. "I'm just making an observation. Bella and | haven't seen each other in years, yet she already seems to have a... replacement." "Maybe because you haven't seen her in