Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 536 Nicholas' POV I went upstairs slowly, my steps heavy after the long day. The house was quiet now, broken only by the occasional sound of guests moving around in their rooms or the familiar creak of the old wood settling. I stopped at Bella's door and opened it gently. I expected to find her asleep, curled up under the blankets with her stuffed bear hugged to her chest like she always did. But instead, she was sitting up in bed, the bedside lamp on, casting a soft golden glow around the room. She was staring into nothing, her brown eyes distant and thoughtful.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" I asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind me. Bella blinked, like she was coming out of a trance, and looked at me. "I can't sleep," she said in that small voice she used when something was bothering her. I sat on the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping slightly under my weight. "Do you want a story?" Her face lit up instantly. "Yes!" I stood and walked over to the small white-painted bookshelf against the wall. It was full of children's books. Some had been mine when I was a kid. Others we'd bought together over the years.

I ran my finger along the spines until I found one of Bella's favorites, a story about a clever fox and his adventures in the forest. I went back to the bed and settled beside her, leaning against the headboard. Bella immediately snuggled into my side, her warm little head resting against my arm. I opened the book and started reading, using different voices for each character like she loved. The fox had a high, mischievous voice. The bear was deep and grumbly. The bunny spoke fast and nervously. Bella giggled, her eyes shining every time I made a particularly silly voice.

neck, softly gleaming under the lamp light, was a necklace. A delicate chain with a small star- shaped pendant. I

or an imitation. It was real gold. Solid gold. And probably high-karat, with details that were far too delicate to be mass- produced. It was very expensive. Not the kind of thing I could afford to buy for a woman, for example. Not with the tight budget it took just to keep

she shot back instantly, clutching the necklace with both hands to protect it. "It's a friendship necklace!" "I know, sweetheart, but it's a grown-up necklace. Gwen can give you another one later, a kid's one, okay?" Bella's eyes filled with tears, her lower lip

easily. By tomorrow, she'd be distracted by something else. Bella wiped her tears with the back of her hand and snuggled back against me, satisfied.