Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 408 Marcus' POV The relentless pounding on my apartment door ripped me out of a deep, restless sleep. I glanced at the digital clo on my nightstand. 3:20 a.m. Who the hell would be knocking at my door at this hour? A The knocking continued, louder now. It was more urgent. It had to be Olivia. I'd given her permission to come up without announcing herself, given everything going on with Madeline, but I hadn't expected her to use it in the middle of the night. I stumbled out of bed, still half-asleep, ran a hand through my messy hair, and headed for the door.

When I opened it, Olivia was standing in the hallway, visibly shaken, her eyes bright with an urgency that instantly put me on edge. She was wearing wrinkled clothes, like she'd rushed straight out of her apartment. "What's going on?" I asked, concern wiping away the last traces of sleep. "Madeline is at the hospital," she said bluntly, her voice tight with tension that made my stomach drop. It felt like a punch to the gut. "What?" I managed, my voice rougher than I meant it to be.

"But the procedure wasn't supposed to happen until tomorrow afternoon." Our entire plan with Christian was built around that timeline. We had contacts at the hospital who alerted us when Dominic scheduled the DNA procedure for Madeline, even though it was strongly contraindicated given her condition. That information had bought us time to prepare and to mobilize everything we needed. We had secured a detailed medical report from the doctor who performed Madeline's first ultrasound, clearly documenting why the procedure was dangerous due to the placental detachment that had been detected.

We had lawyers ready to file an emergency injunction to stop it, and even law enforcement on standby to intervene if necessary, using the situation to expose the neglect and abuse Madeline was suffering in the psychiatric clinic. The strategy was bold, but solid. The goal was to have her guardianship transferred back to me, who, like it or not, was still legally her husband. It was a clean, decisive move that could end all of this at once, pulling her out of Dominic's grip permanently and legally.

already moving back toward the bedroom to get dressed, my mind racing as I tried to process the implications of this sudden change. "I don't have all the details," Olivia said, following me down the hall as I grabbed jeans and a shirt

things. Most of them bad. Miscarriage. Placental abruption. Some complication caused by the sedatives they'd been forcing on her. My mind raced through every horrific possibility, each one worse than the last. 1/3 "What time did she get there?" I asked, pulling on my shirt. "About two hours ago. She arrived

his way to the hospital, if he wasn't there already, ready to take control of the situation and block anyone from getting near her. I was already running for the elevator, slipping on my shoes and digging for my car keys, when I pulled out my phone and called Christian. "Marcus?" His voice sounded groggy, confused. "It's

voice asking what was going on somewhere in the background. "What happened?" "We don't know yet. Bleeding. I'm heading there now. I need to get there before Dominic completely takes control of the situation." "The helicopter's being prepped," Christian said, fully awake now, all business. "It'll be ready in twenty minutes. I'm sending our security team too.". "Thank you," I said, a surge of gratitude and relief hitting me. Having Christian on my

passing second tightening the knot in my chest as I imagined what we might find at the hospital. The moment we reached the garage, I sprinted to my car and peeled out onto the nearly empty streets of Belmonte. The city was still asleep, the avenues eerily quiet, broken only by the occasional taxi or delivery truck cutting through the darkness. "So now what?" Olivia asked as