Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 561 Gwen's POV I woke up in an uncomfortable bed. The mattress was too firm, sinking in all the wrong places. The sheets had that rough texture of fabric washed a thousand times, lightly scratching against my skin. The room was small and cramped, with furniture that had seen better decades and wallpaper faded along the edges. So different from my spacious suite in Florentia, with its thousand-thread-count Egyptian sheets and orthopedic mattress that had cost more than some cars. So far from the comfort I was used to. And yet, in a strange and inexplicable way, it felt familiar.

Familiar in a gentle, comforting sense, the kind that made me want to stay there a few more minutes, wrapped in those rough but clean sheets, listening to the distant sound of the wind outside. My memories were all there now. Exactly where they belonged. Organized. Catalogued. Accessible. My entire life as Gwen Kensington, current COO of Kensington Valentia. I remembered everything. The office in Florentia. The endless meetings. The spreadsheets, projections, and market strategies. The cold, calculated satisfaction of closing a particularly difficult deal.

The way Christian trusted me to execute his vision, to turn ideas into profit. I remembered the mission that had brought me here. Evaluating Valemont Estate. Figuring out whether it was worth acquiring, how much to offer, how to convince the family to sell. All of it under the guise of Gwen Parker, marketing consultant, because Christian wanted absolute discretion. But some memories hurt more than others. Memories I had carefully locked away in a drawer at the very back of my mind for the past six years. Now that drawer was open.

Wrenched open with the same violence as everything else when my memory came flooding back in the cabin. And it refused to be shut again. The memories spilled out, insistent and painful, impossible to ignore. Tears started sliding down my face before I could stop them. Warm. Salty. Soaking into the rough. pillowcase. I cried quietly, trying to stay silent, not wanting anyone to hear. Not wanting to have to explain why I was crying when, technically, I should have been relieved to have my memory back. "Gwen?" The small voice made my heart stop for a second.

the corner of the room, on a chair near the window. She'd been so quiet I hadn't even noticed she was there. "Does it hurt?" she asked, her little voice full of worry. I quickly wiped my tears with the back of my hand, trying to pull my face together into something that 1/3 wouldn't scare her. "No, sweetheart," I said, my voice coming out hoarse. "I'm okay." Bella slid off the chair, her small feet tapping softly against the wooden floor as

tired and needed to rest." She sat down carefully on the edge of the bed, as if she were afraid of hurting me. Then she slipped her little hand into the pocket of her dress and pulled out something

and heavy with sadness." Because you're going away." She held out her small hand, offering the necklace. Then her eyes filled with tears that spilled down her rosy cheeks. "Are you going away?" The question

think so," I said honestly, because I couldn't lie to her. Not after everything. I looked at Bella with a tenderness that physically hurt in my chest. But then I took the necklace from her hand and gently placed it back around her neck, fastening the clasp carefully. "But you can keep the necklace, sweetheart. It's our friendship necklace, remember? And friends don't have to be in the same place

faded before it could really exist. "But I didn't want you to go," she said, her voice breaking. "Aren't you going to marry my dad and be my new mommy?" The question shattered me. I pulled Bella into a hug, wrapping my arms around her small, warm body and holding her against