Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 468 Madeline's POV The jet touched down in Verdania with a smoothness that couldn't have been more at odds with the emotional. chaos inside me. As we taxled down the runway, a tight knot formed in my chest, like something could happen at any second. As if another bomb were waiting for us-hidden in every shadow, every suspicious movement, every person who came too close. I couldn't shake the feeling that we were walking straight into a trap.

Every second we spent on Verdanian soil felt like another second of exposure to a danger I had chosen to face-dragging innocent people along with me. We got off the jet in silence, all of us visibly tense despite our efforts to look normal. The private airport was discreet and luxurious, but I still felt exposed. Vulnerable. Like I was standing in an open field, waiting for the shot I was convinced would come. While we waited for the cars that would take us away, I quietly moved closer to Christian. There was something I'd been thinking about the entire flight, and I needed to say it now.

"Christian," I said softly, making sure Marcus and the girls weren't listening. He turned to me, his expression instantly alert. Years of leadership had probably trained him to recognize when someone was about to ask for something important. "Can I ask you a favor?" "Of course." "Can you take Olivia with you and Zoey?" Christian blinked, clearly not expecting that request. "All right," he said after a moment. "But can I ask why?" I took a deep breath, organizing my thoughts before answering. "I'm not naïve, Christian. I know what's going on, and I'm sure you'll keep Zoey as safe as possible.

you sure about what you're doing?" The question was simple, but it carried the full weight of every consequence my decision had set into motion. "No," I admitted honestly. "I don't like the idea of other people being put at risk because of me, especially a baby.

familiar ache pierced my chest at the sound of words I was sure weren't true. "You don't have to lie," I said, doing my best to keep my voice steady. "I already understand how things work with Marcus." 1/3 Christian blinked, confused. "How they work?" "I heard you two in the hospital wing at the camp," I explained, the words coming out more bitter than

intently, and I could see his expression shift as he tried to recall the exact conversation I was referring to. "That's not how the conversation went," he

on a seriousness I wasn't used to hearing from him, "having you in our family is... stressful." It felt like a slap. Exactly what I expected to hear, and it still hurt. "I have to constantly try to anticipate your ex's next move to protect us, and I've failed," he

your family." Christian stayed quiet for a few seconds, as if carefully choosing his next words. "That's not it," he said at last. "I like you. And more than that, I like what you bring to my cousin-the look in the eyes of a man who's in love." My heart stopped for a beat. "But," he went