Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 526 Nicholas' POV "Daddy! Who is that lady?" Bella's high-pitched voice echoed down the hallway, and I jerked away from Gwen like I'd been hit with an electric shock. My heart slammed against my ribs, partly from the sudden interruption and partly from the ridiculous guilt of being caught in something that should not have been happening. I turned toward the doorway, and there was my daughter. Brown curls slipping free from the braid my mother had done that morning. A pink dress stained with something that looked suspiciously like tomato sauce.

Her brown eyes, so much like her mother's that sometimes it physically hurt to look at them, stared at me with pure, innocent curiosity. I opened my mouth to answer. To explain. To say... something. Anything. But my mind went completely blank. The words tangled on my tongue, and nothing came out. Then Gwen moved. She crouched down with effortless grace, bending her knees until she was at Bella's height. A gentle smile curved her lips, the kind of smile reserved for children. Warm. Genuine. "I'm your daddy's fiancée," she said, and my stomach dropped. No. No. No.

Gwen frowned slightly, like she was trying to reach for a memory that should have been there but wasn't. "We... we hadn't met yet?" she asked, real confusion in her voice. Bella shook her head energetically, curls bouncing. "No! I've never seen you before. What's your name?" "Gwen," she answered, still smiling. "And what's your name?" "I'm Bella!" my daughter announced with the pride only a six-year-old could have. "Bella Valemont." "Bella," Gwen repeated, like she was savoring the sound of it. "What a beautiful name.

How old are you, Bella?" "Six!" Bella held up six fingers, making sure the number was absolutely clear. "I turn seven in April!" "Six years old," Gwen murmured, and something shifted in her expression. Her blue eyes went distant for a moment. "Oh. That's the same age as my daughter." "You have a daughter?" The words left my mouth before I could stop them. Gwen stood and turned toward me, her eyes locking onto mine with a mix of confusion and something that looked a lot like... disappointment. 1/4 +25 Bonus "Of course I do," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

when she made the reservation. Not- "How long have we been engaged?" Gwen asked suddenly, urgency sharpening her voice. I looked at her, then at Bella, who was watching us with wide eyes, soaking in every word like a sponge. "Sweetheart," I said, turning to my daughter and forcing my voice to sound normal.

know how heavy it gets for her." Bella's face lit up. My mother let her "help" in the kitchen, which usually meant eating half the dough and getting flour everywhere, and Bella loved every second of it. "Okay, Daddy!" She spun on her heels and ran down the hallway, her footsteps echoing against the old wooden floor. The silence she left behind was

yet? You didn't know about my daughter. Bella didn't know me. None of this makes sense." I took a deep breath. 'Easy, Nick. She hit her head.' "Gwen," I began, keeping my voice as gentle as I could. "You're confused. We're not engaged." She blinked. "What?" "I only went along with it at the hospital because you needed someone responsible to be discharged," I explained, stepping closer

maybe. Or betrayal. Her blue eyes shimmered with something that might have been tears, but she blinked quickly, forcing them back. "Why are you being so cold to me?" she cut in, her voice carrying a nearly desperate edge now. She stepped back, putting distance between us. "Why are you saying these

the effort she was making to reach memories that simply weren't there. "We are engaged," she said firmly. "Stop messing with me." "Gwen, listen," I tried again, taking another step toward her. "The doctor said you might be confused for a few days. That's normal after a head injury. Your memories will come back, but right now you're mixing things up, making connections that-" "Stop!" She opened her eyes suddenly, and there was something wild in them now. Panic. Fear. "Just... just