Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 576 Gwen's POV "Business?" | repeated, lowering my cup slowly. "What kind of business?" Nick ran a hand through his hair, visibly nervous. His gaze slipped away from mine for a moment, settling on the coffee cup in front of him as if the answers might be written at the bottom. "It's complicated," he began, his voice quieter now. "And honestly, | feel kind of... | don't know, like I'm taking advantage? Asking you here for this. But I didn't know who else to turn to, and you mentioned that you-" He stopped, took a deep breath, then started again.

"We're in serious financial trouble at the villa," he said at last, the words coming faster now, like he needed to get them out before he lost his nerve. "Really serious." | stayed quiet, letting him continue. "There's a loan we took out a few years ago," he explained, still not quite meeting my eyes. "When my father died, he left... well, he left some debts behind. And the property needed urgent repairs.

The roof was leaking, the plumbing was old, and we had ---- to make updates to keep operating legally as an inn." His fingers drummed nervously against the table "We took the loan thinking we could pay it off little by little with the inn's income and the winery," he went on. "But the debts my father left were bigger than we realized. And every time we managed to pay one thing off, something else came up. It just kept piling up over the years. Old debts mixing with new ones, interest growing, until suddenly we were buried and couldn't get out." My stomach tightened.

| already knew parts of this story. But if Nick was laying it all out like this, something had clearly changed. And not for the better. "A representative from the bank came by last week," Nick said, finally lifting his eyes to meet mine. "They gave us sixty days to catch up or present a viable repayment plan. If we don't..." He swallowed. "They'll enforce the collateral. They'll take the property." | saw the pain in his eyes as he said it. The shame of admitting failure. The fear of losing everything "That's why | came to Florentia today," he continued.

they'd get back to me ina few days. But | don't think it'll go anywhere. My credit is terrible, | already have an active loan | can't keep up with, and | don't have

do something different. Something that actually changes our situation." He paused, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart start to race. "And that's when I thought of you." | froze Had he found out? Somehow, had he discovered

would never agree to something like that. From a purely business standpoint, it made no sense to invest in a property drowning in debt when you could simply wait and acquire it outright at market value. It was basic business logic, not cruelty. But Nick didn't want to sell. That much was unquestionable. He had made it painfully clear that he

it was just professional caution "Well, you said..." he began, still awkward. "You said when you were there that you were looking for new clients. That you were building your independent portfolio as a consultant." Of course. To Nick, | was a digital marketing consultant specializing in rural tourism. Which made perfect sense. It was exactly what I'd told him | did. Supposedly my area of expertise. "So | thought maybe you could... | don't know, help us?" he went on, the words tumbling

places like ours." He scratched the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. ---- "I don't really know how pricing works," he admitted, and | could see the color creeping up his neck. "What you usually charge for something like this. But if we could split the payments, maybe over several